The Diocese of San Severo () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Apulia. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Foggia-Bovino.
History The diocese of San Severo was established on 9 March 1580 by Pope Gregory XIII, with the bull "In Eminenti". The bull specifically states that the city of Civitas (Città), a town now called San Paolo di Civitate, was practically uninhabited and levelled to the ground, and that there were scarcely any traces of a cathedral. The See of Civitas was vacant, since its bishop, Cardinal Francesco Alciati, had just resigned.Eubel III, pp. 41 no. 38; 168. Therefore, the seat of the vacant bishopric and the name and title of cathedral was transferred to the town (oppidum) of San Severo, which was fortified by walls and towers, and had a moderate population and several nobles, as well as four parishes. The parish church of S. Mary the Virgin was promoted to the status of a cathedral, and the seat of the bishop erected there. The diocese of San Severo was made a suffragan (subordinate) of the Archbishop of Benevento.Cappelletti, XIX, pp. 325-330.
To this diocese was later added the territory of the ancient Dragonara, a city built in 1005 by the Byzantine Governor of Apulia. CappellettiCappelletti, Le chiese d'Italia XIX, pp. 337-342. Eubel Hierarchia catholica III, pp. 187; 217 note 10. gives the names of twenty-eight bishops of Dragonara between 1061 and 1657.Umberto Benigni (1912), "San Severo," The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 13 (New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912); retrieved: 19 Jul. 2019. Gams, p. 923-924.
On 30 July 1627, a major earthquake struck San Severo, with a loss of life of some 800 persons. Churches and buildings were ruined. "Sansevero città è disfatta in tutto," wrote one witness.De Ambrosio, pp. 126-127. Tremors continued for a year, causing many inhabitants to give up and migrate elsewhere.
Between November 1656 and May 1657, the province of Capitanata and the city of San Severo were visited by the plague, causing the deaths of 3,000 people in the city, including Bishop Giovanni Battista Monti.De Ambrosio, p. 129. Gauchat, p. 314.
In 1703 the population was only around 3,000 persons.Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 355 note 1.
Other earthquakes caused serious damage in February 1828 and on 14 August 1851.Cappelletti, p. 336. Baratta, I terremoti d'Italia, pp. 407-410.
Cathedral and Chapter The cathedral of San Severo, dedicated to the taking up (assumption) of the body of the Virgin Mary into heaven, was consecrated by Cardinal Vincenzo Maria Orsini, O.P., Archbishop of Manfredonia (Siponto). The church of S. Antonio was united to the cathedral, along with its hospice, at which travellers would be received for three nights' sleeping accommodation; it also received the sick. The Prior of the hospice was elected annually by the cathedral Chapter.De Matta, Nona synodus, p. 3.
The cathedral was administered by a Chapter,C.D. Fonseca, "La cattedrale e il suo Capitolo. Analisi comparata in prospettiva storica, ecclesiologica e canonistica," , in: Annali di Studi Religiosi Vol. 4 (2003), pp. 215-235. composed of three dignities (the Archdeacon, the Archpriest and the Primicerius) and twelve Canons.De Ambrosio, p. 94. One of the Canons was designated the Canon Penitentiarius and another the Canon Theologus, according to a decree of Bishop Malaspina.De Matta, p. 9.
Synods A diocesan synod was an irregularly held, but important, meeting of the bishop of a diocese and his clergy. Its purpose was (1) to proclaim generally the various decrees already issued by the bishop; (2) to discuss and ratify measures on which the bishop chose to consult with his clergy; (3) to publish statutes and decrees of the diocesan synod, of the provincial synod, and of the Holy See. John Paul II, Constitutio Apostolica de Synodis Dioecesanis Agendis (March 19, 1997): Acta Apostolicae Sedis 89 (1997), pp. 706-727.
