The Archdiocese of Cosenza-Bisignano () a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Calabria and has been a metropolitan see since 2001."Archdiocese of Cosenza-Bisignano" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016"Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cosenza-Bisignano" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016

History

The Gospel was first preached in Cosenza by missionaries from Reggio.Cappelletti XXI, p. 286. It is pointed out, however, that there is no evidence for such claims, and that the earliest document dates from the early fifth century.Louis Duchesne (1902), "Les évêchés de Calabre," in: Scripta Minora. Études de topographie romaine et de géographie ecclésiastique (Rome: École Française de Rome, 1973), pp. 439-454: "Quant à des particularités sur la date des premières chrétientés organisées dans le Bruttium et sur les plus anciens évêques, il est inutile d'en demander à l'histoire. La légende elle-même est muette." The earliest known bishop of Cosenza is Palumbus, a correspondent (599) of Pope Gregory I.Umberto Benigni, "Cosentina," The Catholic Encyclopedia Volume IV (New York 1913); retrieved: 14 September 2022.

In 903, the Emir Ibrahim, in his attempt to conquer Calabria, reached as far as Cosenza, where he died.Taccone-Gallucci, p. 317.

Under the Lombards, Salerno was the metropolitan, and Cosenza was one of its suffragans. In 994, Pope John XV confirmed the metropolitan status of Salerno.Taccone-Gallucci, pp. 40, 317. "Nostrorum fratrum concedimus et confirmamus, atque tali ordine, ut fati sumus, id fieri decrevimus, ut tu et successores tui in perpetuum habeatis licentiam et potestatem ordinandi Episcopos et consecrandi in his subiectis vobis locis etc. Simul etiam et Episcopum Bisinianensem, Malvictensem et Episcopum Consentiae, cum omnibus parochiis et adiacentiis eorum, sicuti in vestro anteriori usu pallii continetur...."

Cosenza was raised to the dignity of an archbishopric about 1050. Among the best known Archbishops of Cosenza have been: Ruffo, who perished in the earthquake of 1184; the Cistercian Martino (1285), a prolific but uncritical writer; Taddeo, later Cardinal, Gaddi (1535), who obtained from Paul IV the privilege by which the cathedral canons of Cosenza wear the choir habit of the Vatican basilica; and Giuseppe Maria Sanfelice (1650), frequently charged by the Holy See with diplomatic missions.Benigni, "Cosentina,"

Pope Innocent III (1198–1216) had planned to visit Sicily in order to drum up interest, funds, and volunteers, for his crusade in the Holy Land, but never did. His successor, Honorius III, assumed the obligation, but was persuaded not to go to Sicily by his advisors, due to the lack of organization, which might lead the faithful to think that the project was hopeless.Taccone-Gallucci, p. 116: "Sed cum gens sine duce ac sine capite procedere videatur, non fuit de Fratrum Nostrorum vel aliorum consilio, ut Nos in Siciliam accedere deberemus; ne si hac vice non impleretur desiderium populi Christiani, crederetur de caetero res penitus desperata." On 8 July 1217, therefore, the pope appointed the Archbishop of Cosenza, the Cistercian monk Lucas, to go personally to Messina, to organize and preach the crusade."Quocirca fraternitatem tuam rogamus et monemus attente, per Apostolica scripta mandantes, quatenus personaliter Messanam accedens, ubi Crucesignatorum numerosa multitudo dicitur convenire, ipsis vice Nostra evangelizet, prout Dominus dederit, verbum Crucis, commonefaciendo universos et singulos ut se spiritualibus et materialibus armis provide munientes...." The archbishop was also to weed out the weak, incompetent, and the genuinely poor, dispensing them by papal authority from whatever oaths and promises they had undertaken.Taccone-Gallucci, pp. 115-117.

The seminary of Cosenza was founded through the initiative of Cardinal Giovanni Evangelista Pallotta (1587–1591)Taccone-Gallucci, pp. 391, 431.

