The Italian Catholic diocese of Policastro, in Campania, existed until 1986. In that year the diocese was suppressed, and its territory united to the diocese of Teggiano-Policastro. Throughout its existence, Policastro was a suffragan of the archdiocese of Salerno."Diocese of Policastro" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016

History

In his Historia naturalis (Book III, ch. 17), the elder Pliny gives a list of the peoples of Lucania, in alphabetical order: "Mediterranei Lucanorum Atinates, Bantini, Grumentini, Potentini, Sontini, Sirini, Tergilani Ursentini, quibus Numestrani junguntur." The Atinates had their center at Atina, the Grumentini had their center at Grumentum, and the Tergilani at Teggiano.Stefano Macchiaroli (1868), Diano e l'omonima sua valle: Ricerche storico-archeologiche, (Napoli: G. Rondinella 1868), pp. 75-86.

PolicastroPorfirio, in: D'Avino, p. 537, note 4, points out that some believe that "Policastro" is really "Paleocastro": "Pare incontrastabile l'opinione di quelli, che riportano a quest'epoca il mutamento del nome di Busento in quello di Policastro, quasi Paleocastro, che in greco non suona altro che vecchio castello, come Neocastro significa nuovo." is believed to be the ancient Pituntia,Ughelli VII, p. 542. "Strabo lib. 6 innuere videtur Policastrum antiquam Pituntiam esse, dum eam juxta Polinurum reponit." Strabo, however, wrote "Petelia", not "Pituntia": Strabonis Geographica Libri III-VI (ed. Francesco Sbordone) (Rome 1970), p. 282. Ughelli also derives the name "Policastro" from the Greek: nomen retinens a Graeco vocabulo, quasi magnum castrum, seu Urbis Castrum." though there is no source which explicitly so states.Cf. Francesco Orlandi (1737), Orbis sacer et profanus illustratus,... Opus ecclesiasticae et profanae historiae nec non geographiae studiosis apprime utile, Pars II, Vol. III (Florence: typis Bernardi Paperini 1737), pp. 1733-1734. Orlandi points out that Ughelli was manipulating the data, "Ex voce Pyxantis Ughellus alteram Pituntiae formavit: nec dubium quin Buxentum indicare voluerit, quamquam non omnino certum sit, an Polycastrum eo loci situm sit, ubi vetus Buxentum fuit." It was the last city in Calabria that remained faithful to the empire of Constantinople, until it was captured by the Normans under Robert Guiscard in 1065. The city became part of the dukedom of his brother Roger. In 1290, it belonged to Pietro Ruffo, Count of Catanzaro, having been given to him by King Charles of Anjou.Strafforelli, p. 140.

Foundation of the diocese On 22 July 1051, Pope Leo IX issued the bull "Officium Sacerdotale", in which he confirmed the metropolitan status of the archbishops of Salerno, and the privilege of ordering and consecrating the bishops of Paestum, Nola, Conza, Cosenza, and Bisignano.Ughelli VII, pp. 379-380. Kehr VIII, p. 349, no. 19: "dat licentiam et potestatem ordinandi et consecrandi episcopos in subiectis locis, hoc est episcopatus Paestanen. et Nolanum et Consanum et Cusentinum simulque Visunianen. atque Acerentinum There is no mention of Policastro. On 24 March 1058, Pope Stephen IX issued the bull also called "Officium Sacerdotale", in which he confirmed for the archbishops of Salerno the right of consecrating bishops for (in addition to those named by Pope Leo) Malvito, Policastro, Marsico, Martirano, and Caciano.J. von Pflugk-Harttung, Acta pontificum Romanorum inedita Vol. II (Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer 1884), p. 82, no. 116. Kehr VIII, p. 349, no. 21: "eligendi et ordinandi episcopos in subiectis locis secundum Rom. pontificum privilegia, hoc est in Paestanen. civ. et Consana et Acherontina et Nolana quoque et Cusentina necnon et in Visinianen. et in Malvito et in Policastro et in Marsico et in Martirano et in Caciano...." The archbishops, therefore, had the right to consecrate bishops for Policastro by 1058, though there is no indication that they actually did so. The earliest bishop of Policastro of whom evidence survives is Bishop Petrus Pappacarbone (1079–1109).Petrus was also abbot of S. Trinità de Cava from 1079 to 1118. Jean Bolland, S.J., Daniel van Papenbroeck. S.J., Godefroy Henschen, S.J., (edd.), Acta Sanctorum Martii Tomus I (Antwerp: apud Jacobum Meursium 1668), pp. 328-337. Ughelli VII, pp. 543-560 (citing the hagiographies). Gams, p. 912, column 1.

