Diocese of Nicosia, Sicily

This article is about a diocese in Sicily. For the titular see in Cyprus, see Latin Archdiocese of Nicosia.
Diocese of Nicosia

Dioecesis Nicosiensis o Herbitensis
Nicosia Cathedral
Location
CountryItaly
Ecclesiastical provinceMessina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela
Statistics
Area1,475 km2 (570 sq mi)
Population
  • Total
  • Catholics
  • (as of 2023)
  • 71,610
  • 70,610 (est.)
Parishes40
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established17 March 1817 (208 years ago)
CathedralBasilica Cattedrale di S. Nicola di Bari
Secular priests35 (diocesan)
4 (Religious Orders)
10 Permanent Deacons
Current leadership
PopeLeo XIV
BishopGiuseppe Schillaci
Bishops emeritusSalvatore Muratore
Map
Website
www.diocesinicosia.it

The Diocese of Nicosia (Latin: Dioecesis Nicosiensis seu Herbitensis) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Sicily. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela.[1] The city of Nicosia is c. 80 km directly west of Mount Etna.

History

Nicosia had been placed under the patronage of S. Nicholas of Myra by Pope Benedict XIV.[2] The Collegiate Church of S. Nicolas in Nicosia had a Chapter composed of 43 individuals, headed by three dignities: the Archpriest, the Cantor, and the Treasurer, and ten canons. The church was also a parish church.[3] Another church in the city, Santa Maria Maggiore, was named a collegiate church by Pope Urban VIII in 1625.[4] Its college was composed of three dignities (the Dean, the Archpriest, and the Primicerius) and ten canons-in-ordinary with two honorary canons.[5]

As early as 1815, King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies had written to the pope, pointing out that the island of Sicily had only nine bishops, and that the extent of these dioceses was too extensive for the bishops to oversee them adequately. The population of the island exceeded 1.5 million, and the diocese of Messina alone had 130,000. The pope consulted with the apostolic delegate the archbishop of Palermo and members of the College of Cardinals in the Consistorial Congregation.[6]

Erection of the diocese

Finally, on 17 March 1817, Pope Pius VII issued the bull "Superaddita Diei", establishing the diocese of Nicosia (Herbitensis).[7] The moment was opportune, since the archbishop of Messina, Gaetano Maria Garrasi, had died on 16 February 1817.[8] To form the territory of the new diocese, the pope detached from the archdiocese of Messina the communes of: Alimena, Buompietro, Castelbuono, Gangi, Geraci, Petralia Soprana, Petralia, Sottana, Bronte, Maletto, Capizzi, Cesarò, S. Mauro, and S. Teodoro; plus two small country districts called Casale Marianopolis and Bon-Pietro.[9]

Within the diocese is the ancient city of Troina, which was briefly an episcopal see from 1087 to 1090.[10]

Chapter and cathedral

The Collegiate Church of S. Nicholas had its privileges and prerogatives revoked, and it was reduced to the status of a parish church. Similarly, the Chapter of the collegiate church had its privileges and powers revoked and was suppressed. The pope then elevated S. Nicholas to the status of a cathedral church and assigned it as the seat of the new bishop of Nicosia. The bishop was made a suffragan of the archbishop of Messina.[11] A cathedral Chapter was created to administer and provide liturgical services for the cathedral, consisting of five dignities (the Archpriest, the Archdeacon, the Cantor, the Deacon, and the Treasurer) and ten canons, along with ten "mansionarii" (canonicatus secundarios). The archpriest was to serve as the parish priest.[12]

On the 150th anniversary of its founding as a cathedral, the cathedral of S. Nicholas of Bari in Nicosia was granted the title and privileges of a minor basilica.[13]

Seminary

In the bull of 1817 establishing the diocese, Pope Pius VII also mandated that a seminary for priests also be established.[14] It was not until 1845, however, that Bishop Benza (1844–1847) was able to found the seminary, in a rented house; his expected financial support did not materialize, and he was forced to close it. Bishop Milana reopened the seminary, and began building permanent premises, which were not completed until the early 1860s, by Bishop Lo Piccolo (1858–1881). In 1867, it was closed, and the building confiscated by the government. In 1882, it reopened, in quarters provided by the municipal authorities in the former Carmelite convent. In 1889, the seminary moved to the former monastery of San Biagio. In 1961, the seminary was moved again, to a new building in as suburb, three km. from the center of Nicosia.[15]

Pius VII had also noted in the bull of 1817 that there was a seminary for youth (high school), located at Bronte, which was subsequently detached from the diocese of Nicosia and transferred to the diocese of Catania.[16]

Development

The first bishop of Nicosia was Gaetano Maria Avarna, the Vicar-general and Auxiliary Bishop of Messina, transferred from the titular bishopric of Zama by Pope Pius VII, on 26 June 1818.[17]

