Montemarano

Montemarano
Comune
Comune di Montemarano
Montemarano Location of Montemarano in Italy
Coordinates:
Country	Italy
Region	Campania
Province / Metropolitan city	Avellino (AV)
Area
• Total	33 km2 (13 sq mi)
Elevation	820 m (2,690 ft)
Population
• Total	3,039
• Density	92/km2 (240/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Montemaranesi
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	83040
Dialing code	0827
Patron saint	San Giovanni
Saint day	21 August
Website	Official website

Montemarano is a town and comune, former Latin bishopric and present titular see in the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy.

History

The existence of the town is documented since the 11th century. During Norman times, it was attacked by Ruggiero and completely destroyed. Later it became a fiefdom of Raona of Fragneto. Other important feudal families were the Caracciolo, the Della Leonessa and the Della Marra.

Ecclesiastical History

Montemarano was also the seat of a Roman Catholic diocese which was established in 1059 as a suffragan of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salerno. [1] [2] Its first bishop, St. John of Montemarano[3], is honored with a statue in the town.

On 27 June 1818, it was suppressed and its territory merged into the Diocese of Nusco.

Resident suffragan bishops

• Saint Bishop Giovanni (John of Montemarano), Benedictines (O.S.B.) (1079 – ?)
• Giovanni II (1119? – ?)
• Matteo da Monteforte (1179? – ?)
• Bishop Rufino (1290? – 1296.08.09), later Bishop of Castro del Lazio (Italy) (1296.08.09 – ?)
• Corrado (1296.11 – ?)
• Pietro (1329? – ?)
• Barbato (1331? – ?)
• Pietro (1334 – 1343.06.09), later Bishop of Dragonara (Italy) (1343.06.09 – death 1345)
• Ponzio Excondevilla, Dominican Order (O.P.) (1343.06.09 – 1346.11.17), later Bishop of Trevico (1346.11.17 – ?)
• Marco Manente Franceschi, Friars Minor (O.F.M.) (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.F.M. (1372.06.21 – ?)
• Agostino I (1396.02.04 – ?)
• Agostino II (1413 – ?)
• Martino (1423? – ?)
• Marino da Monopoli, O.F.M. (1452.07.14 – ?)
• Ladislao (1462.03.26 – death 1477)
• Agostino da Siena, O.F.M. (1477.01.24 – death 1484)
• Simeone Dantici, O.F.M. (1484.02.11 – death 1487)
• Antonio Bonito, O.F.M. (1487.01.26 – 1494.03.19), afterward Bishop of Acerno (Italy) (1494.03.19 – 1510)
• Giuliano Isopo, Carmelites (O. Carm.) (1494.03.19 – 1516 first term - see below)
• Pietro Giovanni de Melisk (1516.11.08 – 1517.04.20), later Titular Bishop of Tiberias (1517.04.20 – ?)
• 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)
• Marcantonio Genovesi (1603.05.09 – 1611.09.26), later Bishop of Isernia (Italy) (1611.09.26 – death 1624.11.07)
• Eleuterio Albergone, Conventual Franciscans (O.F.M. Conv.) (1611.11.14 – death 1635)
• Francesco Antonio Porpora (1635.05.07 – death 1640)
• Urbano Zambotti, Theatines (C.R.) (1640.05.21 – death 1657)
• Giuseppe Battaglia (1657.07.09 – death 1669.12)
• Giuseppe Labonia (1670.11.17 – death 1720.03)
• Giovanni Crisostomo Verchio, Italian Basilian Order of Grottaferrata (O.S.B.I.) (1720.05.06 – 1726)
  • Coadjutor Bishop Giovanni Ghirardi (1726.03.20 – 1745.10.08)
• Innocenzo Sanseverino (1746.03.09 – 1753.03.12), later Bishop of Alife (Italy) (1753.03.12 – 1756.12.29), Titular Archbishop of Philadelphia in Arabia (1757.01.03 – 1762.07.10)
• Giuseppe Antonio Passanti (1753.07.23 – death 1774.03.31)
• Onofrio Maria Gennari (1774.06.27 – death 1805.11.05)

Titular see

The diocese was nominally restored as a titular bishopric in 1968.

It has had the following incumbents, of both the lowest (episcopal) and intermediary (archiepiscopal) ranks :

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

Festivals

The most important event is the famous Montemarano Carnival with its known tarantella montemaranese, an ancient tradition of the place.

Economy

The economy depends on agriculture, notably vineyards. One of the more famous wineries of Montemarano and the surrounding region is the Aminea winery. Aminea wines can be found in some American wine shops.

See also

• Mezzogiorno

Source and External links

• GigaCatholic with incumbent biography links
• Montemarano
• Montemarano, Province of Avellino