Diocese of Cariati

The Italian Catholic diocese of Cariati, in Calabria, existed until 1979. In that year it was united into the archdiocese of Rossano-Cariati. It was a suffragan of the archdiocese of Santa Severina, and then of the archdiocese of Reggio Calabria.^[1]

History

The first bishop of Cariati mentioned in history is Menecrates, present at the Synod of Rome in 499. In one of his letters, Gregory the Great recommends the Church of Cariati to the Bishop of Reggio Calabria. According to some, during the eleventh or twelfth century the diocese of Cerenza (Geruntia, Gerenza) was united to Cariati, though it is only in 1342 that mention is made of a Bishop of Cariati and Cerenza.

Among the bishops were:

• Polychronius (1099), founder of the monastery of S. Maria de Attilia in Santa Severina;
• the Cistercian Matteo (1234), first Abbot of San Giovanni di Fiore;
• Alessandro Crivello (1561), a gallant soldier, afterwards nuncio in Spain;
• Fra Filippo Gesualdo (1602), a Minor Conventual.

In 1818 Pope Pius VII united with this diocese Strongoli and Umbriatico.^[2]

Notes

1. ^ Catholic Hierarchy article
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.