The construction of an orphanage in Nicosia was begun c. 1800, on the initiative of the archbishop of Messina, with the backing of the king. The building was completed in 1811. The institution was administered by the archpriest of the cathedral Chapter, a civil syndic, and the director of the Monte di Pietà.[18] The Monte di Pietà had been established in the mid-16th century by the Confraternità della Misericordia as a bank for loans to the poor.[19]

The Jesuits established a mission in Nicosia at the church of Santa Maria Deiparae in 1807.[20]

In 1819, the Collegiate Church of S. Maria Maggiore in Nicosia was raised to the rank and title of a minor basilica.[21]

Bishop Bernardo Cozzuoli (1881–1902) presided over the first diocesan synod, which was held from 6–9 September 1883.[22] He held a second synod on 14–16 November 1893.[23]

Bishops

  • Gaetano Maria Avarna (1818–1841)[24]
Sede vacante (1841–1844)[25]
  • Rosario Vincenzo Benza (1844–1847)[26]
  • Camillo Milana (1851–1858)[27]
  • Melchiorre Lo Piccolo (1858–1881)[28]
  • Bernardo Cozzucli (Cozzuoli) (1881–1902)[29]
  • Ferdinando Fiandaca (1903–1912)[30]
  • Felice Agostino Addeo, O.S.A. (1913–1942 Resigned)[31]
  • Pio Giardina (1942–1953 Died)
  • Clemente Gaddi (1953–1962 Appointed, Coadjutor Archbishop of Siracusa)
  • Costantino Trapani, O.F.M. (1962–1976)[32]
  • Salvatore Di Salvo (1976–1984 Resigned)
Pio Vittorio Vigo (1984–1985), Apostolic Administrator

References and notes

  1. ^ Beritelli, p. 145.
  2. ^ "sub speciali, unica, universalique tutela et patricinio sancti Nicolai archiepiscopi Myrensis Barensis nuncupati per literas apostolicas in forma brevis sub annulo piscatoris felicis recordationis Benedicti pp. XIV."
  3. ^ "Superaddita Diei", pp. 1430, column 2.
  4. ^ Beritelli, p. 166.
  5. ^ Beritelli, p. 152.
  6. ^ Beritelli, pp. 114-134.
  7. ^ Pius VII, "Superaddita Diei", 17 March 1817, in: Bullarii Romani continuatio (in Latin), Vol. 7 (Romae: Typographia Reverendae Camerae Apostolicae 1852), pp. 1428-1442. Gabriel Chow, GCatholic.org "Diocese of Nicosia, Italy"; accessed 8 May 2024.. Beritelli, pp. 135-136.
  8. ^ Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 287.
  9. ^ Beritelli, p. 145. "Superaddita Diei", pp. 1431, § 5.
  10. ^ Gordon S. Brown, The Norman Conquest of Southern Italy and Sicily (London: McFarland 2003), pp. 116-118. Donald Matthew, The Norman Kingdom of Sicily (Cambridge: CUP 1992), pp. 17-18; 27-28. Rocco Pirro, Sicilia Sacra (in Latin) vol. 1 (3rd ed., ed. Antonino Mongitore), (Palermo: P. Coppola 1733), pp. 494-498.
  11. ^ "Superaddita Diei", pp. 1432, § 7; pp. 1437, col. 2.
  12. ^ "Superaddita Diei", pp. 1432-1433, § 8-13.
  13. ^ Acta Apostolicae Sedis (in Latin) Vol. 60 (Città del Vaticano 1968), pp. 6-7: "Dulce quoddam," 19 June 1967.
  14. ^ "Superaddita Diei", pp. 1437, col. 2, § 25. Beritelli, p. 146
  15. ^ Seminario interdiocesano Regina Apostolorum, "Storia del Seminario Vescovile “S. Agostino” di Nicosia;" (in Italian),; retrieved: 9 November 2025.
  16. ^ Beritelli, p. 147-148.
  17. ^ Notizie per l'anno MDCCCXX (in Italian) (Rome: Cracas 1820), p. 284.
  18. ^ Beritelli, p. 181.
  19. ^ Beritelli, p. 182.
  20. ^ Beritelli, p. 180-181.
  21. ^ Beritelli, p. 151.
  22. ^ Savagnone, pp. 198-200. Prima synodus dioecesana ab ill.mo ac rev.mo D. Bernardo Cozzucli episcopo Nicosien - Herbitensi habita diebus VI , VII et IX septembris MDCCCLXXXIII. (Panormi: tip delle Letture Domenicali, 1883).
  23. ^ Savagnone, pp. 202-203.
  24. ^ A native of Messina, Avarna was appointed titular bishop of Zama (Tunisia) on 23 February 1801, and named auxiliary bishop of Messina. He was nominated the first bishop of Nicosia by Ferdinand I on 22 May 1818, and confirmed by Pius VII on 26 June. He died on 10 November 1841. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, pp. 283, 401.
  25. ^ Bertelli, p. 200.
  26. ^ Benza: Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, p. 283.
  27. ^ Milano was nominated by Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies on 25 September 1850, and approved by Pope Pius IX on 17 February 1851. He died on 6 September 1858. Beritelli, pp. 156-1202-203. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VIII, p. 414.
  28. ^ Lo Piccolo had been a parish priet of Agrigento, a canon in the Collegiate Church of Licata, a pro-sinodial-examiner, and Vicar-general of the diocese of Piazza. He was named bishop of Nicosia on 23 December 1858, and consecrated on 9 january 1859. He died on 8 May 1881. L'amico di famiglia Vol. 2, no. 1 (Naples: Frigeno 1859), p. 15. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VIII, p. 414.
  29. ^ A native of Palermo, Cozzuoli was a canon of the cathedral of Palermo. He was named bishop of Nicosia on 18 November 1881, and consecrated in Palermo on 27 November. He held diocesan synods in 1883 and 1893. He died on 3 November 1902. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VIII, p. 414.
  30. ^ Fiandaca was a native of S. Caterina Villarmosa (diocese of Caltanissetta), and held degrees in theology and Canon Law, and taught those subjects in the seminary of Caltanissetta. He was Canon Theologus in the cathedral of Caltanisssetta. He was named bishop of Nicosia on 22 June 1903, by Pope Leo XIII. He was appointed Bishop of Patti on 10 April 1912, by Pope Pius X, and made his formal entry on 8 September 1912. He resigned on 1 August 1930, at the age of 73, and was appointed titular archbishop of Cyrrhus (Syria). He died in 1941. Monitor ecclesiasticus, (in Italian) Volume 7 (Rome: Fondazione Monitor ecclesiasticus, 1903), p. 190. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VIII, p. 414.
  31. ^ Addeo was a native of Vico di Palma Campania (diocese.of Nola). He was named bishop of Nicosia on 15 May 1913, and consecrated on 15 July. Annuario pontificio per l'anno 1918 (Roma: Typologia Polyglotta Vaticana 1918), p. 171.
  32. ^ In 1976, trapani was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Mazara del Vallo.
  33. ^ In 2008 Pappalardo was appointed Archbishop of Siracusa. He is not the Salvatore Pappalardo who was Archbishop of Palermo and who became Cardinal in 1973.
  34. ^ Muratore: David M. Cheney, Catholic-Hierarchy.org, "Bishop Salvatore Muratore"; accessed 8 March 2024. Diocesi di Nicosia, "Vescovo emerito: Salvatore Muratore;" (in Italian); retrieved: 9 November 2025,
  35. ^ Schillaci: Diocesi di Nicosia, "Vescovo" (in Italian); retrieved: 9 November 2025.

