The diocese of Marsico Nuovo was a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Basilicata, southern Italy, which existed until 1818. It was a suffragan of the archbishops of Salerno. In 1818, Marsico Nuovo was united aeque principaliterunion of two dioceses kept separate, but under the rule of one and the same bishop with the diocese of Potenza, to form the diocese of Marsico Nuovo and Potenza.

History

Marsico Nuovo is a city of the province of Potenza in Southern Italy. Its origin is obscure, but the ancient Grumentum was destroyed by the Saracens.Cappelletti XX, pp. 381-383.

It is said that a Saint Laberius or Saverius first preached the Gospel there. In the story of Laberius appears the name of a Bishop Sempronius Atto; both are inventions.Sempronius is rejected by Lanzoni, p. 324: "tarda e favolosa fonte." Kehr VIII, p. 373, also rejects Laberius and Sempronius: "moderni interpolatoris leves sunt inventiones." Giacomo Racioppi (1881), Fonti della storia basilicatese al medio evo. L'agiografia di san Laveri del MCLXII, (Roma: G. Barbèra), esp. pp. 7-12. An attested bishop of Grumentum is Tullianus (c. 558-560).Lanzoni, p. 325. Kehr VIII, p. 375, no. 4. In a letter of July 599, Pope Gregory I orders Romanus, his Defensor Siciliae, to intervene in a squabble between two men "in parochia Grumentina."Philippus Jaffè (1885), Regesta pontificum Romanorum Volume I, second edition (Leipzig: Veit), p. 197, no. 1737.

Transfer of episcopal residence The town of Marsico Nuovo grew in importance, and became under the Normans the seat of a county. It became an episcopal see, dioecesis Marsicensis, when a bishop of Grumentum established his residence there, retaining, however, his former title. A number of bishops had formerly been assigned to Marsico Nuovo in the Lombard period who actually belonged to the diocese of the Marsi;Servanzi-Collio, pp. 21-22. Kehr VIII, pp. 373-374. the confusion persists even beyond that period.e.g. Eubel I, p. 328, note 2, a bishop Bernardus of the Marsi, not Marsico.

Marsico Nuovo appears as a diocese in a papal document of 24 March 1058, in which Pope Stephen IX confirmed the diocese of Salerno in its archiepiscopal and metropolitan status. He listed the suffragan dioceses assigned to Salerno, including Marsico.Kehr, p. 373. Pflugk-Haartung (1884), Acta pontificum Romanorum inedita Volume 2 (Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer), pp. 82-84, no. 116: "Ad haec licentiam et potestatem tuae fraternitati damus cum clero et populo, secundum sanctorum canonum statuta eligendi episcopos et ordinandi in subjectis tibi locis secundum Romanorum pontificium privilegia, hoc est, in Pestanensi civitate, et in civitate Consana, et in civitate Acerenina, et in Nolana, quoque et Cusenta, nec non et in Visinianensi, et in Malvito et in Policastro et in Marsico et in Martirano et Caciano, cum omnibus parrochiis et adiacentiis eorum."

In 1744, the city of Marsico Nuovo had a population of c. 4,000 persons. In addition to the cathedral, there were four parish churches, two religious houses of men, and one of women.Ritzler and Sefrin Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 278, note 1. The monastery of S. Stephen Protomartyr had been founded inside the city; the monastery of S. Peter Tramutulae had been founded in 1150 by the monk Giovanni from the monastery of Cava (who later became Bishop of Marsico); and the monastery of S. Thomas of Canterbury at Raya had been founded by Count William of the Marsi in 1179.Ughelli VII, pp. 501, 508. Kehr VIII, pp. 375-376.

Post-Napoleonic consolidation On 27 June 1818, the diocese of Potenza was united with the Diocese of Marsico Nuovo aeque principaliter, to form Diocese of Potenza e Marsico Nuovo. Potenza was made a suffragan of the archdiocese of Acerenza, along with Anglona e Tursi, Tricarico, and Venosa.Torelli, pp. 117-118, § 6.

Post-Vatican-II changes 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. Pope Paul VI ordered a reorganization of the ecclesiastical provinces in southern Italy. The decree "Eo quod spirituales" of 12 September 1976 created a new episcopal conference in the region called "Basilicata", to which were assigned all of the dioceses that belonged to the ecclesiastical province of Potenza, including Materana and Mons Pelusii; they had formerly belonged to the episcopal conference of "Apulia".The bull Eo quod spirituales , in: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 68 (1976), pp. 678-680. Pope Paul VI ordered consultations among the members of the Congregation of Bishops in the Vatican Curia, the Italian Bishops Conference, and the various dioceses concerned. After twenty years, problems and objections were still apparent.

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. 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 Potenza, Marsico Nuovo, and Muro Lucano be merged into one diocese with one bishop, with the Latin title Archidioecesis Potentina-Murana-Marsicensis. The seat of the diocese was to be in Potenza, and the cathedral of Potenza was to serve as the cathedral of the merged diocese. The cathedrals in Marsico Nuovo and Muro Lucano were to become co-cathedrals, and their cathedral Chapters were each to be a Capitulum Concathedralis. There was to be only one diocesan Tribunal, in Potenza, 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 suppressed dioceses of Marsico Nuovo and Muro Lucano.Acta Apostolicae Sedis 79 (Città del Vaticano 1987), pp. 764-766.

