Castellaneta is a city of the province of Taranto (formerly in the province of Lecce), in Puglia region, in Southern Italy, about twenty-four miles from Taranto (Tarentum) and a suffragan diocese (Castellanetenis) of the archbishop of Taranto. Taranto (It. ... Lecce (It. ... Apulia is a region of Italy (called Puglia in Italian), bordering on Molise to the north-west, Campania to the south-west, Basilicata to the south, the Adriatic Sea to the east and the Ionian Sea to the south-east. ...

History and diocese

Nothing is known of this city (Castania in Latin) previous to 1080, when it was taken by Duke Robert of Tarentum, who expelled its Byzantine inhabitants, at which time, probably, the episcopal see was created; in the same year Tarentum was made a metropolitan see. Events William I of England, in a letter, reminds the Bishop of Rome that the King of England owes him no allegiance. ... When the word metropolitan (from the Greek metera = mother and polis = town) is used as an adjective, as in metropolitan bishop, metropolitan France, or metropolitan area it can mean: of or characteristic of a metropolis; see also metropolitan area, Metropolitan Police, Metropolitan Railway of or belonging to the home territories...

A Bishop of Castellaneta, Joannes, is first mentioned with the Diocese of Castellaneta. There is a record of an otherwise unknow Bishop of Mottola who died in 1040; his successor was a certain Liberius.

In the early 20th century the diocese had a population of 38,000, with 6 parishes, 41 churches and chapels, 53 secular and 16 regular priests, 2 religious houses of men and 6 of women.

Source

• This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia.

Puglia · Communes of the province of Taranto

Avetrana | Carosino | Castellaneta | Crispiano | Faggiano | Fragagnano | Ginosa | Grottaglie | Laterza | Leporano | Lizzano | Manduria | Martina Franca | Maruggio | Massafra | Monteiasi | Montemesola | Monteparano | Mottola | Palagianello | Palagiano | Pulsano | Roccaforzata | San Giorgio Ionico | San Marzano di San Giuseppe | Sava | Statte | Taranto | Torricella