Synods were held by: Bishops Malaspina (1583–1604) in 1598;De Matta, p. 6. Densa (1658-1670), and Fortunato (1670-1678).De Matta, p. 4. Bishop Francesco Antonio Sacchetti (1635-1648) held two synods.De Matta, p. 14, 26-27. Bishop Carlo Felice de Matta (1678-1701) held his third diocesan synod on 15 August 1681; it was the ninth synod in the diocese's history. A diocesan synod was held by Bishop Adeodato Summantico, O.E.S.A. (1717- 1735) on 30–31 October 1720; he held a second synod on 15 August 1726.Secunda synodus dioecesana S. Severi ab illustriss. et reverendiss. domino fr. Adeodato Summantico, ex priore generali ordinis eremitarum S. Augustini, dictae civitatis episcopo, celebrata in ejus cathedrali ecclesia, die decima mensis augusti in festivitate assumptionis beatae Mariae virginis, anno Domini 1726. Beneventi, ex typographia archiepiscopali, anno 1728. Bishop Giovanni Camillo Rossi held a diocesan synod on 18 May 1823, and published its decrees. Bishop Francesco Orlando (1942-1960) held a diocesan synod in San Severo in 1949.
A different metropolitan A major administrative reorganization of the dioceses of Apulia took place in 1979.
Following the Second Vatican Council, and in accordance with the norms laid out in the council's decree, Christus Dominus chapter 40,Christus Dominus 40. Therefore, in order to accomplish these aims this sacred synod decrees as follows: 1) The boundaries of ecclesiastical provinces are to be submitted to an early review and the rights and privileges of metropolitans are to be defined by new and suitable norms. 2) As a general rule all dioceses and other territorial divisions that are by law equivalent to dioceses should be attached to an ecclesiastical province. Therefore dioceses which are now directly subject to the Apostolic See and which are not united to any other are either to be brought together to form a new ecclesiastical province, if that be possible, or else attached to that province which is nearer or more convenient. They are to be made subject to the metropolitan jurisdiction of the bishop, in keeping with the norms of the common law. 3) Wherever advantageous, ecclesiastical provinces should be grouped into ecclesiastical regions for the structure of which juridical provision is to be made. the Episcopal Conference of Apulia petitioned the Holy See (Pope) that Foggio be made a metropolitan and that a new ecclesiastical province be organized; Foggia was, at the time, directly dependent upon the Holy See, even though it was the capital of a civil province of Italy.
After wide consultations among all affected parties, Pope John Paul II issued the bull "Sacrorum Antistites" on 30 April 1979, in which he, first of all, dissolved the ecclesiastical province of Siponto (Manfredonia), and elevated Foggia to the status of metropolitan see. He then created the new ecclesiastical province of Foggia, whose constituent bishoprics (suffragans) were to be: Manfredonia (no longer a metropolitanate, though the archbishop was allowed to retain the title of archbishop); Troiana (which had previously been directly subject to the Holy See); Ascoli e Cerinola, Bovino, Lucera and San Severo (all of which had been suffragans of the metropolitanate of Benevento); and Vestana (which had been a suffragan of Manfredonia).Acta Apostolicae Sedis 71 (Città del Vaticano 1979), pp. 563-564.
Bishops of Civitas (Civitate, Città)
