Italy—1

Italy has 62 million people and 80 percent are Catholic.  Most of the rest are either atheists or agnostics.  As evidenced by St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, there were Catholics in Italy shortly after the time of Christ.  St. Peter established the papacy in Rome in the mid-1^st Century and many of the Church’s greatest saints have been Italian.  Roman churches claim to have the remains of several apostles and evangelists, including Peter, Paul, Philip, Bartholomew, James the less, Simon, Jude, Andrew, and Luke.

Italy has the Papal See (the Diocese of Rome), a patriarchate (Venice), and 40 ecclesiastical provinces.  In addition, the Personal Prelature of Opus Dei and the Italian military diocese are directly subject to the Pope.

There are also Eastern-rite dioceses in Italy.  There are three jurisdictions to serve 55,000 Italo-Albanese Rite Catholics in Italy:  the Diocese of Lungro in Calabria (established in 1919), the Diocese of Piana degli Albanesi in Sicily (established in 1937), and the Territorial Abbacy of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata in Lazio (established in 1937).  There is also the Ukrainian Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Italy that was established in 2019 and is immediately subject to the Pope.  Most Catholics in the world belong to the Latin or Roman rite.  Rite refers to liturgical practices, ecclesiastical discipline, and spiritual heritage.  Many Catholics belong to one of two dozen Eastern rite churches.  Eastern rite churches trace their heritage to Eastern Europe and the Middle East.  Eastern rite churches sometimes use different terminologies.  For example, a diocese might be called an eparchy and is led by an eparch.  A vicariate apostolic is called an exarchy (or exarchate) and is led by an exarch. 

This is the first of six blogs on Italy.  This blog covers eight Catholic ecclesiastic provinces in Sicily and Sardinia.

Province of Palermo

The province consists of northwestern Sicily.  The Diocese of Palermo was established in the 1^st Century and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1065.

The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Palermo began construction in 1185 and construction continued for 700 years.  It was built using several different architectural styles and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The Cathedral is the burial place of several Norman kings and Holy Roman emperors.  See cattedrale.palermo.it.

The first picture is from the Cathedral website and the others are from Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Archdiocese of Monreale began as a diocese in 1176.  It became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1183 before being demoted to an archdiocese in 2000.
• The Diocese of Mazara del Vallo was established in 1093.
• The Diocese of Cefalu was established in 680, was suppressed in 870, and restored in 1131. 
• The Diocese of Trapani was established in 1844.

Province of Cagliari

The province consists of southern and eastern Sardinia.  The Diocese of Cagliari was established in the 4^th Century and became a metropolitan archdiocese in the 11^th Century.

The Cathedral of St. Mary in Cagliari was built in the 13^th Century in a Romanesque style, although later renovations have added Baroque and Neoclassical styles.  The Cathedral features a pair of pulpits made by Guglielmo of Pisa in the 12^th Century, a 15^th Century Flemish triptych, a mausoleum for King Martin I of Sicily, and a Sanctuary of Martyrs containing the relics of 292 martyrs.  See duomodicagliari.it.

First four pictures are from the Cathedral website and the other two are from Wikipedia.

The Romanesque Co-Cathedral of St. Pantaleon (an early Christian martyr) in Dolianova was built in the 12^th and 13^th Centuries.  It was built with sandstone.

Both are from Wikipedia.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Iglesias was established in 1763.
• The Diocese of Nuoro was established in 1779.
• The Diocese of Lanusei was established in 1824 and acquired its current name in 1986. 

Province of Sassari

The province consists of northwestern Sardinia.  The Diocese of Torres was established in the 5^th Century, but was suppressed in 743.  It became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Torres in 1073 and acquired its current name in 1441.  Construction of the Cathedral of St. Nicolas of Bari in Sassari began in the 12^th Century and continued until the 18^th Century.  The Cathedral was built using Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical styles.

All are from Wikipedia.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Tempio-Ampurias was created in the 12^th Century.
• The Diocese of Alghero-Bosa was established in 1503 as the Diocese of Alghero and acquired its current name in 1986 with the suppression of the Diocese of Bosa.
• The Diocese of Ozieri was established in 1804.

Province of Oristano

The province consists of west central Sardinia.  The Diocese of Tharros was created in 599 and this became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Oristano in 1073.  The Baroque Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Oristano was built in the 12^th Century.

Pictures are from Snipview, TripAdvisor, and Wikipedia.

The Province has one suffragan diocese.

• The Diocese of Ales-Terralba was established in the 7^th Century as the Diocese of Uselli.  It acquired its current name in 1986.

Province of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela

The province consists of northeastern Sicily.  The Diocese of Messina was established in the 5^th Century.  It was suppressed in 880 before being restored in 1098.  It was promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1166 and acquired its current name in 1986 with the suppression of a diocese and a territorial prelature.  The archdiocese has a cathedral and three co-cathedrals.

