Diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno

Diocese of Nocera dei Pagani-Sarno
Nocera Inferiore-Sarno

Dioecesis Nucerina Paganorum-Sarnensis
Cathedral of S. Priscus
Location
CountryItaly
Ecclesiastical regionCampania
Statistics
Area157 km2 (61 sq mi)
Population
  • Total
  • Catholics
  • (as of 2023)
  • 240,350 (est.) Decrease
  • 228,300 Decrease (est.)
Parishes54
Information
RiteRoman Rite
Established4th century ?
ArchdioceseSalerno-Campagna-Acerno
CathedralSt. Priscus Cathedral, Nocera Inferiore
Co-cathedralSt. Michael Cathedral, Sarno
Patron saint
Secular priests75 (diocesan)
50 (Religious Orders)
7 Permanent Deacons
Current leadership
PopeLeo XIV
BishopGiuseppe Giudice
Website
https://www.diocesinocerasarno.it/ (in Italian)

The Diocese of Nocera dei Pagani-Sarno[a] (Latin: Dioecesis Nucerina Paganorum-Sarnensis; Italian: Diocesi di Nocera Inferiore-Sarno), known officially as the Diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno , is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church located in the Campania region of Italy. The city is 43 km northeast of Sorrento by road, and 21 km northwest of Salerno. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Salerno-Campagna-Acerno.[1]

History

Saint Priscus was reckoned by the people of Nocera as their first bishop. The era of his activity is a matter of contention.[2]

In the bulls for the canonical investiture of the archbishops of Salerno, from 993 to 1058, which mention the suffragan dioceses of Salerno, the name of Nocera is not found.[3] Nor is the name of a bishop of Norcia found in the narration of the consecration of the abbey church of Montecassino by Pope Alexander II in 1071.[4]

The city of Nocera was levelled by King Roger II of Sicily in 1138, and its name does not appear in the list of suffragan bishops of Salerno in the privilege granted by Pope Alexander III on 14 March 1169. Neither is Nocera mentioned in the Liber censuum of Cencius Camerarius of 1192.[5] The date of its restoration is unknown.

In 1260, the people of Nocera murdered their bishop, for which Pope Alexander IV suppressed the bishopric, and divided up its territory between the dioceses of Salerno and Amalfi.[6] Boniface VIII decreed the reestablishmeent of the diocese in 1299, but his order was never carried out.[7] The diocese of Nocera was finally restored by Urban VI in 1386, and was a suffragan of the archbishop of Salerno until 1818.[8]

The Bishop of Nocera, Paolo Giovio, paid a pastoral visit to Nocera, which he governed through vicars during his term, in the autumn of 1531. His financial agent in the diocese was the Florentine businessman Tomasso Cambi.[9] He was responsible for the restoration of the fabric of the cathedral and of the episcopal palace.[10]

Bishop Emiddio Lenti (1685–1691) held a diocesan synod in 1689.[11] Bishop Sebastiano Perissi (1692–1700) held a diocesan synod in 1695, and issued a set of constitutions for the diocese.[12] The Constitutions of 1689 state that, as confirmed by the Papacy, the bishop enjoyed ordinary jurisdiction in civil and mixed cases over certain families of Nocera, as Baro and Dominus, and that he appointed annually over these people a captain and a judge (JUD). The governors of the Feudatories had no jurisdiction over these people.[13]

Chapter and cathedral

The cathedral had originally been the church of the Benedictine monastery of S. Priscus, according to an inscription of 1088. The building was often damaged by earthquakes, and often restored. Cardinal Giacobazzi (1511–1517) began one such rebuilding; the elder Paolo Giovio (1528–1552) also presided over rebuilding work.[14] On 5 June 1688, a major earthquake shook and damaged both the cathedral and the episcopal palace. Bishop Emiddio Lenti (1685–1691) began the reconstruction with his own funds, after the magistrates his plea for a subsidy for the work.[15] Bishop Gherardo Antonio Volpe (1744–1768) and Bishop Benedetto Maria dei Monti Sanfelice, O.S.B. (1768–1806) compleely rebuilt the cathedral in the second half of the 18th century.[16]

