The Diocese of Cefalù () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in north-central Sicily. Under the Greek church in the 8th and 9th centuries, it was a suffragan of the metropolitanate of Syracuse in the Patriarchate of Constantinople. When the Latin rite diocese was founded under the Normans, in 1131, it became a suffragan of the archdiocese of Messina. In 2000, Pope John Paul II made the diocese of Cefalù a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Palermo.David M. Cheney, Catholic-Hierarchy.org, "Diocese of Cefalù". Retrieved March 29, 2016. . Gabriel Chow, GCatholic.org, "Diocese of Cefalù"; retrieved March 29, 2016.
History
Girolamo di Marzo Ferro (1860) believed that the diocese was founded in the fifth century. At that time Sicily's dioceses were directly subject to the Papacy.Marzo Ferro, p. 67. The Emperor Leo III the Isaurian (717–741) removed the dioceses of Sicily, including Cefalù, from Roman control and made them suffragans of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.Kehr, p. 362. In the mid-9th (or 10th) century, Basil of IalimbanaAndreas Kuelzer, in: Encyclopedia of Ancient Natural Scientists: The Greek Tradition and its Many Heirs, (ed. Paul T. Keyser; Georgia L. Irby-Massie) (New York: Routledge 2008), s. v. "Georgios of Cyprus (600–620)". Ernest Honigmann, "Die Notitia des Basileios von Ialimbana," Byzantion 9 (1934), 205-222. revised the geography of George of Cyprus with the addition of a Notitia episcopuum, in which the diocese of Cefalù appears as a suffragan of Syracuse.H. Gelzer, Georgius Cyprius (Leipzig: B.G. Teubner 1890), p. 30.
The first known bishop of Cefalù was Nicetas, a bishop of the Greek rite and a suffragan of the metropolitan of Syracuse.
Following Nicetas, the Arab occupation of Sicily made the regular election of bishops impossible.
Latin rite bishops When the Normans established the diocese of Agrigento in 1093, Count Roger d'Hauteville fixed the boundaries of the diocese, which extended across central Sicily, from the Mediterranean in the south, to the Tyrrhenian Sea in the north. It included territory from Terme (Termini Imerese) to a point east of Cefalù, making most of the later diocese of Cefalù part of the diocese of Agrigento.Pirro, p. 695, col. 2.
When King Roger II of Sicily (1130–1154), rebuilt the city, the diocese was refounded as a Latin bishopric. Pope Anacletus II assigned it as a suffragan of the new archdiocese of Messina.Kehr, p. 362 and 364 no. 1. Eubel I, p. 181; II, p. 125; III, p. 163 with note 1. Gauchat Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 146 with note 1. Ritzler & Sefrin V, p. 155 note 1; VI, p. 160 note 1. The king appointed Iocelmus, the prior of the Augustinian monastery of Santa Maria de Balnearia as the first bishop, or rather bishop-elect.The bishop's name was Iocelmo, not Tocelmo. Pirro, II, p. 798-799. D'Avino, p. 192 column 2. Gams, p. 945 column 2. Benigni, in Catholic Encyclopedia has made a typographical error, or a careless mistake. The evidence from 1136 to 1166 consistently refers to bishops Iocelmus, Harduinus, Daniel, and Boso. as "bishop-elect".Kehr, pp. 362-363: "Sed locelinus ep. (1131—46) inde ab a. 1139 electi titulo tantum occurrit insignitus, nee Harduinus (1150—56) nec Daniel (1157) successores eius consecrationem canonicam sunt adepti, qui sicut et Boso (1157—1172) usque ad a. 1166 ex. (Garufi Doc. ined. 195 n. 41) ecclesiae Cephaludensis electi semper nominabantur...." D'Avino, pp. 192-193.