Bibliography

  • Beritelli e la Vita, Giuseppe; Alessio Narbone (1852) Notizie storiche di Nicosia (in Italian). Palermo: Giuseppe Perdone 1852.
  • Cappelletti, Giuseppe (1870). Le chiese d'Italia dalla loro origine sino ai nostri giorni (in Italian). Vol. vigesimoprimo (21). Venezia: Antonelli. pp. 579–581.
  • D'Avino, Vincenzio (1848). Cenni storici sulle chiese arcivescovili, vescovili, e prelatizie (nullius) del regno delle due Sicilie (in Italian). Naples: dalle stampe di Ranucci. p. 472.
  • Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1968). Hierarchia Catholica medii et recentioris aevi (in Latin). Vol. 7 (1800–1846). Monasterii: Libr. Regensburgiana.
  • Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1978). Hierarchia catholica Medii et recentioris aevi (in Latin). Vol. 8 (1846–1903). Il Messaggero di S. Antonio.
  • Pięta, Zenon (2002). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentioris aevi (in Latin). Vol. 9 (1903–1922). Padua: Messagero di San Antonio. ISBN 978-88-250-1000-8.
  • Pius VII, "Superaddita Diei"", 17 March 1817, in: Bullarii Romani continuatio (in Latin), Vol. 7 (Romae: Typographia Reverendae Camerae Apostolicae 1852), pp. 1428-1442.
  • Savagnone, F. Guglielmo (1912). "Concili e sinodi di Sicilia," (in Italian), in: Atti della reale Accademia di scienze, lettere e belle arti di Palermo terza serie, Vol. 9. Palermo: Impresa generale d'Affissione e Publicità, 1912. pp. 3-212 + Appendice.

37°45′00″N 14°24′00″E / 37.7500°N 14.4000°E / 37.7500; 14.4000

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