The cathedral was served and administered by an ecclesiastical body called the Chapter. In the medieval period, it was composed of three dignities (the Archdeacon, the Archpriest, and the Primicerius) and eight canons. The archpriest served as the pastor of the cathedral parish.[17] In 1635, Bishop Ippolito Francone added four more canons, making twelve. Four more were added from a bequest of Archdeacon Amora, making the total number of canons sixteen.[18] In 1664, Bishop Felice Gabrieli instituted a fourth dignity in the Chapter, called the Cantor.[19]

Seminary

The idea of a seminary ws first proposed by Bishop Giovio the Younger in 1564, following the decrees of the Council of Trent. Financing was the usual problem, which occupied the bishops over the next century. Two convents were suppressed, the Benedictine one of S. Maria and the Carmelite one of S. Maria, but obtaining possession was met with opposition until Bishop Perissi took the matter directly to Pope Innocent XII, who issued a decree in 1694, confirming the suppressions and threatening penalties against the obstructionists. The seminary began to prosper, then under Bishop Caraffa (1700–1715). Bishop Gherardo Antonio Volpe (1744–1768) rebuilt the structure. The seminary taught a narrow curriculum of canon and civil law, philosophy, and scholastic and dogmatic theology.[20]

Concordat of 1818

Following the extinction of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, the Congress of Vienna authorized the restoration of the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples. Since the French occupation had seen the abolition of many Church institutions in the Kingdom, as well as the confiscation of most Church property and resources, it was imperative that Pope Pius VII and King Ferdinand IV reach agreement on restoration and restitution. Ferdinand, however, was not prepared to accept the pre-Napoleonic situation, in which Naples was a feudal subject of the papacy. Lengthy, detailed, and acrimonious negotiations ensued.

In 1818, a new concordat with the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies committed the pope to the suppression of more than fifty small dioceses in the kingdom. The ecclesiastical province of Salerno was affected. Pope Pius VII, in the bull "De Utiliori" of 27 June 1818, chose to suppress the diocese of Nocera de'Pagani completely, and assign its people and territory to the diocese of Cava de'Terreni.[21] In the same concordat, the King was confirmed in the right to nominate candidates for vacant bishoprics, subject to the approval of the pope. That situation persisted down until the final overthrow of the Bourbon monarchy in 1860.[22]

Restoration of the diocese

The diocese of Nocera was restored on 5 December 1833 by Pope Gregory XVI, in the bull "In Vinea Domini."[23] In accordance with the Concordat of 1818, King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies nominated Agnello Giuseppe d’Auria Loffredo of Naples to the bishopric of Nocera on 22 February 1834, and he was duly confirmed by Pope Gregory XVI on 23 June 1834.[24]

Diocesan reorganization

The Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), in order to ensure that all Catholics received proper spiritual attention, decreed the reorganization of the diocesan structure of Italy and the consolidation of small and struggling dioceses. It also recommended the abolition of anomalous units such as exempt territorial prelatures.[25]

On 18 February 1984, the Vatican and the Italian State signed a new and revised concordat. Based on the revisions, a set of Normae was issued on 15 November 1984, which was accompanied in the next year, on 3 June 1985, by enabling legislation. According to the agreement, the practice of having one bishop govern two separate dioceses at the same time, aeque personaliter, was abolished. Instead, the Vatican continued consultations which had begun under Pope John XXIII for the merging of small dioceses, especially those with personnel and financial problems, into one combined diocese.

