The town was established circa 900 as the
Diocese of Minervino (Italian: ; 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 being suppressed on June 27, 1818, its territory being merged into the
Diocese of Andria; however in 1976, the
comune Montemilone was transferred to the
Diocese of Venosa.
Bishops of Minervino ::
... • 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 was not 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) • An anonymous incumbent (in 1234) • Pietro di Cerignola (16 March 1255 - 13 March 1256), next
Bishop-elect of
Roman Catholic Diocese of Canne • Biviano (first 1271 - till 1276) • 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 (Sardinia) (? – 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). It has had the following incumbents, of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank : • Ramón Torrella Cascante (1968.10.22 – 1983.04.11) as
Auxiliary Bishop of
Archdiocese of Barcelona (Spain) (1968.10.22 – 1970.11.06); later
Roman Curia official: Vice-president of
Council of the Laity (1970.11.06 – 1974.03.06), vice-president of
Pontifical Commission of Justice and Peace (1970.11.06 – 1975.12.20), vice-president of
Pontifical Council "Cor unum" (1971.07.22 – 1975.12.20), vice-president of
Secretariat for Christian Unity (1975.12.20 – 1983.04.11), vice-president of
Council of European Bishops' Conferences (1983 – 1993), then Metropolitan Archbishop of
Archdiocese of Tarragona (Spain) (1983.04.11 – retired 1997.02.20), died 2004 • Ryszard Karpiński (1985.09.28 – ...), as Auxiliary Bishop of
Archdiocese of Lublin (Poland) (1985.09.28 – 2011.12.31) and on emeritate. == City sights ==