The Italian Roman Catholic diocese of Conversano-Monopoli (Latin: Dioecesis Conversanensis-Monopolitanus), in Apulia, has existed since 1986, when the diocese of Monopoli was united with the historic diocese of Conversano. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto.
Conversano is the ancient Cupersanum. After the invasion of the Normans, it was for a while the seat of a duchy; later, however, it became a fief of the dukes of Atri.
Local tradition preserves the name of a bishop, Simplicius, who attended the Roman synod of 487 and died in 492, but he belongs to legend, not history. Ferdinando Ughelli prints the narrative of Francesco Giuliano of Conversano concerning Simplicius, but states that it seems to him to be highly suspect, and maybe deliberately invented falsehoods or corrupt, since there are some things found in it which cannot be true.
The first alleged bishop of Conversano was Hilarius, present at the Roman synod of 501. His name however is a false reading of the acts of the synod; he actually belonged to Tempsa in the Abruzzi, not to Conversano in Apulia.
No other names are recorded up to the episcopate of Leo, mentioned in a document of 1088.
In 1670 (and 1744) the Chapter of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Body of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven was composed of four dignities (the Archdeacon, the Archpriest, the Cantor and the Primicerius) and twenty-six Canons. In the city of approximately 7,000 inhabitants (1744) there were five religious houses for men and three monasteries for men.
Erected: ?th Century
...Leo (attested 1088)...Cafisius (attested 1179, 1180)Guilelmus (attested 1188 – April 1202)Ignotus (attested 1207)Concilius (attested april 1212 – 9 October 1231)Stefano, O.Cist. (attested 1267 – 1274)...Giovanni de Gropi (c. 1283)...Guillelmus (attested 1318, 1321)Petrus Baccari (attested 1335, 1342)Stefano (7 January 1351 – 1355?)Petrus de Ytro (19 February 1356 – )Guilelmus (Avignon Obedience)Angelo de Cupersano, O.Min. (12 July 1393 – ) (Avignon Obedience)Amicus (Antonius) (Roman Obedience)Jacobus ( – 22 December 1399) (Roman Obedience)United: 30 September 1986 with Diocese of Monopoli
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