... Amalgerius (attested 1057–1065) ... Rogerius (attested 1075)Cappelletti, p. 322. Gams, p. 923 column 1. ... Joannes (attested 1144)Bishop Joannes subscribed the judgment issued by King Roger of Sicily in the suit between the Bishop of Avesano and the Abbot of San Lorenzo in Aversa. Cappelletti, XIX, p. 322; XX, p. 340. Gams, p. 923 column 1. ... Robertus (attested 1179)Bishop Robertus attended the Third Lateran Council of Pope Alexander III in March 1179. J.-D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XXII (Venice: A. Zatta 1778), p. 214. ... Donadeus (1254– ? )Eubel, Hierarchia catholica I, p. 189. ... Petrus (attested 1303, 1304)Petrus: Ughelli, p. 271. Joannes (attested 1310)Joannes: Ughelli, p. 271. Hugo (attested 1318–1324)Hugo: Ughelli, p. 271. ... Joannes Christianus Matthaeus, O.Min. Matthaeus Jacobus Benedictus Roman Obedience Petrus (1388-1401) Roman ObedienceBishop Petrus was appointed on 16 January 1388 by Urban VI. He was transferred to the diocese of Larino on 11 July 1401 by Pope Boniface IX. He died on 12 March 1410. Eubel I, pp. 189, 294. StephanusStephanus: Eubel, Hierarchia catholica Eubel I, p. 189. II, p. 129. Joannes (1401-1412)Cappelletti, p. 323. Eubel II, p. 129. Sede vacante (1412–1477)Cappelletti, p. 323. Jacopo Minutolo (1412–1425) Administrator Jacopo Caracciolo (1425–1439) Administrator From 1439 to 1471 the diocese of S. Severo was united to the diocese of Lucera, in the person of one single bishop.Cappelletti, p. 324. Antonius (1477–1479)Antonius: Eubel II, p. 129. Nicolaus (1480–1495) Gudiel de Cervatos (1495– c.1500) Thomas da Nola (1500–1503)Eubel, Hierarchia catholica III, p. 157 with note 3. Pancratius Rotondi (1504)Rotondi was appointed on 19 January 1504. He died in Rome without ever having visited Cività. Eubel III, p. 157. Roberto Tebaldeschi (1505–1517)Tebaldeschi: Eubel III, p. 157 with note 4. Gaspare Antonio del Monte (1517–1545)Del Monte: Eubel III, p. 158 with note 5. Lucas Gauricus (1545–1550)Gauricus: Eubel III, p. 157 with notes 6 and 7. Geraldo Rambaldo (1550–1571)Eubel III, p. 157 with note 8. Francesco Alciati (1571–1580)Alciati: Eubel III, p. 157 with note 9.
Bishops of San Severo 1581 to 1804
Martino de Martini, S.J. (1581–1583)A priest of the diocese of Aquila, Martini had previously been Bishop of Pharo (Hvar, Dalmatia) (1574–1581). He had required a dispensation because he had left the Society of Jesus without approval of his superiors. He was transferred to the diocese of San Severo on 20 February 1581 by Pope Gregory XIII. Ughelli states that Martini died in the second year of Gregory XIII. Ughelli VIII, p. 362. Eubel III, p. 168, 273 with note 8. Germanicus Malaspina (1583–1604)Malaspina was appointed in the papal consistory of 27 April 1583 by Pope Gregory XIII. He died in 1604. Eubel III, p. 168. Ottaviano della Vipera (15 Dec 1604- 13 Jan 1606)Vipera: Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 313 with note 2. Cardinal Fabrizio Verallo (1606-1615 Resigned)Verallo was a member of a Roman curial family; both he and Pope Urban VII were nephews of Cardinal Girolamo Verallo. He held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure (Perugia). He was a Canon of the Vatican Basilica (a gift of Urban VII), and a Referendary of the tribunal of the Two Signatures. He was Inquisitor of Malta, and then nuncio in Switzerland, for which post he was named Bishop of S. Severo on 5 May 1606. He was named a cardinal by Pope Paul V on 24 November 1608, and shortly thereafter appointed a member of the Sacred Congregation of the Inquisition, the SC of Bishops and Regulars, and the SC on Rites. He also served as papal Nuncio in Naples. He never visited his diocese, but governed through Vicars, and resigned the diocese of S. Severo before 23 March 1615, in order to devote more time to his curial duties. He died in Rome on 17 November 1624. Ughelli, p. 363. Cappelletti, p. 331. Tura, p. 603. Gauchat IV, pp. 11 no. 16 with note 5; 313 with note 3. Vincenzo Caputo (23 Mar 1615–1625)On 3 Mar 1625 Caputo was transferred to the diocese of Andria by Pope Urban VIII. Gauchat IV, p. 313 with note 4. Francesco Venturi (9 Jun 1625- 1629 Resigned)Gauchat IV, p. 313 with note 5. Domenico Ferro (3 Dec 1629- Jul 1635)Gauchat IV, p. 313 with note 6. Francesco Antonio Sacchetti (1 Oct 1635–1648)On 13 Jan 1648 Sacchetti was transferred to the diocese of Troia by Pope Innocent X. Gauchat IV, p. 314 with note 7. Leonardus Severoli (27 Jun 1650- 1652)Severoli: Gauchat IV, p. 313 with note 8. Giovanni Battista Monti (11 Oct 1655- 1657)Monti: Gauchat IV, p. 313 with note 9.