Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agrigento

The Italian Catholic archdiocese of Agrigento, in Sicily, was elevated to archiepiscopal status in 2000.^[1] The historic diocese of Agrigento was also known as the diocese of Grigenti, and diocese of Agrigentum. It used to be a suffragan of the archdiocese of Monreale.

History

Girgenti (the Greek Acragas, Roman Agrigentum) venerates Saint Libertinus as its earliest apostle; he is said to have been sent by Saint Peter. The earliest bishop of certain date is Saint Potamius, a contemporary of Pope Agapetus I (535-36).

Saint Gregory I, Bishop of Agrigentum, said to have been martyred in 262, is probably only a double of the homonymous bishop who was a contemporary of Gregory the Great. The list of bishops, interrupted by the Saracen invasion, began again in 1093 with Saint Gerlando.

Other bishops are:

• Rinaldo di Acquaviva (1244), who restored the cathedral and crowned King Manfred, for which latter action he was excommunicated by Pope Alexander IV;
• Matteo Gimmara (1442–1445^[2])
• John IV (Giovanni, Juan) de Castro (Valencia, 1431–1506, Rome), Bishop of Girgenti (1479–1506), Cardinal Priest of Santa Prisca (1496–1506), Administrator Apostolic of the Diocese of Schleswig (1499–1502), later also Bishop of Malta (1504–1506).

Notes

1. ^ Catholic Hierarchy page
2. ^ Catholic Encyclopedia article