Roman Catholic Diocese of Montemarano

The Diocese of Montemarano (Latin: Dioecesis Montis Marani) was a Roman Catholic diocese located in the town of Montemarano in the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It was erected in 1059, and was a member of the ecclesiastical province of Benevento. In 1818, the diocese was suppressed, and its territory and Catholic population was assigned to the Diocese of Nusco.^[1]^[2] The diocese of Nusco has been absorbed, since 30 September 1986, into the agglomerate Archdiocese of Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi-Conza-Nusco-Bisaccia.

The diocese of Montemarano was nominally restored as a titular bishopric in 1968, which were needed with the increase in the number of auxiliary bishops, vicars apostolic, papal nuncios, and Vatican bureaucrats who needed nominal episcopal status.^[2]

Bishops

1079 to 1500

Giovanni (John of Montemarano), O.S.B. (1079 – ?)^[3]
Giovanni II (1119? – ?)
Matteo da Monteforte (1179? – ?)^[4]
Rufinus (1290? – 1296.08.09)^[5]
Corrado (1296.11 – ?)
Pietro (1329? – ?)
Barbato (1331? – ?)
Pietro (1334 – 1343.06.09)^[6]
Ponzio Excondevilla, O.P. (1343.06.09 – 1346.11.17)^[7]
Marco Manente Franceschi, O.Min. (1346.11.17 – ?)
Andrea (? – death 1349)
Nicola da Bisaccia (1350.12.03 – death 1364)
Giacomo Cotelle, O.F.M. (1364.11.27 – ?)
Antonio da Fontanarossa, O.Min. (1372.06.21 – ?)
Agostino I (1396.02.04 – ?)
Agostino II (1413 – ?)
Martino (1423? – ?)
Marino da Monopoli, O.F.M. (1452.07.14 – ?)^[8]
Ladislao Dentice (1462.03.26 – death 1477)
Agostino da Siena (bishop), O.F.M. (1477.01.24 – death 1484)
Simeone Dantici, O.F.M. (1484.02.11 – death 1487)
Antonio Bonito da Cueccaro, O.F.M. (1487.01.26 – 1494.03.19)^[9]
Giuliano Isopo, O.Carm. (1494.03.19 – 1516 first term - see below)

1500 to 1805

Pietro Giovanni de Melis (1516.11.08 – 1517.04.20), bishop-elect.^[10]
Severo Petrucci (1517.04.20 – 1520)
Andrea Aloisi (1520.10.19 – death 1528?)
Giuliano Isopo, O. Carm. (see above - second term 1528 – 1528.03.28)
Gerolamo Isopo, Canons Regular of Lateran (C.R.L.) (1528.03.28 – death 1551.12.01)
Antonio Gaspar Rodríguez, O.F.M. (1552.12.14 – 1570.10.20), later Metropolitan Archbishop of Lanciano (Italy) (1570.10.20 – death 1578.11.01)
Marcantonio Alferio (1571.01.20 – death 1595)
Silvestro Branconi (1596.01.08 – death 1603)^[11]^[12]
Marcantonio Genovesi (1603.05.09 – 1611.09.26)^[13]^[12]
Eleuterio Albergone, O.F.M.Conv. (1611.11.14 – death 1635)^[12]
Francesco Antonio Porpora (1635.05.07 – death 1640)^[12]^[14]
Urbano Zambotti, C.R.Theat. (1640.05.21 – death 1657)^[15]^[12]^[16]
Giuseppe Battaglia (1657.07.09 – death 1669.12)^[12]
Giuseppe Labonia (1670.11.17 – death 1720.03) ^[17]
Giovanni Crisostomo Verchio, O.S.B.I. (1720.05.06 – 1726)^[18]
Giovanni Ghirardi (1726.03.20 – 1745.10.08)^[19]
Innocenzo Sanseverino (1746 – 1753)^[20]
Giuseppe Antonio Passanti (1753 – death 1774.03.31)
Onofrio Maria Gennari (1774 – death 1805)

Titular see

The following bishops have held or hold the title; 'Archbishop' is a personal title, granted to a nuncio to give him status, but he is still 'titular bishop':

Bishop Alejo del Carmen Obelar Colman, Benedictine Order (S.D.B.) (1969.03.06 – 1989.12.30)^[21]
Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio (1998.11.28 – ...), Apostolic Nuncio (papal ambassador) to India and Nepal.