Cathedral and Chapter

The cathedral of Cosenza, like nearly all the cathedrals of the former Kingdom of Naples, is dedicated to the Taking Up of the Body of the Virgin Mary into Heaven. The older cathedral was dedicated to Saint Pancratius. Cosenza's cathedral was administered by a corporation, called the Chapter, composed of four dignities (the Dean-Penitentiary, the Archdeacon, the Cantor, and the Treasurer) and seventeen canons, one of whom is the Theologus and another the Sub-Cantor. The cathedral is the parish church for the entire city, and there are three suburban parishes.Ughelli IX, pp. 185, 187.

A provincial synod was held by the metropolitan, Archbishop Fantino Petrignano from 10 May to 17 May 1579; its constitutions were published.Constitutiones et decreta condita in provinciali Synodo Consentina sub Reuerendiss. Domino D. Fantino Petrignano Dei & Apostolicae Sedis gratia Archiepiscopo Consentiae, anno MDLXXIX. Rome: Franciscum Zanetium, 1580. J.D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XXXV (Paris: H. Welter 1902, pp. 905-964. A provincial synod was held by the archbishop of Cosenza, (Cardinal) Giovanni Evangelista Pallotta (1587–1591).Taccone-Gallucci, p. 431.

Archbishop Giovanni Battista Costanzo (1591–1617) presided over a diocesan synod of Cosenza in the metropolitan cathedral on 18 October 1592.G.-B. Costanzo, Constitutiones, et decreta edita in synodo diocesana Consentina prima (Cosenza: Castellano & Angrisano 1593). He held a second diocesan synod in 1603.Synodus dioecesana consentina II, Quam rever.mus dom. Io. Baptista Constantius archiepiscopus consent. Habuit. Anno 1603. (Cosenza: A. Castellano 1605).

In 1694, Cosenza had a population of c. 12,000, and the whole diocese contained 93 towns and villages. There were 12 religious houses of men, and 5 convents of women. The Franciscans held five churches, including ones by the Conventuals, the Observants, the Stricter Observants, and the Capuchins. There were also the Benedictines of Montecassino, the Dominicans, the Carmelites, the Discalced Carmelites of S. Teresa, the Minims of S. Francis de Paola, the Theatines, and the Jesuits.Ughelli IX p. 188. Ritzler and Sefrin V, p. 179. In 1908, The diocese had a population of 159,500, with 109 parishes, 264 churches and chapels, 200 secular and 16 regular priests, 2 religious houses of men and 5 of women.

Diocesan reorganization The Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), in order to ensure that all Catholics received proper spiritual attention, decreed the reorganization of the diocesan structure of Italy and the consolidation of small and struggling dioceses. It also recommended the abolition of anomalous units such as exempt territorial prelatures.In its decree Christus Dominus, section 22, it stated: "Concerning diocesan boundaries, therefore, this sacred synod decrees that, to the extent required by the good of souls, a fitting revision of diocesan boundaries be undertaken prudently and as soon as possible. This can be done by dividing dismembering or uniting them, or by changing their boundaries, or by determining a better place for the episcopal see or, finally, especially in the case of dioceses having larger cities, by providing them with a new internal organization.... At the same time the natural population units of people, together with the civil jurisdictions and social institutions that compose their organic structure, should be preserved as far as possible as units. For this reason, obviously, the territory of each diocese should be continuous."

On April 4, 1979, the diocese of Bisignano was separated from the Diocese of San Marco e Bisignano and united with the archdiocese of Cosenza, as Cosenza e Bisignano."Cosenza e Bisignano" meant that the two dioceses each continued an independent existence, but were united by having one bishop preside over both dioceses, aeque personaliter. The diocese of San Marco was given compensating territory, and named the Diocese of San Marco Argentano-Scalea.Acta Apostolicae Sedis 71 (Città del Vaticano 1979), pp. 560-561: "A dioecesi Cassanensi municipia quae vulgo Scalea, Aieta, Orsomarso, Papasidero, Praia a Mare, San Nicola Arcella, Santa Domenica Taleo, Santa Maria del Cedro, Tortora et Verbicaro nuncupantur, seiungimus atque dioecesi S. Marci adscribimus."

