Archdiocese of Crotone-Santa Severina

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The Italian Catholic archdiocese of Cortone-Santa Severina was created in 1986. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Catanzaro-Squillace. The historic diocese of Cortone (also Cotrone) in Calabria had existed from the sixth century, and was combined with the diocese of Santa Severina.^[1] It was a suffragan of the archdiocese of Reggio.

1 History
2 References
3 Notes
4 External link

[edit] History

Cotrone (ancient Croton) it was unsuccessfully besieged by Totila, King of the Goths, and at a later date became a part of the Byzantine Empire. About 870 it was taken and sacked by the Saracens, who put to death the bishop and many people who had taken refuge in the cathedral. Later on it was conquered by Normans, and thenceforth shared the fate of the Kingdom of Naples.

According to local legend the Gospel was preached there by Dionysius the Areopagite. Its first known bishop was Flavianus, during whose episcopate occurred the siege of the city by Totila. Other bishops were:

Theodosios (642);
Petrus (680);
Theotimus (790);
Nicephorus (870).

Later bishops included:

Antonio Sebastiano Minturno (1565), a humanist;
the Spanish Dominican, Juan Lopez (1595);
the Theatine, Tommaso dai Monti (1599);
Niceforo Melisseno Commeno (1628), who had previously rendered service to the Holy See in the Orient and in France.