References

[1]
"Diocese of Montemarano" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved October 5, 2016
[2]
"Titular Episcopal See of Montemarano" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved October 5, 2016
[3]
Ughelli, pp. 335-338. Gams, p. 900. Eubel, I, p. 348.
[4]
Matteo de Monteforte is referred to in a document from the archives at Benevento, dated 1273. Eubel, I, p. 348. Gams, p. 900.
[5]
Rufinus was later Bishop of Castro del Lazio (Italy) (1296.08.09 – 1308?) Eubel, I, p. 173.
[6]
Petrus was the subject of a contested election. A lengthy testimonial letter of Pope Benedict XII to Bishop Pietro, written in 1340, gives full details of the conflict, which was eventually decided by Pope John XXII: Ughelli, pp. 338-341. Cappelletti, p. 409. Pietro was later transferred to the diocese of Dragonara (Italy) (1343.06.09 – death 1345).
[7]
Pontius was later Bishop of Trevico (1346.11.17 – 1373?) Eubel, I, p. 525.
[8]
Eubel, II, p. 195.
[9]
Fra Antonio was a Master of theology, and a prolific author on the subject of the Immaculate Conception. He was afterward Bishop of Acerno (Italy) (1494.03.19 – 1510) Ughelli, p. 342. Eubel, II, pp. 78 and 195.
[10]
Pietro Giovanni was not yet consecrated when he resigned the bishopric of Montemarano after only five months. He was made Titular Bishop of Tiberias (1517.04.20 – ?) instead. Ughelli, p. 342. Cappelletti, p. 410. Eubel, III, pp. 249 and 313.
[11]
Branconi was a native of Offida in the diocese of Ascoli. He had studied philosophy and theology, and was proficient in Hebrew. He had been preceptor of Clement VIII in the Pope's youth. Branconi was named a bishop by the same Clement VIII. Ughelli, p. 343. Gauchat, IV, p. 247 with note 2.
[12]
Gauchat, Patritius (Patrice). HIERARCHIA CATHOLICA MEDII ET RECENTIORIS AEVI Vol IV. p. 247.
[13]
Genovesi had been a Canon of the Cathedral of Naples. He was later Bishop of Isernia (Italy) (1611.09.26 – death 1624.11.07). Gauchat, IV, pp. 211; 247 with note 3.
[14]
"Bishop Francesco Antonio Porpora" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved January 28, 2017
[15]
Zambotti was a native of Bologna.
[16]
"Bishop Urbano Zambotti" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved January 20, 2017
[17]
Ritzler, V, p. 274 with note 3.
[18]
Born in Rossano, Verchio had a degree of Master in theology. He was Abbot of the monastery of S. Maria de Patirio, and then Procurator General of his Order. He was consecrated a bishop in Rome by Cardinal Pietro Corradini on 12 May 1720. Ritzler, V, p. 274 with note 4.
[19]
A native of Cervinara in the diocese of Benevento, Ghirardi was named Vicar Apostolic on 18 August 1725 due to the lengthy illness of Bishop Verchio. He was consecrated in Rome by Pope Benedict XIII on 24 March 1726. Cappelletti, p. 412. Ritzler, V, p. 274 with note 5.
[20]
Sanseverino was born in Nucerino. He was Doctor in utroque iure (Civil Law and Canon Law) from the University of Naples (1723). He became Vicar General of Isernia and Tricarico, and at the time of his appointment was Vicar General of Salerno. He was consecrated in Rome by Cardinal Joaquin de Portocarrero on 13 March 1746. He was transferred to the diocese of Alife (Italy) (1753 – 1756) on 12 March 1753, and later became Titular Archbishop of Philadelphia in Arabia (1757 – 1762). He died on 10 July 1752. Ritzler, VI, p. 77 and note 6; 295 and note 2; 336 with note 3.
[21]
The grant of the titular See entitled Obelar Colman to serve as Vicar Apostolic of Chaco Paraguayo.