The coronation ceremonies of King James II of Aragon as king of Sicily took place in Palermo on 2 February 1286.Nicolas Specialis Libri VIII Rerum Sicularum II. ix. The ritual was performed by Bishops Iuncta de Magistro Benintendi de Panormo of Cefalù, Philip of Squillace, and Tancredo of Nicastro.Pirro II, p. 808, column 1 A. On 11 April 1286, Pope Honorius IV, whose policy favored the Angevin kings of Naples, excommunicated King James and his wife Constantia.August Potthast, Regesta Pontificum Romanorum , Vol. 2 (Berlin: De Decker 1875), p. 1810, no. 22414. On 18 November 1286, the pope deprived Bishop Iuncta and all his followers of their episcopal dignity, and ordered the papal legate, Cardinal Gerardo Bianchi, to depose them.Pirro II, p. 808, column 1 C. Cf. Potthast, p. 1884, no. 23466 (another warning to James II and his supporters to return to papal obedience by 1 April 1287. Neither Juncta nor Tancred were deposed as of 20 November 1290, when Pope Nicholas IV summoned them to appear in person at his court, or face deposition: Ernest Langlois, Les registres de Nicolas IV Vol. 2 (Paris: Fontemoing 1905), p. 642, no. 4405. The papal pique was pointless, since the new king of Naples since the death of Charles I of Naples, Charles of Salerno, had been captured by the Aragonese after the battle of Nisida on 5 June 1284, and was being held in prison in Cefalù.Adam J. Kosto, Hostages in the Middle Ages (Oxford: OUP 2012), pp. 177-178.
During the episcopate of Bishop Jacobus de Nernia (1304–1324), nearly all the properties belonging to the Church of Cefalù were appropriated by Sancho of Aragon, the illegitimate brother of King Frederick III of Sicily, who in 1304 was outfitting an expedition to the Aegean.Pirro, p. 809, column 1 A: "Eo praesule, Sancio ex illegitimo thoro Regis Frederici II. germanus frater, omnia fere praedia Ecclesiae Cephalæd. sibi occupavit." Georg Christ, Patrick Sänger, Mike Carr (edd.), Military Diasporas: Building of Empire in the Middle East and Europe (550 BCE-1500 CE) (London: Taylor & Francis, 2022), p. 187.
A confirmation of the privileges of the Church of Cefalù, granted by King Martin and Queen Maria on 10 June 1392, names King Roger as the ecclesiae ejusdem fundator (founder of that Church).Pirro, II, p. 810 column 1.
Chapter and cathedral The Cathedral of the Holy Saviour was planned and begun under orders of King Roger II of Sicily in 1131, with the blessing of Pope Anacletus II (1130–1138).Kehr, p. 362. J.N.D. Kelly & M.J. Walsh, Oxford Dictionary of Popes 2nd ed. (Oxford: OUP, 2010), p. 169-170. The mosaics were commissioned by King Roger II in 1148.Restoration Center Piacenti, Mosaics of the Duomo of Cefalù, retrieved: 2017-04-23. The basilica was consecrated on 10 April 1267, by Cardinal Rodolfo, Bishop of Albano, the Papal Legate.Pirro, p. 807 column 1. Gams, p. 945. From its beginning the cathedral was served by a chapter which followed the rule of S. Augustine (O.S.A.). In 1671, however, under Bishop Giovanni Roano e Carrionero, the Chapter was converted by Pope Clement X into a corporation of secular priests.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. In accordance with Pope Clement's bull, the Chapter was composed of four dignities (Dean, Archdeacon, Cantor and Theologian) and eight Canons.Pirro, p. 822. Marzo Ferro, p. 69. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 155 note 1.
In the century between 1276 and 1376, for which there happens to be documentary evidence, the city of Cefalù saw its population drop from c. 11,000 to c. 2000. The Black Death no doubt played a major role in that catastrophe, though the Sicilian Vespers (which began in 1282) played a part.
Earthquake of 1823 On 5 March 1823 a major earthquake and a significant aftershock struck the entire northern coast of the island of Sicily. At Cefalù there was a tsunami that washed boats out to sea. The Gazzetta di Genoa reported that the upper part of the campanile of the convent of S. Francesco had fallen, and the convent of S. Pasquale had been destroyed, but that there had been no loss of life.
When the Diocese of Caltanissetta was established by Pope Gregory XVI on 25 May 1844, the parish and territory of the town of Vallelunga was removed from the diocese of Cefalù.. Acta Gregorii Papae XVI Vol. III: pars prima canonica (Roma: Typographia Polyglotta S.C. de Propaganda fide 1902), p. 342, col. 2.
A well-known native son of the diocese of Cefalù was Cardinal Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro, who was born in the village of Polizzi. Rampolla was Pope Leo XIII's Secretary of State, and was the leading candidate to succeed him in the Conclave of 1903. Rampolla was vetoed, however, by the government of Franz Joseph I of Austria.
