Diocese of Lacedonia

(LAQUEDONIENSIS)

Located in the province of Avellino, Southern Italy. Lacedonia is famous in history for the "conspiracy of the barons" of the Kingdom of Naples against King Ferdinand I, which took shape in the cathedral of Lacedonia (1484).

The episcopal see dates from the eleventh century. The first known bishop is Desiderius, mentioned in 1082, but he is known to have had predecessors. Among the other noteworthy bishops were Fra Guglielmo Neritono (1392); Antonio Dura (1506); Gianfrancesco Carducci (1564); the distinguished mathematician Marco Pedacca 1584); the learned and virtuous Giacomo Candido (1606); Giacomo Giordano (1651), who built the episcopal palace and planned a new cathedral; Benedetto Bartolo, who was seized by the brigands and later redeemed by the Marquess of Carpi; Morea (1684), who suppressed certain festivities of pagan origin celebrated on the vigil of Epiphany, and laid the corner-stone of the new cathedral; Francesco Ubaldo Romanzi (1798), under whom the Diocese of Lacedonia was increased by union with Trevico, a neighbouring diocese subject to the Metropolitan of Benevento, and which dates at least from the tenth century, when a Bishop Benedetto is mentioned (964). Lacedonia has suffered much from earthquakes, especially in 1694 and 1702. The diocese is a suffragan of Conza and Campagna, and has 11 parishes with 28,000 souls, 1 Capuchin monastery, and 1 house of the Daughters of St. Anne.

CAPPELLETTI, Le chiese d' Italia, XX (Venice, 1857).

U. BENIGNI