The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Messina was originally built in the 12^th Century, but has sustained major damage from earthquakes and fires through the centuries.  The most recent major rebuilding followed the Second World War, which caused extensive damage to the building.  The Cathedral’s ceiling is made of painted wood in an Arab-Byzantine style and depicts Jesus, Mary, and other biblical persons.  The apses are decorated with mosaics, one of which dates to the 14^th Century.  The bell tower contains the largest astronomical clock in the world, which was built in 1933.  Pope Pius XII designated the Cathedral as a minor basilica in 1947.

From Flickr and Wikipedia.

The Co-Cathedral of the Holy Savior in Messina was built between 1928 and 1932.  For pictures, see:

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-church-of-holy-saviour-chiesa-del-santissimo-salvatore-and-palazzo-136389899.html

The Co-Cathedral of St. Bartholomew in Lipari began as a 12^th Century monastery and was expanded in the 16^th Century.  The interior has several 18^th Century frescos depicting biblical themes and has a silver statue of St. Bartholomew.  

All from Wikipedia.

The Renaissance Co-Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Santa Lucia del Mela dates to 1094, but has been reconstructed several times due to earthquakes.  The wooden Baroque pulpit dates to the 18^th Century.  The church has many painting and frescos.

From Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Patti was established in 1131.
• The Diocese of Nicosia was established in 1817.

Province of Syracuse

The province consists of southeastern Sicily.  The Diocese of Syracuse was established in the 2^nd Century and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 680.  It was suppressed in 878 before being restored as a diocese in 1086.  It once again became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1844.

The Cathedral of the Nativity of Holy Mary in Syracuse dates to the 7^th Century and incorporates portions of a Greek temple.  The Cathedral was largely rebuilt in a baroque style following an earthquake in 1693.  The Cathedral has relics of St. Lucy, who was martyred in Syracuse, and is patroness of the city.  The Cathedral also has a baptismal font dating to at least the 13^th Century and a 1512 statue of the Madonna of the Snow.  The Cathedral is a world heritage site.  

All from Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Noto was established in 1844.
• The Diocese of Ragusa was established in 1955. 

Province of Agrigento

The province consists of southwestern Sicily.  The Diocese of Agrigento was established in the 1^st Century, but was suppressed in 835.  It was restored in 1088 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 2000.  The Archdiocese has a cathedral and two co-cathedrals.

The Cathedral of St. Gerland (the bishop who built the Cathedral) in Agrigento is a Romanesque church originally consecrated in 1099.  The Cathedral has been enlarged and remodeled several times.  The bell tower and a marble Madonna and Child date to the 15^th Century.  See cattedraleagrigento.com.

Top picture is from Panaramio, the others are from Wikipedia.

The Co-Cathedral of St. Croce is in Villaseta.

The Co-Cathedral of St. Dominic in Agrigento dates to the 17^th Century.  The church is 170 feet long and 43 feet wide.  There are several paintings dating to around 1700.

From Pinterest

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Piazza Armerina was established in 1817.
• The Diocese of Caltanissetta was established in 1844.

Province of Catania

The province consists of east central Sicily.  The Diocese of Catania was created in the 1^st Century, but was suppressed in 880.  It was restored in 1092, raised to an archdiocese in 1859, and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 2000.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Agatha in Catania was originally built in the 11^th Century often using stones from Roman ruins, but was mostly destroyed by earthquakes and fires.  Most of the Cathedral dates to an 18^th Century renovation done in a Baroque style.  The main door has 32 wood sculpted plaques depicting the life of St. Agatha.  (St. Agatha was martyred in Cantania and is buried in another church in the city.)  The interior features a chapel dedicated to St. Agatha, tombs of Sicilian kings, and 17^th Century paintings of saints.  Pope Pius XI designated the church as a minor basilica in 1926.  It is also a world heritage site.

Both are from Wikipedia.  The bottom picture is of St. Agatha's Chapel.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Caltagirone was established in 1816.
• The Diocese of Acireale was established in 1844.

Definitions

The Catholic Church is mostly divided into ecclesiastical provinces—a province consists of a metropolitan archdiocese and one or more dioceses.  The province and the archdiocese are led by an archbishop.  Each of the dioceses is called a suffragan diocese and is led by a bishop.  Archbishops have some responsibilities for the province, but all bishops answer directly to the Pope.  There are also archdioceses that are not part of a province that are directly under the jurisdiction of the Pope. 

A basilica is an honorary title bestowed on a church by the Pope because of the church’s antiquity, dignity, historical importance, or significance as a center of worship.  Some cathedrals are also basilicas.  Each basilica has a ceremonial umbrella in the papal colors of white and yellow and a ceremonial bell.  Both of these are symbolic of the Pope’s special relationship to the basilica.