On 30 September 1986, Pope John Paul II ordered that the dioceses of Nocera de'Pagani and Sarno be merged into one diocese with one bishop, with the Latin title Dioecesis Nucerina Paganorum-Sarnensis The seat of the diocese was to be in Nocera. The former cathedral in Sarno would be designated a "co-cathedral"., though there was to be only one cathedral Chapter; the former Chapter of Sarno was to be designated the Chapter of the Co-Cathedral. There was to be one seminary.[26]

Bishops

Diocese of Nocera dei Pagani

Erected: 4th century
Latin name: Nuceria Paganorum
Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Salerno-Acerno

To 1400

...
  • Priscus (III-IV)[27]
...
  • Felix (401–417)[28]
...
  • Aprilis (c. 502)[29]
...
  • Numerius (c. 593)[30]
  • Primenius (c. 598)[31]
...
  • Amatus (Amantius) (c. 743)[32]
...
[ Lando (1063) ][33]
...
  • Felix[34]
  • Valerius Orsini
  • [Ignotus] (d. 1260)[35]
  • Placidus
  • Philippus
  • Jannetus
  • Franciscus, O.Min. (c. 1386/1389–1402)[36]

From 1400 to 1700

From 1700 to 1818

  • Giovanbattista Carafa (1700–1715)[58]
  • Niccolò di Domenico (1718–1744)[59]
  • Gherardo Antonio Volpe (1744–1768)[60]
  • Benedetto Maria dei Monti Sanfelice, O.S.B. (1768–1806)[61]
Sede vacante (1806–1818)[62]
The diocese was suppressed from 1818 to 1833

From 1834 to 1986

  • Agnello Giuseppe d'Auria Loffredo (1834–1860)[63]
  • Michele Adinolfi (1860–1863)[64]
Sede vacante (1863-1871)
  • Raffaele Ammirante (1871–1881)[65]
  • Francesco Vitagliano (1882–1885 Resigned)
  • Luigi del Forno (1885–1913)[66]
  • Giuseppe Romeo (1913–1935)[67]
  • Teodorico de Angelis (1936–1951 Resigned)[68]
  • Fortunato Zoppas (1952–1964 Resigned)[69]
Sede vacante (1964-1971)
  • Jolando Nuzzi (1971–1986)[70]

Diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno

30 September 1986: United with the territory of the historical Diocese of Sarno, which was previously merged into the Diocese of Cava e Sarno since 1818.

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑ Often shortened as Nocera de' Pagani.

