Altamura Altamura was once a
territorial prelature, founded in 1232 and endowed by
the Emperor Frederick II, who declared it to be free and exempt from all episcopal jurisdiction. It was governed by an
archpriest. It was declared exempt from episcopal jurisdiction by
Pope Innocent IV in 1248, and again by
Pope Innocent VIII (1484–92). The Chapter of the major church of the territorial prelature of Altamura was composed of four dignities (the Archdeacon, the Cantor, the Primicerius, and the Treasurer) and twenty-four Canons, who had the right to use the
cappa magna and rochet.
Acquaviva Acquaviva delle Fonti, a town of the Campagna, was declared similarly exempt by
Pope Pius IX and united with Altamura on 17 August 1848.
Diocesan Reorganization Following the
Second Vatican Council, and in accordance with the norms laid out in the council's decree,
Christus Dominus chapter 40, It also recommended the abolition of anomalous units such as exempt territorial prelatures.
Pope Paul VI ordered a reorganization of the ecclesiastical provinces in southern Italy, beginning with consultations among the members of the Congregation of Bishops in the Vatican Curia, the Italian Bishops Conference, and the various dioceses concerned. On 18 February 1984, the Vatican and the Italian State signed a new and revised concordat. Based on the revisions, a set of
Normae was issued on 15 November 1984, which was accompanied in the next year, on 3 June 1985, by enabling legislation. According to the agreement, the practice of having one bishop govern two separate dioceses at the same time,
aeque personaliter, was abolished. The Vatican continued consultations which had begun under
Pope John XXIII for the merging of small dioceses, especially those with personnel and financial problems, into one combined diocese. On 30 September 1986,
Pope John Paul II ordered that the diocese of Gravina be merged with the territorial prelatures of Altamura and of Aquaviva into one diocese with one bishop, with the Latin title
Dioecesis Altamurensis-Gravinensis-Aquavivensis. The seat of the diocese was to be in Altamura, where the prelatial church was to serve as the cathedral of the merged diocese. The cathedral in Gravina and the prelatial seat in Aquaviva were to have the honorary titles of "co-cathedral"; the Chapters were each to be a
Capitulum Concathedralis. There was to be only one diocesan Tribunal, in Altamura, and likewise one seminary, one College of Consultors, and one Priests' Council. The territory of the new diocese was to include the territory of the suppressed diocese and territorial prelatures. To make the territories of the new diocese congruent, the town of San Teramo in Colle was detached from the archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto and added to that of Altamura. The new diocese was made a suffragan of the archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto. ==Prelates and Bishops==