Pietro da Pappacarbone (1079), a Benedictine of Cava de' Tirreni,Paolo Guillaume, Vita di s. Pietro salernitano, primo vescovo di Policastro (Roma: E. Loescher 1876), pp. 10-12. resigned after governing the diocese for thirty years, and was succeeded by Arnaldus on 17 February 1110.Ughelli VII, p. 560.Kehr VIII, p. 371.

The cathedral was dedicated to the Assumption of the Body of the Virgin Mary into Heaven. The cathedral was administered by a corporation called the Chapter, consisting of two dignities (the Archdeacon and the Cantor) and ten Canons.Ughelli VII, pp. 542-543. The bishops of Policastro had two residences, one in the city next to the cathedral, and the other at Orsaia, where the seminary for clergy was also located.Ughelli VII, p. 543.

Frederick II vs. Innocent III In 1211, a crisis arose in regard to the diocese of Policastro, with serious ecclesiastical and political implications. Upon the death of their bishop, the cathedral Chapter met and unanimously elected the archpriest of the collegiate church of Saponaria. Several canons carried the electoral announcement to Messana to the emperor, to obtain the assent of the Emperor Frederick II. The emperor (per regis familiares) rejected the bishop-elect, as well as all the other possible candidates named by the canons, and made it clear that he wished them to nominate his physician, Jacopo. The Chapter, fearing to incur the anger of the emperor, and also thoroughly unhappy, elected the physician. They then applied to the archbishop of Salerno, the metropolitan for confirmation and consecration, presenting him with letters from Frederick and from Cardinal Gregory of S. Teodoro, the papal legate. The archbishop, before proceeding, sought a papal response. Pope Innocent III suspended action on the cases of the bishops of Policastro and of Sarno, since he wanted to send nuncios to the king. In the meantime, Jacopo, sought help from the king. The Chapter of Policastro told the nuncios that they did not want Jacopo, and lodged an appeal at the papal court. Attempts were made to pressure the papal legate into acting on behalf of Jacopo, but he declined to end the matter and ordered the canons into his presence, bringing with them the papal documents in their possession. In the meantime, Jacopo obtained, with the legate's knowledge, permission for his consecration from the archbishops of Taranto and Santa Severina, and the bishop of Cerenza., and appeared in Policastro for his consecration; the canons refused to receive him, and appealed to the pope to reverse everything that had been done in the case of Jacopo.Letter of Pope Innocent III, dated 17 June 1211, in: J.P. Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Latinae Cursus Completus Tomus CCXVI (Paris: Garnier 1891), pp. 440-441.

Pope Innocent appointed the archbishop of Cosenza and the abbot of Flore to investigate the claims of Jacopo, the Chapter of Policastro, and the archbishop of Salerno. After taking testimony, they sent a written report to the pope, along with procurators of the named parties, where they were dealt with by Cardinal Benedetto of Santa Susanna on the pope's behalf. Pope Innocent then declared the election of Jacopo as contrary to canon law, as well as to the concordat which he had negotiated with Constance, Queen of Sicily, and therefore void. He ordered the Chapter to proceed with the confirmation of the archpriest of Saponaria by the archbishop of Salerno. He informed the bishop of Capaccio and the abbot of Cava as to what had been taking place, and ordered them to observe his rulings, and authorized them to impose ecclesiastical censures on those who violated them.Letter of Pope Innocent III, p. 442: "electionem ipsam irritam declaravimus et irritam, interdicentes eidem exsecutionem pontificalis officii non rite suscepti...." A. Potthast, Regesta pontificum Romanorum Vol. 1 (Berlin: De Decker 1874), p. 378 no. 4275. Cf. Donald Matthew, The Norman Kingdom of Sicily (1992), p. 307.