References

  1. ↑ David M. Cheney, Catholic-Hierarchy.org, "Diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno"; retrieved 29 February 2016. . Gabriel Chow, GCatholic.org, "Diocese of Nocera Inferiore–Sarno"; retrieved February 29, 2016. .
  2. ↑ Kehr VIII, p. 304. Tradition makes him a martyr under Nero (54–68): Cappelletti XXI, p. 512. Lanzoni, p. 244, labels his "Life" molto recente e piena di errore.... Probabilimente questa leggenda deriva dalla fantasia di Adone....
  3. ↑ Kehr VIII, p. 346-350, nos. 11, 19, 21.
  4. ↑ Gennaro Orlando, Storia di Nocera de' Pagani, (in Italian), vol. 3 (Napoli: A. Tocco 1887), p. 429. The Bishop Lando, who is attributed to Nocera in 1063, was actually a bishop of Lucera: Kehr VIII, pp. 304-305.
  5. ↑ Kehr VIII, p. 304.
  6. ↑ The story derives from Bishop Simone Lunadori (1602–1610) of Nocera, and is rejected in its entirety by Gennaro Orlando, Storia di Nocera de' Pagani vol. III (Napoli 1887), pp. 431-432.
  7. ↑ The name of the murdered bishop is not recorded. Cappelletti XXI, p. 512.
  8. ↑ Kehr VIII, p. 305.
  9. ↑ T.C. Price Zimmermann, Paolo Giovio, The Historian and the Crists of Sixteenth-Century Italy (Princeton: PUP 1995), pp. 118-119.
  10. ↑ D'Avino, p. 484, col. 2.
  11. ↑ Synodus dioecesana Nuceriae Paganorum, celebrata et promulgata [an. 1689] per illustrissimum, et reverendissimum Dominum Emigdium Lenti patritium asculanum iuris utriusque doctorem Dei et apostolicae Sedis gratia episcopum nucerinum, et contra vassallos/ dicti episcopatus, tam in causis civilibus, quam in mixtis, dominum; et baronem. Romae: apud Tynassum, 1690.
  12. ↑ Constitutiones et decreta dioecesanae synodi nucerinae quam Sebastianus Perissius illius ecclesiae episcopus habuit anno salutis M.DC.XCY sedente sanctissimo papa Innocentio XII. Venetiis: apud Gaspare Storti, 1695.
  13. ↑ Orlando III, p. 438.
  14. ↑ Orlando III, p. 485.
  15. ↑ M. Baratta, I terremoti d'Italia (Torino: Fratelli Bocca 1901), pp. 154-163. Orlando III, p. 486-488.
  16. ↑ Orlando III, p. 489.
  17. ↑ Orlando III, p. 492-494.
  18. ↑ The financing of the four canonicates came from the bequest of Archdeacon Amora. In 1704, the SC of the Council abolished the four, which had never been given prebends. They were recreated by Bishop De Dominicis, with the prebends. Orlando, pp. 493-494.
  19. ↑ Gennaro Orlando, Storia di Nocera de' Pagani, (in Italian), vol. 3 (Napoli: A. Tocco 1887), p. 493.
  20. ↑ Orlando, pp. 495-496.
  21. ↑ Bullarii Romani continuatio, Summorum Pontificum Clementis XIII, Clementis XIV, Pii VI, Pii VII, Leonis XII Gregorii XVI constitutiones... (in Latin). Vol. Tomus decimus quintus (15). Rome: typographia Reverendae Camerae Apostolicae. 1853. pp. 9, 59 § 24.: "Itemque cathedralem ecclesiam Sarnensem ad concathedralitatis statum transferentes eamdem episcopali ecclesiae Cavensi in perpetuum aeque principaliter similiter unimus, ac supprimentes episcopalem cathedram Nucerinam Paganorum, illius ecclesiam et dioecesim antedictae ecclesiae Cavensi perpetuo pariter adjicimus atque adjungimus." Kehr VIII, p. 305: "Restitutus ab Urbano VI a. 1386 viguit episcopatus Salernitano archiepiscopo iure metropolitano subiectus usque ad a. 1818, quo suppressus et Cavensi episcopatui unitus est."
  22. ↑ Bullarii Romani continuatio Tomus 15, p. 7 column 1, "Articulus XXVIII".
  23. ↑ Acta Gregorii papae XVI, (in Latin), Vol. 1 (Rome: Typographia Polyglotta de SC de Propaganda Fide 1901), pp. 320-323.
  24. ↑ Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, p. 288.