Bishops of Marsico Nuovo

to 1450

[Grimaldus]Ughelli VII, p. 497, found only in a story of the transferral of relics. Grimaldus is rejected by Lanzoni, p. 326, as another hagiographical invention without any sort of support. ... Gisulf (attested 1089)Kehr VIII, p. 374. Giovanni, O.S.B. (attested 1095–1098)Giovanni was a monk of the Benedictine congregation of Montecassino. In 1095 he signed a document: "ego Joannes episcopus civitatis Marsensis (sic) sedis Grumentine." He is referred to in a document of December 1097 as: "domno Joanne venerabilis episcopus sante sedis Grumentine de civitate Marsico." Racioppi, pp. 154, 156. Mattei-Cerasoli (1919), p. 313. ... Leo (attested 1123)Leo signs himself, "Ego Leo, Dei gratia Grumentinae sedis Pontifex" and "Ego Leo Grumentinus Episcopus". He was one of four bishops appointed by Pope Calixtus II in 1123 to oversee the process of the canonization of S.Gerardo of Potenza. Servanzi-Collio (1867), p. 24, no xi. Cappelletti XX, pp. 385-386. Enrico (attested 1130)Henricus completed the original cathedral in the city of Marsico Nuovo, finally replacing the one destroyed by the Saracens. The dedicatory inscription is dated MCXXXI. Cappelletti XX, p. 386. Mattei-Cerasoli (1919), p. 314. ... Giovanni (attested 1144–1155)In a grant of 1144 to the monastery of Cava, Bishop Joannes is referred to as: "Nos Johannes gratia Dei Grumentane (sic) sedis episcopus," and he subscribes: "Ego Johannes Marsicanus episcopus." Racioppi, p. 157. Servanzi-Collio (1867), p. 24, no. XIII. Giovanni (attested 1163–1166)In May 1163, he is referred to in a document of the archbishop of Salerno (Racioppi, p. 149) as: "Existentibus etiam ibidem Joanne venerabili marsicano episcopo suffraganeo ipsius domini archiepiscopi, Saulo archipresbitero ecclesie Saponarie, et quibusdam aliis de presbiteris ipsius ecclesie Saponarie, que marsicano episcopatui subjecta est." He subscribes a document: "Ego Johannes tercius huius nominis Marsicanus episcopus concessi et ordinavi." Mattei-Cerasoli (1919), pp. 314-315. ... Joannes (attested 1189–c. 1200)Johannes (IV) is referred to in a document of King William II (Racioppi, p. 147): "concedo et offero ecclesiæ S. Antonini de Saponaria, in manibus domini Joannis v(enerabilis) episcopi Marsicen." Eubel I, p. 328. Anselm (attested 1210) Rogerius (attested 1222)Rogerius: Servanzi-Collio (1867), p. 25, no. XVIII. Eubel I, p. 328. Odericus (Oderisius) (1234–1242) Joannes Reginaldus de Leontini, O.P. ( –1274)Reginald of Leontini or Lentino was transferred by Pope Gregory X to the diocese of Messina in Sicily on 5 December 1274. Eubel I, p. 337 with note 4. Rainaldus de Piperno, O.P. (1275)Rainaldus (Reginaldus) was appointed by Pope Gregory X on 22 June 1275. Eubel I, p. 328. Giovanni de Vetere (attested 1287)Giovanni V: Mattei-Cerasoli (1919), p. 315. Eubel I, p. 328. Matthaeus Giovanni Acuto Rogerius Petrus de Lupico, O.P. (1328– ? ) Rogerius Bartholomaeus (1349– Pietro Corsario (1375–1378) Thomas Sferrato, O.Min. (1378–1384 deposed) Roman Obedience Jacobus de Padula (1384– ) Avignon Obediewnce Andreas ( ? –1399) Roman Obedience Marcus (1399–1400 deposed) Avignon ObedienceServanzi-Collio, p. 28, no XXXVII. Petrus (1400) Nardellus (Leonardus) da Gaeta, O.Min (1400–1440)Nardellus: Eubel I, p. 328, with note 6. Carletus (1440-1453)Carletus had been Archdeacon of Sorrento. He was appointed bishop of Marsico by Pope Eugenius IV, and made arrangements for the payments for his bulls on 27 April 1440. Servanzi-Collio, p. 28, no XL. Eubel II, p. 186.

1450 to 1818

Leonardo da Gaeta (1453–1456)Leonardo was appointed bishop of Marsico by Pope Nicholas V. Servanzi-Collio, p. 28, no XLI. Eubel II, p. 186. Petrus de Diano (1456–1458)Pietro was a native of Naples, and held the degree Doctor in utroque iure. Servanzi-Collio, p. 29, no XLII. Eubel II, p. 186, note 1. Andreas (1458-1460)Andreas: Servanzi-Collio, p. 29, no XLIII. Eubel II, p. 186, note 1. Samson de Coyano (1460–1478)Samson was a native of Marsico Nuovo. Servanzi-Collio, p. 29, no XLIV. Eubel II, p. 186. Giovanni Antonio Pitito, O.F.M. Conv. (25 Jul 1478 – 1483 Died) Nicola Angelo de Abbatissa (1483–1484 Died)