Roman Catholic Diocese of Alessano
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Alessano was a Roman Catholic diocese in Italy, located in the city of Alessano, in the province of Lecce, part of Apulia region of south-east Italy. On 28 June 1818, it was suppressed to the Diocese of Ugento.
Ecclesiastical history
Although an episcopal see of Alessano may date from around 700 AD or was probably established under Norman rule around 900 AD, but the regular succession of its bishops began only in 1283 with a Giovanni from Naples. Until the 16th century, papal bulls regarding the bishopric called it either Alexanum or Leuca. It was a suffragan of the Metropolitan of Otranto.On 17 May 1518, it was suppressed, its territory being merged into the diocese of Lecce under Bishop Giovanni Antonio Acquaviva d'Aragona, but it was restored on 3 June 1521.
Byzantine liturgical usages continued to be observed until abolished by Bishop Ercole Lamia.
The existence of the residential see was ended by the papal bull De utiliori of 27 June 1818 of Pope Pius VII, which assigned its territory to the then diocese of Ugento.
Ordinaries
Diocese of Alessano
700: Established as Diocese of Alessano- Berengario, later Bishop of Castro
- Paolo
- Giovanni Sanfelice
- Domenico di Napoli
- Giacomo del Balzo
- Simone da Brindisi, Friars Minor ; previously Bishop of Ruvo
- Guiduccio Guidano, later Bishop of Lecce , Metropolitan Archbishop of Bari–Canosa
- Lorenzo, Dominican Order
- Benedetto del Balzo
- Giovanni Giacomo del Balzo
- Giovanni Antonio Acquaviva d'Aragona, later Bishop of Lecce
- Luigi d'Aragona
3 June 1521: Reestablished again as Diocese of Alessano
- Agostino Trivulzio, Apostolic Administrator
- Alessandro Cesarini, Apostolic Administrator, while Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria in Via Lata, Protodeacon of Sacred College of Cardinals, Apostolic Administrator of Otranto
- Francesco Antonio Balduini
- Benedetto de Sanctis
- Evangelista Cittadini
- Annibale Magalotti
- Leonardo de Magistris ; previously Bishop of Capri
- Giulio Galletti
- Giacomo Galletti
- Cesare Busdragus, later Metropolitan Archbishop of Chieti
- Ercole Lamia
- Settimio Borsari, later Bishop of Casale Monferrato
- Sestilio Mazuca
- Orazio Rapari
- Giulio Doffi, O.P.
- Celso Mancini
- Nicola Antonio Spinelli, C.R.
- Placido Padiglia, Celestines ; previously Bishop of Lavello
- Francesco Antonio Roberti
- Giovanni Granafei, later Metropolitan Archbishop of Bari–Canosa
- Andrea Tontoli, later Bishop of Vieste
- Vincenzo della Marra
- Giovanni Belardino Giannelli
- Archbishop-Bishop Luigi d'Alessandro, previously Metropolitan Archbishop of Santa Severina ; later Metropolitan Archbishop of Bari–Canosa
- Dionigi Latomo
- Gaetano Paolo de Miceli, Ardorini Missionaries ; later Archbishop of Rossano
''1968: Restored as Titular Episcopal See of Alessano''
Titular see
The bishopric of Alexanum is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see, having been nominally restored in 1968 as a titular bishopric.It has had the following incumbents, of the lowest class, except the first and the latest :
- Titular Archbishop Tomás Alberto Clavel Méndez , as emeritate; previously Bishop of David , President of Episcopal Conference of Panama, President of Episcopal Secretariat of Central America and Panama, Metropolitan Archbishop of Panamá
- Titular Bishop William Russell Houck
- Titular Bishop Hernán Giraldo Jaramillo
- Titular Bishop Natalino Pescarolo
- Titular Bishop Bosco Lin Chi-nan
- Titular Archbishop Michael A. Blume, Divine Word Missionaries , Apostolic Nuncio to Uganda