  25. ↑ In its decree Christus Dominus, section 22, it stated: "Concerning diocesan boundaries, therefore, this sacred synod decrees that, to the extent required by the good of souls, a fitting revision of diocesan boundaries be undertaken prudently and as soon as possible. This can be done by dividing dismembering or uniting them, or by changing their boundaries, or by determining a better place for the episcopal see or, finally, especially in the case of dioceses having larger cities, by providing them with a new internal organization.... At the same time the natural population units of people, together with the civil jurisdictions and social institutions that compose their organic structure, should be preserved as far as possible as units. For this reason, obviously, the territory of each diocese should be continuous."
  26. ↑ Acta Apostolicae Sedis 79 (Città del Vaticano 1987), pp. 758-761.
  27. ↑ Priscus is listed as a martyr, but not of the 1st century. Lanzoni, p. 245. Gams, p. 907.
  28. ↑ Felix: Lanzoni, p. 245. Gams, p. 907. Kehr VIII, p. 305, no. 1.
  29. ↑ Aprilis: D'Avino, p. 482, col. 1. Lanzoni, p. 245.
  30. ↑ Numerius had been deacon of the church of Nocera. After an examination of his qualifications by Peter, subdeacon of Campania, on order of Pope Symmachus, he was consecrated in Rome. D'Avino, p. 482, col. 1. Lanzoni, p. 245. Kehr VIII, p. 305, nos. 2-4.
  31. ↑ Primenius received a letter of instructions from Pope Gregory I in October 598. D'Avino, p. 482, col. 1. Lanzoni, p. 245. Kehr VIII, p. 306, no. 5.
  32. ↑ Amatus was present at the Roman council of Pope Zacharias (741–752) in 743. Kehr VIII, p. 304.
  33. ↑ Lando was bishop of Lucera, not Nocera. Kehr VIII, p. 304-305. Cf. Cappelletti XXI, p. 512.
  34. ↑ Eubel, Hierarchia catholica I, p. 314.
  35. ↑ The unknown bishop was murdered by the people of Nocera.
  36. ↑ Franciscus was appointed by Urban VI, but not conseecrated until the reign of Boniface IX. Cappelletti XXI, p. 513.
  37. ↑ Angelo had been the abbot of the Benedictine monastery of S. Maria de Castellanata. He was appointed bishop of Nocera by Boniface IX (Roman Obedience). Eubel I, p. 314.
  38. ↑ Gabriel was appointed by Pope Martin V on 9 June 1429. He died in 1433. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica I, p. 314; II, p. 181.
  39. ↑ Angrerani: Eubel II, p. 181.
  40. ↑ Benedetti was a native of Adria. He was appointed bishop of Nocera by Pope Eugenius IV on 18 July 1436. He was transferred to the diocese of Orvieto on 6 September 1443, and on 21 October 1454 to the diocese of Penne ed Atri. He died in 1456. Eubel II, pp. 181, 213, 260.
  41. ↑ Micheli was appointed by Pope Eugenius IV on 13 September 1443. He died in August 1455. Gams, p. 907.
  42. ↑ Petrus was a native of Nocera. He was appointed on 27 September 1455. Cappelletti XXI, p. 513. Gams, p. 907.
  43. ↑ Cerretano was appointed by Pope Sixtus IV on 13 October 1478. He resigned in 1479, and died in 1492. Gams, p. 907.
  44. ↑ Strambone was a native of Naples. He was appointed on 16 June 1479 by Pope Sixtus IV. Cappelletti XXI, p. 513. Eubel II, p. 181.
  45. ↑ Bernardino: Eubel, Hierarchia catholica III, p. 229.
  46. ↑ Jacobazzi was appointed bishop of Nocera de' Pagani on 8 Novembeer 1511. He was named a cardinal by Pope Leo X on 1 July 1517. He died in 1528. Eubel III, pp. 16, no. 19; 229.
  47. ↑ Andrea was the brother of Domenico Jacobazzi. He was appointed bishop of Nocera on 14 August 1517. He died in 1524. Eubel III, p. 229.
  48. ↑ Domenico Jacobazzi: Eubel III, p. 230.
  49. ↑ Giovio, the celebrated historian, died in Florence on 11 December 1552. D'Avino, pp. 484-485.
  50. ↑ Lunadori: Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 263 with note 2.
  51. ↑ Vicari: Gauchat IV, p. 263 with note 3.
  52. ↑ Trivulzio: Gauchat IV, p. 263 with note 4.
  53. ↑ Franconi: Gauchat IV, p. 263 with note 5.
  54. ↑ D'Avalos: Gauchat IV, p. 263 with note 6.
  55. ↑ Gabrielli died in Nocera in September 1684. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 263 with note 7.
  56. ↑ Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 294 with note 3.
