The Diocese of Conversano-Monopoli () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Apulia. It has existed since 1986, when the diocese of Monopoli was united with the historic diocese of Conversano. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto.
History
Conversano is the ancient Cupersanum. After the invasion of the Normans, it was for a while the seat of a duchy; later, however, it became a fief of the dukes of Atri.
Local tradition preserves the name of a bishop, Simplicius, who attended the Roman synod of 487 and died in 492, but he belongs to legend, not history. Ferdinando Ughelli prints the narrative of Francesco Giuliano of Conversano concerning Simplicius, but states that it seems to him to be highly suspect, and maybe deliberately invented falsehoods or corrupt, since there are some things found in it which cannot be true.
The first alleged bishop of Conversano was Hilarius, present at the Roman synod of 501. His name however is a false reading of the acts of the synod; he actually belonged to Tempsa in the Abruzzi, not to Conversano in Apulia.
No other names are recorded up to the episcopate of Leo, mentioned in a document of 1088.
In 1670 (and 1744) the Chapter of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Body of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven was composed of four dignities (the Archdeacon, the Archpriest, the Cantor and the Primicerius) and twenty-six Canons. In the city of approximately 7,000 inhabitants (1744) there were five religious houses for men and three monasteries for men.
Bishops
Diocese of Conversano
to 1400
... Leo (attested 1088) ... Cafisius (attested 1179, 1180) Guilelmus (attested 1188 – April 1202) Ignotus (attested 1207) Concilius (attested April 1212 – 9 October 1231) Stefano, O.Cist. (attested 1267 – 1274) ... Giovanni de Gropi (c. 1283) ... Guillelmus (attested 1318, 1321) Petrus Baccari (attested 1335, 1342) Stefano (7 January 1351 – 1355?) Petrus de Ytro (19 February 1356 – ) Guilelmus (Avignon Obedience) Angelo de Cupersano, O.Min. (12 July 1393 – ) (Avignon Obedience) Amicus (Antonius) (Roman Obedience) Jacobus ( – 22 December 1399) (Roman Obedience)
1400 to 1600
Franciscus
Stefano de Alfano (9 March 1403 – 1423) Antonio Guidotti (9 Sep 1423 – 1432 Died) Marino Orsini (4 November 1432 – 29 April 1437) (Administrator) Andrea Veroli (29 Apr 1437 – 25 Sep 1439) Donato Bottini, O.E.S.A. (9 October 1439 – 4 September 1448) Pietro de Miggola, O.M. (4 September 1448 – 1464) Paolo de Torcoli (30 November 1465 – d. 1482) Sulpicio Acquaviva d'Aragona (17 Feb 1483 – 1494 Died) Vincenzo Pistacchio (1494 – 3 Nov 1499 Appointed, Bishop of Bitetto) Donato Acquaviva d'Aragona (1499 – 1528 Died) Antonio Sanseverino, O.S.Io.Hieros. (28 Jul 1529 – 11 Feb 1534 Resigned) Giacomo Antonio Carrozza (1534 – 1560 Died) Giovanni Francesco Lottini (1560 – 1561 Resigned) Romolo de Valentibus (1561 – 1579 Died) Francesco Maria Sforza (1579 – 1605 Died)
1600 to 1800
Pietro Capullio, O.F.M. Conv. (31 Aug 1605 – 24 Jun 1625 Died) Vincenzo Martinelli (bishop), O.P. (18 Aug 1625 – 20 Sep 1632) Antonio Brunachio (24 Nov 1632 – 1 Jan 1638 Died) Agostino Ferentillo (19 Apr 1638 – 7 Sep 1641 Died) Pietro Paolo Bonsi (26 May 1642 – 1658 Died) Giuseppe Palermo (8 Dec 1658 – 1 Sep 1670) Giovanni Stefano Sanarica (Senarega), O.S.B. (23 Feb 1671 – 16 Jun 1679 Died) Andrea Brancaccio, C.R. (13 Jan 1681 – 18 Apr 1701) Filippo Meda (23 Jan 1702 – 18 Jul 1733 Died) Giovanni Macario Valenti (28 Sep 1733 – 10 Apr 1744 Died) Filippo Felice del Prete (13 Apr 1744 – 22 Dec 1751 Died) Michele di Tarsia, C.P.O. (24 Jan 1752 – 7 May 1772 Died) Fabio Maria Palumbo, C.R. (7 Sep 1772 – 18 Mar 1786 Died) Nicola Vecchi (27 Feb 1792 – 18 Dec 1797)