The Diocese of Sulmona-Valva (Latin: Dioecesis Sulmonensis-Valvensis) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in central Italy, created in 1986. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of L'Aquila. The diocese was created in 1818 when the Diocese of Sulmona and the Diocese of Valva were united.
In the Lombard period Sulmona was subject to the Duchy of Spoleto; later it belonged to the counts of the Marsi. When the Normans conquered the Abruzzi, Sulmona increased in importance. Emperor Frederick II made it the capital of the "Gran Giustizierato" of the Abruzzi.
Legend associates the evangelization of the district with the name of Saint Britius, Bishop of Spoleto, in the second century. The first known Bishop of Sulmona is Palladius (499); in 503 a Fortunatus Valvensis is mentioned. Saint Pamphilus, Bishop of Valva, renowned for his sanctity and miracles, died about 706; he was buried in Sulmona Cathedral.
Four or five other bishops of Valva are known, but none of Sulmona until 1054, when Pope Leo IX named as Bishop of Valva, the Benedictine Domenico, and determined the limits of the Dioceses of San Pelino (Saint Pelinus) (i.e., Valva) and San Panfilo (Saint Pamphilus) (i.e., Sulmona), which were to have only one bishop, elected by the two chapters. Under Bishop Giacomo di Penne, a monk of Casa Nova (1252), it was arranged that the two chapters should unite in making the election, as frequent disputes had arisen when they acted separately.
Other bishops were: Bartolomeo of Tocco (1402), esteemed for his learning by Pope Innocent VII, who gave him his own mitre; Donato Bottini (1448), an Augustinian; Pompeo Zambeccari (1547), nuncio in Poland; Francesco Bonapaduli (1638); Pietro Antonio Corsignani (17380, the historian of the Abruzzi.
During the dispute between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Naples the see remained vacant from 1800 till 1818.
Postnominal initials: Benedictine = OSB, Dominican = OP, Cistercian = OCist, Franciscan = OFM, Minorite = OFMC, Augustinian = OESA, Oratorian = CO, Olivetan = OSBOliv
Geruntius (mentioned in 494/495), bishop of ValvaPalladius (mentioned in 499), bishop of SulmonaFortunatus (mentioned in 502), possibly bishop of ValvaPamphilus (mentioned in 682), bishop of SulmonaGradescus (mentioned in 701), bishop of SulmonaVadpert (mentioned in 775)Ravennus (mentioned in 840)Arnold (mentioned in 843)Opitarmo (mentioned in 880)Grimoald (mentioned in 968)Theodulf (mentioned in 1010)Transeric (mentioned in 1030)Suabilo (mentioned in 1042)Dominic OSB (1053–1073)Transmund (1073–1080), dismissedJohn (1092–1104)Walter (1104–1124)Odo (I) (1130–1140)Gerald (1143–1146)Siginulf (1146–1168)Oderisius of Raino (1172–1193)William (I) (1194–1206)Odo (II) (1206–before 6 May 1226)Berard (1226–1227), elected but never confirmedNicholas (1227–1247)Walter of Ocra (3 October 1247–1249)James (I) OCist (1249–1251?)James (II) OP (10 April 1252 – 1263)According to Pius Bonifacius Gams, there were two bishops named James, a Cistercian and then a Dominican. According to Konrad Eubel, there was only one, a Cistercian elected on 10 April 1252 and who died in 1263.James (III) of Orvieto OP (6 March 1263–after 1273)Giles of Liège OFM (25 February 1279 – 1290), dismissedWilliam (II) OSB (28 August 1291–????)Pietro dell'Aquila OSB (1294–18 September 1294) elected but never confirmedFederico Raimondo de Letto (30 March 1295 – 1307)Landulf I (4 June 1307 – 1319)Andrea Capograssi (25 May 1319 – 1330)Pietro di Anversa OFM (4 May 1330 – 1333)Nicolò di Pietro Rainaldi (30 October 1333 – 1343)Francesco di Sangro (12 February 1343 – 1348)Landulf II (2 July 1348 – 1349)Francesco de Silanis OFM (17 January 1350–????)Martino de Martinis (14 April 1368–????)Roberto de Illice (18 April 1379 – 2 July 1382), anti-bishop, became Archbishop of SalernoPaolo da Letto (around 1379–????)Nicola de Cervario OFM (2 July 1382 – 4 June 1397), anti-bishop, became Bishop of DigneBartolomeo Gaspare (1384–????)Bartolomeo Petrini (1402–1419)Lotto Sardi (6 March 1420 – 21 May 1427), became Archbishop of SpoletoBenedetto Guidalotti (21 May 1427 – 29 October 1427), became Bishop of TeramoBartolomeo Vinci (29 October 1427–December 1442)Francesco de Oliveto OSB (12 August 1443 – 14 June 1447), became Bishop of RapollaPietro d'Aristotile (14 June 1447 – 1448)Donato Bottino OESA (4 September 1448 – 1463)Bartolomeo Scala OP (3 October 1463 – 1491)Giovanni Melini Gagliardi (7 November 1491 – 1499)Giovanni Acuti (1499–1512)Andrea della Valle (1512–1512), apostolic administratorProspero de Rusticis (3 March 1512–1514), dismissedGiovanni Battista Cavicchio (28 July 1514 – 1519)Andrea della Valle (26 October 1519 – 1521), apostolic administratorAlessandro Farnese (1521–1521), apostolic administrator, became PopeCristóbal de los Ríos (18 June 1521 – 1523)Orazio della Valle (17 July 1523 – 1528)Francisco de Lerma (14 August 1528–????)Bernardo Cavalieri delle Milizie (3 September 1529 – 1532)Bernardino Fumarelli (13 November 1532 – 5 June 1547)Pompeo Zambeccari (1 July 1547 – 8 August 1571)Vincenzo de Doncelli OP (24 September 1571 – 1585)Francesco Caruso OFMC (13 March or 13 May 1585 – 4 September 1593)Cesare del Pezzo (24 November 1593 – 23 April 1621)Francesco Cavalieri (21 July 1621 – 4 September 1637)Francesco Boccapaduli (13 September 1638 – 6 May 1647), became Bishop of Città di CastelloAlessandro Masi (27 May 1647 – 12 September 1648)Francesco Carducci (22 March 1649 – 5 November 1654)Gregorio Carducci (14 June 1655 – 15 January 1701)Bonaventura Martinelli (21 November 1701–August 1715)Francesco Onofrio Hodierna (4 January 1717 – 17 March 1727), dismissedMatteo Odierna OSBOliv (17 March 1727–June 1735)Pietro Antonio Corsignani (23 July 1738 – 17 October 1751)Carlo De Ciocchis (24 January 1752 – 10 September 1762), dismissedFilippo Paini (22 November 1762 – 1799)Sede vacante (1799–1818)Felice Tiberi CO (6 April 1818 – 22 April 1829)Giuseppe Maria Deletto (27 July 1829 – 10 November 1839)Mario Mirone (27 April 1840 – 27 June 1853), became Bishop of NotoGiovanni Sabatini (27 June 1853 – 10 March 1861)Sede vacante (1861–1871)Tobia Patroni (22 December 1871 – 20 August 1906)Nicola Jezzoni (6 December 1906 – 18 July 1936), retiredLuciano Marcante (14 March 1937 – 29 January 1972), retiredFrancesco Amadio (29 January 1972 – 14 May 1980), became Bishop of RietiSalvatore Delogu (8 January 1981 – 25 May 1985), dismissedGiuseppe Di Falco (25 May 1985 – 3 April 2007), retiredAngelo Spina (3 April 2007– )
