Roman Catholic Diocese of Pitigliano-Sovana-Orbetello

The Italian Catholic diocese of Pitigliano-Sovana-Orbetello in Tuscany has existed under that name from 1986, renamed from diocese of Sovana-Pitigliano-Orbetello. The historic name was diocese of Sovana-Pitigliano, which was changed in 1981. The diocese is suffragan of the archdiocese of Siena.^[1]

History

The two towns, Sovana and Pitigliano, are situated in the Province of Grosseto, Central Italy. Sovana was an ancient Etruscan city, and preserved a certain importance till the end of the thirteenth century, having been from the days of Charlemagne the capital of the counts of Aldobrandeschi, lords of Southern Tuscany. In 1240 the city withstood a siege by Emperor Frederick II. Later it passed under the sway of the Orsini family, who transferred their residence to Pitigliano, mentioned for the first time in 1081. In 1401 it fell into the power of the Republic of Siena. In 1434 Count Gentile Orsini having been killed at Sovana, the people of Pitigliano put the town to fire and sword, and brought about its destruction.

Its first known bishop is Mauritius (680); other bishops were:

• Raineri (963), who re-introduced common life among the canons;
• Pier Nicolò Blandinelli (1380), who had the doors of the cathedral made;
• Apollonio Massaini (1439), under whom the relics of St Mamiliano, Bishop of Palermo, were translated from the Island of Giglio;
• Alfonso Petrucci (1498), son of the Tyrant of Siena, later a cardinal, condemned to death by Pope Leo X in 1517
• his successor, Lattanzio Petrucci, accused of high treason and forced to flee, but acquitted by Pope Adrian VI;
• Carvajal Simoncelli (1535), for sixty-one years;
• Francesco Pio Santi (1776) resisted the innovations of Leopold and the Synod of Pistoia.

The territory of this diocese includes the Vallombrosan Abbey of Monte Calvello, which was transferred in 1496 to within the city limits.

References

• Cappelletti, Le Chiese d'Italia (Venice, 1857)

Notes

1. ^ Catholic Hierarchy page

External links

• Source

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.