Volturara Appula
Volturara Appula is a town and comune in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. Once a flourishing city, the comune now has a population of less than 500.[3]
Volturara Appula | |
|---|---|
| Comune di Volturara Appula | |
_28_(RaBoe).jpg.webp) View of Apulia Molise Campania | |
Location of Volturara Appula 
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  Volturara Appula Location of Volturara Appula in Apulia  Volturara Appula Volturara Appula (Apulia) | |
| Coordinates: 41°30′N 15°3′E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region |  Apulia |
| Province | Foggia (FG) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Vincenzo Zibisco |
| Area | |
| • Total | 51.88 km2 (20.03 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 510 m (1,670 ft) |
| Population (30 November 2013)[2] | |
| • Total | 467 |
| • Density | 9.0/km2 (23/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Volturaresi |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 71030 |
| Dialing code | 0881 |
| Patron saint | St. Luke |
| Saint day | 18 October |
| Website | Official website |
History
The date of his foundation is not known; the first historical paper citing it, is a document of Pope Giovanni (John) XIII that, in 969 A.D., lists Volturara as a bishopric, depending from Benevento. Vulturaria, as it was previously called, was ruled in various times by its bishops, and by a number of noble families, including a branch of Caracciolos that built the so said 'Dukedom Palace'.[4]
Main sights
The Apulian Romanesque cathedral was built in the 13th century. It has a massive bell-tower with three bells of bronze with a noteworthy percentage of silver. Another church, the 16th-century Santuario di Maria SS. della Sanità (Shrine of Our Lady of Health) was reputedly built by Marquis Bartolomeo Caracciolo in thanksgiving for recovery from illness.[4]
Bishopric
Its bishopric, the Diocese of Vulturara, was united with that of Diocese of Montecorvino to form the Diocese of Vulturara e Montecorvino in 1433.[5] Giuseppe Cappelletti gives detailed information about most of its bishops.[5] In 1818, as part of a reorganization of the dioceses within the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies,[6] the diocese ceased to exist as a residential see and its territory became part of the diocese of Lucera.[5] It is now included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees.[7]
Curiosity
Giuseppe Conte, the in-charge Prime Minister of Italy was born in Volturara, but grews up at San Giovanni Rotondo.
References
- "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Istat. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- All demographics and other statistics from the Italian statistical institute (Istat)
- Comune di Volturara Appula
- Official website of Volturara Appula
- Giuseppe Cappelletti, Le Chiese d'Italia dalla loro origine sino ai nostri giorni, Venezia 1864, vol. XIX, pp. 293-303
- Bull De utiliori, in Bullarii romani continuatio, Tomus XV, Romae 1853, pp. 56-61
- Ánnuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 1010