Parishes 15 Area 420 km² Patron saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki Secular priests 31 | Rite Byzantine Rite Country Italy Bishop Giorgio Demetrio Gallaro | |
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Territory Piana degli Albanesi, Contessa Entellina, Mezzojuso, Palazzo Adriano, Santa Cristina Gela and Palermo Ecclesiastical province Immediately Subject to the Holy See Population
- Total
- Catholics (as of 2010)
30,000
28,500 (95%) Denomination Italo-Albanian Greek Catholic Church Cathedral Piana degli Albanesi Cathedral (Piana degli Albanesi) Emeritus bishops Ercole Lupinacci, Sotir Ferrara | ||
The Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi (Italian: Eparchia di Piana degli Albanesi; Albanian: Eparhia e Horës së Arbëreshëvet), is an eparchy (Eastern Catholic diocese) of the Italo-Albanian (Byzantine/Greek) Catholic Church sui iuris (Byzantine Rite in Albanese language and Greek language) covering the Italian island of Sicily, where it has 15 parishes.
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Its cathedral episcopal see is the Cattedrale di S. Demetrio Megalomartire dedicated to the marty Deemetrio, in Piana degli Albanesi, province of Palermo. It also has a Marian Co-Cathedral, which is a World Heritage Site: Concatedral Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio Concatedral Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, in Palermo.
History
On February 6, 1784, was established the Ordinariate of Silicia, the first jurisdiction with on ordinary for this particular church sui iuris, and appointed to it the first titular bishop of the Byzantine-Orthodox Rite for the Albanians of Sicily: Giorgio Stassi, Titular Bishop of Lampsacus. Before, the Albanians faithful and their Orthodox priests they had no right and were at risk in assimilation in the Roman rite.
On October 26, 1937, the Eparchy of Piana dei Greci was created by promoting the Ordinariate of Silicia and transferring to it territories from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Palermo and Metropolitan Archdiocese of Monreale (both on Sicily).
On October 25, 1941, the Eparchy (Diocese) of Piana dei Greci was renamed as Eparchy of Piana degli Abanesi / Hora e Arbëreshëvet.
Territory
The Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi includes the comunes of Piana degli Albanesi, Contessa Entellina, Mezzojuso, Palazzo Adriano and Santa Cristina Gela. Eparchia See is the town of Piana degli Albanesi, where the Cathedral of Saint Demetrio Megalomartire is located. In Palermo, there is the Co-Cathedral of San Nicolò dei Greci alla Martorana. The territory is divided into 15 parishes.