On 18 February 1984, the Vatican and the Italian State signed a new and revised concordat. Based on the revisions, a set of Normae was issued on 15 November 1984, which was accompanied in the next year, on 3 June 1985, by enabling legislation. According to the agreement, the practice of having one bishop govern two separate dioceses at the same time, aeque personaliter, was abolished. Instead, the Vatican continued consultations which had begun under Pope John XXIII for the merging of small dioceses, especially those with personnel and financial problems, into one combined diocese.

On 30 September 1986, Pope John Paul II ordered that the dioceses of Cosenza e Bisignano be merged into one diocese with one bishop, with the Latin title Archidioecesis Cosentina-Bisinianensis. The seat of the diocese was to be in Cosenza, and the cathedral of Cosenza was to serve as the cathedral of the merged dioceses. The cathedral in Bisignano was to become a co-cathedral, and the cathedral Chapter was to be a Capitulum Concathedralis. There was to be only one diocesan Tribunal, in Cosenza, and likewise one seminary, one College of Consultors, and one Priests' Council. The territory of the new diocese was to include the territory of the former dioceses of Cosenza and Bisignano.Acta Apostolicae Sedis 79 (Città del Vaticano 1987), pp. 690-693.

Without suffragans, and therefore no longer a metropolitan archdiocese, Cosenza-Bisignano became directly dependent upon the Holy See. This situation changed in 2001, when Pope John Paul II further reformed the diocesan structure of Calabria. On 30 January 2001, he ordered that the metropolitan status of Cosenza-Bisignano be restored, and that it be assigned as suffragans the dioceses of Rossano-Cariata and Cassano, which were removed from the jurisdiction of the archdiocese of Reggio Calabria.Acta Apostolicae Sedis 93 (Citta del Vaticano 2001), pp. 337-338: "...Archiepiscopales Ecclesias Catacensem-Squillacensem atque Cosentinam-Bisinianensem, hactenus recta via subiectas.... Provincia Cosentina-Bisinianensis consistet illa metropolitana sede necnon suffraganeis dicionibus Rossanensi-Cariatensi et Cassanensi quae metropolitanae adhuc Ecclesiae Rheginensi-Bovensi suffraganeae fuerunt...."

Minor Basilicas Italy has a total of 589 minor basilicas. In the diocese of Cosenza they are: Basilica S. Mariae Virginis "a Catena", Laurignano, diocese of Cosenza (1966)Acta Apostolicae Sedis 58 (Città del Vaticano 1966), pp. 629-630: "Hoc religionis studium ab anno MCCCI repetitur, quo, uti tradunt, imago, quae Deiparam refert Divinum Infantem et catenam manibus tenentem, est inventa. Quae post varios eventus, quibus veluti tenebris fuit obvoluta rursusque in lucem prolata, saeculo praeterito postremum est reperta." Basilica of St. Francis of Paola, city of Paola, diocese of Cosenza (1921) Sanctuary-Basilica of the Blessed Angelo of Acri, Bisignano, diocese of Cosenza (1980)Acta Apostolicae Sedis 72 (Città del Vaticano 1980), p. 804.

Bishops of Cosenza Erected: 6th Century Latin Name: Cosentina

... [Suera (Suerius)]There is no documentation at all for an unnamed bishop consecrated by Archbishop Stephanus of Reggio: Ughelli IX, p. 190. There is no documentary reason to call him Suera or Suerius, as does Cappelletti XXI, p. 287. Lanzoni, p. 343. ... [Maximus (c. 401–417)]Mazximus is addressed in heading of a letter of Pope Innocent I as "episcopis per Brittios", without specific reference to the diocese of Cosenza. Lanzoni, p. 343. J.P. Migne, Patrologiae Latinae Cursus Completus, Tomus XX (Paris 1845), p. 605. ...