In 1239, the Emperor Frederick II was once again excommunicated by Pope Gregory IX. The bull cites, as a contributory reason, that he had left numerous dioceses without a bishop in his realms, including Policastro.Shailer Mathews (1900), Select Mediaeval Documents and Other Material: Illustrating the History of Church and Empire, 754 A.D.-1254 A.D. Boston: Silver, Burdett, 1900, p. 142: "Et sunt nomina dictarum ecclesiarum vacantium : Cathaniensis, Reginensis, Acheruntiensis, Squillacensis, Rubensis, Potentinensis, Hydrontinensis, Policastrensis, Sarnensis, Aversanensis, Valvensis, Monopolitensis, Polinanetensis, Melfiensis, Rapellensis, Cariatensis, Alifanensis, Mazarensis, Vigiliarensis et Fricentinensis episcopatus : monasteria vero sunt ista Venusinum et Sancti Salvatoris Messanensis."

Ottoman fleets Policastro's position facing the Tyrrhenian Sea (or the Gulf of Policastro, as it is called locally) made it particularly vulnerable to invasion and raiding by pirates. In 1532 and 1544, the Ottoman admiral Ariadeno Barbarossa (Hayreddin)Muhsin Kadıoğlu, Glorious Muslim Admirals: Aruj (Oruç Reis) (Istanbul 2020), pp. 11-12. La Vita e la Storia di Ariadeno Barbarossa, Ed. Giuseppe Bonaffini. (Palermo: Sellerio 1993). attacked the city. In July 1552, the Ottoman fleet of 123 ships, led by Dragut Rais, ravaged the entire coast and besieged Policastro for three days. The city was destroyed, and the survivors either made galley slaves or sold in the slave markets.Silvia Pallecchi (2017), "Policastro Bussentino. Storia e archeologia di un abitato sulle coste della Campania tra XV e XVI secolo," in: S. Pallecchi (ed.), Raccontare l’archeologia. Strategie e tecniche per la comunicazione dei risultati delle ricerche archeologiche (Firenze: All’Insegna del Giglio), pp. 35-36. Similar fates struck Vibonati, Santa Marina, San Giovanni a Piro, Torre Orsaia, and Roccagloriosa.Federico Lambiti (2017), Porta di mare (Firenze: Edizioni All'Insegna del Giglio), pp. 12-13. Bishop Laudisio discounted the size of the disaster, based on documents he read in his archives.

In 1664, sufficiently grave charges as to the conduct of the bishop of Policastro, Filippo Jacobio, in the territory of Orsaia, that Pope Alexander VII, on 1 December 1664, issued a commission to his nuncio in Naples, Giulio Spinola, Archbishop of Laodicea, to launch an investigation and open legal proceedings against the bishop. The nuncio, however, was not to proceed to a verdict, but instead to submit his findings and conclusion immediately and directly to the pope for final disposition.Bullarum diplomatum et privilegiorum sanctorum Romanorum pontificum Volume 17, pp. 316-317, no. 496. In 1667, Bishop Jacobio announced that his cathedral, with six chapels, and the sacristy were practically in ruins.Gérard Labrot (1999), Sisyphes chrétiens: la longue patience des évêques bâtisseurs du Royaume de Naples (1590–1760) (Seyssel: Champ Vallon 1999), p. 185: "...désolation encore à Policastro en 1667 où Filippo de Jacobio observe que sa cathédrale « est pratiquement en ruines, avec six chapelles en ruines et la sacristie en ruines." He therefore began to rebuild the episcopal palace at Orsaia, a town with a population of c. 1,500, where he preferred to live rather than in Policastro, which was nearly deserted and falling apart.Ebner, p. 343. In this palace, Bishop Vincenzo de Sylva, O.P. (1672) was besieged by Count Fabrizio Carafa.Catholic Encyclopedia article