Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rossano-Cariati

The Italian Catholic archdiocese of Rossano-Cariati, in Calabria, has existed under that name since 1986. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Cosenza-Bisignano.

The diocese of Rossano became an archdiocese in 1460, without suffragans. The diocese of Cariati was united into it in 1979.^[1]

History

In 982 Emperor Otto II captured Rossano temporarily from the Byzantines, who had made it the capital of their possessions in Southern Italy. It preserved its Greek character long after its conquest by the Normans.

The first known bishop of this see is Valerianus, Bishop of the "Ecclesia Rosana" in the Roman Council of 680. Cappelletti, however, names a certain Saturninus as first bishop.

In the tenth century, or perhaps earlier, the Greek Rite was introduced at Rossano, and continued until the sixteenth century, although two attempts were made to introduce the Latin Rite — once in 1092, and again by Bishop Matteo de' Saraceni in 1460. Priests of the Latin Rite, however, were often appointed bishops. The Greek Rite was maintained especially by the seven Basilian monasteries in the diocese, the most famous of which was S. Maria in Patiro. In 1571 the Greek Rite was abandoned in the cathedral, and half a century afterwards throughout the city.

Among the bishops were:

• Vincenzo Pimpinella (1525), nuncio in Germany;
• Giovanni Battista Castagna (1553), afterwards Pope Urban VII;
• Lucio Sanseverino;
• Pier Antonio Spinelli (1628) and Jacopo Carafa (1646), both of whom restored and embellished the cathedral.

The archdiocese includes the ancient Diocese of Turio (Thurii), a city which arose after the destruction of Sybaris; five of its bishops are known, the first being Giovanni (501) and the last Guglielmo (1170).

The famous Codex Rossanensis was discovered in 1879 in the cathedral sacristy, see Batiffol (below).^[2]

References

• Cappelletti, Le Chieze d'Italia, XXI;
• Battifol, L'abbaye de Rossano (Paris, 1891)
• Gay, Les dioceses de Calabre a l'epoque byzantine (Macon, 1900)

Notes

1. ^ Catholic Hierarchy page
2. ^ Catholic Encyclopedia article

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