Minervino Murge ( ) is a town and comune, former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see in the administrative province of Barletta-Andria-Trani in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, lying on the western flank of the Murgia Barese mountain chain.
It assumed its present name in 1836, formerly known as just Minervino (with namesakes).
It is south of Canosa di Puglia and north of Spinazzola, in the Alta Murgia National Park.
The town's economy is based mainly on agriculture and herding. The karstic geology of the area has conditioned its main crops: grapes, olives, wheat, and almonds.
Ecclesiastical History
Established circa 900 as Diocese of Minervino (Italian) / Minerbium (Latin), with only two municipal components : Minervino itself and Montemilone (now in the administrative province of Potenza). The see is documented first in a papal bulla in 1025 by Pope John XIX to archbishop Bisanzio of Bari, specifying the jurisdictions under the Metropolitan Archbishop of Bari, but the document is disputed Locals tradition and a list of incumbents in the episcopal palace starts the apostolic succession with Bisanzio in 1069, but he may well have been bishop of Lavello instead The bishopric was a suffragan of the Metropolitan of Bari no later than 1152, if not from the start, but disputed papal bullas suggest it may have been suffragan of the Archdiocese of Trani before Suppressed on 1818.06.27, its territory being merged into the Diocese of Andria; however in 1976, the comune Montemilone was transferred to the Diocese of Venosa.
Residential Ordinaries
Suffragan Bishops of Minervino
First centuries unavailable or incomplete
Ignatius = Innazio (recorded in 1071) Mandus ? (in 1102) Johannes = Giovanni (in 1122) Maraldo (? - 1171/1177 deposed) apparently the see was vacant in 1179 as the see wasn't represented at the Third Council of the Lateran Leopardo (first in 1180 - till 1197) Riccardo, Benedictine Order (O.S.B.) (first in 1215 - after 1219)[12] An anonymous incumbent (in 1234) Pietro di Cerignola (16 March 1255 - 13 March 1256), next Bishop-elect of Roman Catholic Diocese of Canne [12] Biviano (first 1271 - till 1276)[12] Antonio di Gaeta, Dominican Order (O.P.) (1298 - ?) Trasmondo (in 1310) Giacomo (in 1321) Rainaldo di Provenza (1344 – 1352) Lorenzo (1353.11.14 – 1365) Leonardo Arnini (1426.08.23 – death 1433) Sancio (1433.01.14 – 1434), previously Bishop of Diocese of Civita (Italy) (? – 1433.01.14) Goffredo (1434.09.15 – death 1456) Giovanni Campanella, Benedictine Order (O.S.B.) (1456.04.13 – death 1478?) Marino Cieri (1478.10.05 – death 1491?) Roberto de Noya, Dominican Order (O.P.) (1492.01.23 – 1497.05.15), next Bishop of Acerra (Italy) (1497.05.15 – 1504.04.15), Bishop of Naxos (insular Greece) (1504.04.15 – death 1515) Marino Falconi (1497.04.17 – death 1525) Antonio Sassolino, Conventual Friars Minor (O.F.M. Conv.) (1525.07.21 – 1528), previously Superior general of the Conventual Franciscans Bernardino Fumarelli (1528.08.07 – 1529.08.16), next Bishop of Alife (Italy) (1529.08.16 – 1532.11.04), Bishop of Sulmona (Italy) (1532.11.04 – 1547.06.05), Bishop of Valva (Italy) (1532.11.04 – death 1547.06.05) Giovanni Francesco de Marellis (1529.08.16 – death 1536) Gian Vincenzo Micheli (1545.03.02 – death 1596 as centenarian), participant at the Tridentine Council (1545-1563), previously Bishop of Lavello (1539.05.30 – 1545.03.02) Lorenzo Monzonís Galatina, O.F.M. (1596.06.21 – 1605), next Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Valencia (Spain) (1605 – 1610.01.27), Archbishop of Lanciano (Italy) (1610.01.27 – 1617.11.20), Archbishop-Bishop of Diocese of Pozzuoli (Italy) (1617.11.20 – death 1630.02.11) Giacomo Antonio Caporali (1606.01.09 – 1616), consecrated the rebuilt cathedral Altobello Carissimi (1617.01.30 – death 1632) Giovanni Michele Rossi, Carmelite Order (O. Carm.) (1633.01.12 – death 1633.04.11) Gerolamo Maria Zambeccari, O.P. (1633.04.11 – 1635), previously Bishop of Alife (Italy) (1625.04.07 – 1633.04.11) Antonio Maria Pranzoni (1635.05.06 – death 1663) Francesco Maria Vignola (1663.09.24 – death 1700) Marcantonio Chenevix (1702.11.20 – death 1717.07) Nicola Pignatelli (1719.02.09 – death 1734.10.28) Fabio Troyli (1734.12.01 – 1751.02.01), next Bishop of Catanzaro (Italy) (1751.02.01 – death 1762.08.01) Stefano Gennaro Spani (1751.03.15 – death 1776.04) Pietro Silvio Di Gennaro (1776.07.15 – 1779.07.12), next Bishop of Venosa (Italy) (1779.07.12 – death 1786) Pietro Mancini (1792.02.27 – death 1808).
Titular see
The diocese was nominally restored in 1968 as Latin Titular bishopric of Minervino Murge (Curiate Italian) / Minervium (Latin) / Minerbinen(sis) (Latin).