On the petition of Bishop Emanuele Catarinicchia (1978–1987), in compliance with the regulations issued by the Sacred Congregation of Rites,The decree "Domus Dei" of 6 June 1968. Acta Apostolicae Sedis vol. 60 (1968), pp. 536-539. Pope John Paul II granted the parish church of San Pietro in the town of Collesano, in the mountains southwest of Cefalù, the honor, rank, and privileges of a minor basilica on 4 January 1983.The decree "Templa Sanctorum": Acta Apostolicae Sedis vol. 75 (1983), p. 204.
Reorganization of Sicilian ecclesiastical structure
In 2000, after extensive consultation with the Italian Episcopal Conference and the Congregation of Bishops, Pope John Paul II ordered a reorganization of the dioceses in Sicily. In the Apostolic Constitution "Ad maiori consulendum" of 2 December 2000, the diocese of Cefalù was removed from the ecclesiastical province of Messina and transferred to the ecclesiastical province of Palermo.Acta Apostolicae Sedis Vol. 93 (Città del Vaticano 2001), pp. 128-129: "Praeterea ecclesiastica Provincia Panormitana constabit ex metropolitana Ecclesia Panormitana atque ex suffraganeis Ecclesiis Cephaludensi, Mazariensi, Drepanensi et Montis Regalis, usque nunc metropolitana, quae prorsus archiepiscopalem dignitatem retinebit."
Bishops of Cefalù Latin rite: Erected: 1131
to 1400
Iocelmo (c. 1140 – 1150)Jocelmus: Pirro, II, p. 798-799. D'Avino, p. 192 column 2. Gams, p. 945 column 2. Harduinus (Arduino) (c.1150 – 1156)Harduinus: Gams, p. 945. Boso (1157–1173)On 9 April 1171, Pope Alexander III confirmed for Bishop Boso all of the lands and privileges which the Church of Cefalù had enjoyed up to that point. Pirro states that Boso died in 1173. Pirro, II, pp. 801–802. Gams, p. 945 column 2. ? Joannes (or Guido) de BaveraHis date (1171) is problematical, and he may be the same person as Guido de Anania. Pirro, p. 802 column 2. D'Avino, p. 193, col. 1. Guido de Anania (1173–1193)On 25 April 1178, Pope Alexander III confirmed for Bishop Guido all of the lands and privileges which the Church of Cefalù had enjoyed up to that point. Pirro, II, pp. 802–803. Gams, p. 945 column 2. Benedictus, O.S.A.Benedict was bishop for only eighteen months. Pirro, p. 804 column 1. Ioannes Cicala (1194 – after September 1215)Ioannes Cicala: Pirro, pp. 804–805. Aldoinus (Arduino) (attested 18 May 1217 – 1248)Harduinus (Arduin) suffered exile thrice (1222–1223; April 1226; 1235–1248) on account of his opposition to Emperor Frederick II. Pirro, p. 805–806. Kamp, pp. 1055–1063. Riccardus de Logotheta, O.Min. (attested 1249 – 10 June 1253)Riccardus: Pirro, p. 806. Eubel, I, p. 181. Kamp, pp. 1063–1068. Thomas Fusconis de Berta, O.P. (30 September 1253 – 13 December 1253)A member of the Roman aristocracy, Thomas was the Prior of the Dominican Convent at Santa Sabina in Rome. Even as bishop-elect he continued to live in Rome, in exile. In December 1253 Pope Innocent IV transferred Thomas to the diocese of Siena. He died in 1273. Eubel, I, pp. 181, 446. Kamp, 1068-1071. Ioannes Stephani (9 February 1254 – after 15 March 1271)Ioannes had been Prior of the monastery at the Basilica of the XII Apostles in Rome. He could not take up his diocese until 1266, due to the struggles in south Italy following the death of Frederick II, involving Manfred, Charles of Anjou and Heinrich de Ventimiglia. He was therefore employed as Rector of Massa Trabaria. He was also a Canon of the Vatican Basilica. Pirro, p. 806. Eubel, I, p. 182. Kamp, pp. 1071–1076. Petrus de Taurino (attested 28 December 1271 – 12 August 1274)Petrus de Taurino: Kamp, pp. 1076–1077.