Roman Catholic Diocese of San Benedetto del Tronto-Ripatransone-Montalto

The Italian Catholic diocese of San Benedetto del Tronto-Ripatransone-Montalto, in the Marche, has existed in its current form since 1986. In that year the diocese of Montalto was united into the diocese of Ripatransone-San Benedetto del Tronto, which was the renamed historical Diocese of Ripatransone (as of 1983). The diocese is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Fermo.^[1]

History

Ripatransone is on a hill called Cuprae Mons ("Mountain of Cupra", an ancient deity) in the past, and was a Picene settlement. The modern name comes probably from Ripa Trasonis, "Hill of Traso", from the name of the first feudal lord.^[2] The castle was erected there in the early Middle Ages, and enlarged later by the bishops of Fermo, who had several conflicts with the people.

In 1571 Pope Pius V made it an episcopal see, naming as its first bishop Cardinal Lucio Sassi or Sasso and including in its jurisdiction small portions of the surrounding diocese of Fermo, diocese of Ascoli Piceno, and diocese of Teramo.

Other bishops were:

• Cardinal Filippo Sega (1575);
• Gaspare Sillingardi (1582), afterwards Bishop of Modena, employed by Alfonso II of Ferrara on missions to Rome and to Spain;
• Gian Carlo Gentili (1845), historian of Sanseverino and Ripatransone;
• Alessandro Spoglia (1860-67), not recognized by the Government.

The diocese, at first directly subject to the Holy See, has been suffragan of Fermo since 1680.^[3]

Notes

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

References

1. ^ Catholic Hierarchy page
2. ^ Vicione, Luigi Antonio (1827). Sull'esistenza di Ripa o Ripatransone prima dell'anno MCXCVIII. Fermo. 
3. ^ Catholic Encyclopedia article