  57. ↑ Perissi was appointed Bishop of Grosseto on 28 May 1700, by Pope Innocent XII. He died in September 1701. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, pp. 294 with note 3; 213 with note 3.
  58. ↑ Carafa was appointed bishop of Nocera on 21 June 1700. He died on 22 February 1715. D'Avino, p. 487. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 294 with note 5.
  59. ↑ De Dominicis: D'Avino, pp. 487-488.
  60. ↑ Volpe: D'Avino, p. 488, col. 1. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 315 with note 2.
  61. ↑ Sanfelice: D'Avino, p. 488, col. 1 and 2. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 315 with note 3.
  62. ↑ D'Avino, p. 488, col. 2.
  63. ↑ A native of Naples, D'Auria Loffredo was nominated by King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies on 22 February 1834, and approved by Pope Gregory XVI on 23 June 1834. He died on 20 February 1860. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, p. 288.
  64. ↑ Adinolfi had been Bishop of Nusco (1854–1860). He was nominated by King Francis II of the Two Sicilies to the bishopric of Nocera on 13 March 1860, and confirmed by Pope Pius IX on 23 March 1860. He died in 1863. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VIII, p. 420-421.
  65. ↑ Ammirante was appointed bishop of Nocera on 27 October 1871, by Pope Piu IX. He died on 23 October 1881. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VIII, p. 420.
  66. ↑ Del Forno was named bishop of Nocera in the consistory of 27 July 1885, by Pope Leo XIII. Acta Sanctae Sedis vol. 18 (1885), p. 51: "CATHEDRALEM ECCLESIAM NUCERIN. PAGANORUM vacan, per dimissionem a R. P. D. Francisco Vitagliano ultro libenterque in manibus SANCTITATIS SUAE peractam, et ab EADEM admissam, favore R. D. Aloisii Del Forno Presbyteri Neapolitani. Qui ex legitimis, catholicis, honestisque, parentibus Neapoli progenitus, et in quadragesimo secundo aeiatis suae anno constitutus, plurimos per annos missionibus solertem exhibuit operam."
  67. ↑ Romeo was a parish priest in the archdiocese of Reggio. He was appointed bishop of Nocera by Pope Pius X on 28 July 1913. Acta Apostolicae Sedis vol. 5 (1913), p. 392: "28 iulii. — Cathedrali ecclesiae Nuceriae Paganorum sac. Iosephum Roméo, archidioecesis Rheginensis, ibique parochum loci vulgo Catona."
  68. ↑ De Angelis was named titular bishop of Anastasiopolis. Acta Apostolicae Sedis vol. 45 (1953), p. 77.
  69. ↑ Zoppas had been a canon of Vittorio Veneto and Rector of the diocesan seminary. He was appointed bishop of Nocera on 26 April 1952.Acta Apostolicae Sedis vol. 44 (1952), p. 434: "die 26 Aprilis. Cathedrali Ecclesiae Nucerinae Paganorum R. D. Fortunatum Zoppas, canonicum Ecclesiae Cathedralis Victoriensis Venetorum et rectorem Seminarii eiusdem dioecesis." Zoppas' appointment was announced in the consistory of 12 January 1953. AAS 45 (1953), p. 81.
  70. ↑ Nuzzi had previously been bishop of Campania. He was named bishop of Nocera Paganorum by Pope Paul VI on 4 January 1971. Acta Apostolicae Sedis vol. 63 (1971), p. 237.
  71. ↑ Illiano, a priest of Salerno, was appointed by Pope John Paul II to the new diocese of Nocera Inferiore–Sarno on 8 August 1987. He retired on 24 March 2011, at the age of 75. Acta Apostolicae Sedis Vol. 79 (1987), p. 1238: "die 8 Augusti. — Cathedrali Ecclesiae Nucerinae Paganorum-Sarnensi R. D. Ioachimum Illiano, e clero archidioecesis Salernitanae-Campaniensis-Acernensis presbyterum."
  72. ↑ Giudice is a poet and author of devotional tracts. He holds a licenciate in theology from the Gregorian University (Rome). CV: Diocesi di Nocera Inferiore, Vescovo, "Biografia"; retrieved: 20 August 2026. Acta Apostolicae Sedis Vol. 103 (2011), p. 308.

Sources

Reference Works

Studies

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