Diocese of San Marco Argentano-Scalea

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Italian Catholic diocese of San Marco Argentano-Scalea, in Calabria, has existed since 1979. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Cosenza-Bisignano.

The historical diocese of San Marco was created in 1179. In 1818 it was combined with the diocese of Bisignano, becoming the diocese of San Marco e Bisignano. In 1979 Bisignano passed to Cosenza.^[1]

[edit] History

San Marco Argentano was founded in the eleventh century by the Norman Drogo, who erected a high tower there. Bisignano is the ancient Besidias, or Besidianum, which in the eleventh century became the residence of a Norman count and later a fief of the Orsini.

In 1467 Skanderberg's daughter, wife of the Prince of Bisignano, invited many Albanian families who established various colonies, spoke their own language, and used the Greek Rite. The first mention of a bishop is in 1179.

Bisignano certainly had bishops in the tenth century, when mention is made of Ulutto in the life of St. Uilo di Rossano; Bishop Federico (1331) was killed in 1339.