TheRoman Catholic Diocese of Civita(-Tempio) was a Latin Catholic bishopric in theGallura region of northernSardinia (Tyrrhenian Sea, southwesternItaly).

It was heir to the ancient diocese of Pausania or Phausania (Italian:Fausania) (6th to 8th? century), restored in 1070 as theDiocese of Gallura, in 1113 renamed after its episcopal seat as the Diocese of Civita. In 1839 it was renamed as Diocese of Civita–Tempio, until its formal suppression in 1986, when it was merged into theDiocese of Tempio-Ampurias (effectively absorbing theDiocese of Ampurias, with which it had been held in personal union since 1506).

No later than the sixth century, a Roman bishopric was established at a place calledPausania orPhausania, which may beOlbia,Tempio Pausania or evenPosada (50 km south of Olbia).^[1]

While local Saint Simplicius is traditionally revered as its 4th century founding first bishop, a historical thesis^[2] holds it may have been (re?)founded by Catholic bishop(s) exiled by kingHuneric of theVandal Kingdom after his council of Carthage replaced them withDonatist heretic counterparts, only to be abandoned again due to the 552 invasion of theOstrogoths under kingTotila.

Its first historical mention is in 594, when PopeGregory the Great invites its Metropolitan, theArchdiocese of Cagliari, to nominate a candidate for the vacant see. Its first documented incumbent, bishop Victor, was mentioned in a papal letter in 599, recalling his work to evangelize the pagan locals, and attended a synod in Rome in 600.

The see of Phausania is still listed in the ByzantineNotitia Episcopatuum until circa 1000; but this may well have been a refusal to canonically acknowledge the diocese being effectively wiped much earlier, plausibly in the 8th century by Arab invaders.

The bishopric was only restored probably in 1070, asDiocese of Gallura, named after theGiudicato of Gallura, one of the four autonomous temporal jurisdictions into whichPope Alexander II (1061-1073) divided the island, but is first recorded on a map dated 1095.

In the 11th century, theBasilica of San Simplicio was erected (inOlbia, then called Civita) as diocesancathedral.

The see was exempt, i.e. directly dependent on theHoly See (not part of anyecclesiastical province, just as the region's second bishopric, theDiocese of Galtellì, which may have been founded as late as 1113, when the (remainder?) bishopric of Gallura was renamed after its see asDiocese of Civita. In 1138, thepapal bullaTunc apostolicae sedis, fromPope Innocent II, made bothsuffragan of the MetropolitanArchdiocese of Pisa on the Italian peninsula (and capital of the dogal state which colonized part of the island), but it seems both were rendered exempt again later in that century, unlike the other threegiudicati, where Metropolitans of their own were established.

It has had some uncanonical incumbents, not obedient to the canonical Popes of Rome, two rather to theAntipopes in Avignon.

From 1506.06.05, the see was held inpersonal union ('Unitedaeque principaliter ') with the neighboringDiocese of Ampurias until they were formally merged on 1986.09.30 and renamed as the presentRoman Catholic Diocese of Tempio-Ampurias). Meanwhile, on 1839.08.26, the see of Civita had been renamed asDiocese of Civita–Tempio. After the merger, the former cathedral at Olbia (the former Civita) remained only aminor basilica, while the cathedral see is the Cattedrale di S. Pietro Apostolo, at Tempio-Pausania.

(allRoman Rite)

Suffragan Bishops of Civita

first centuries unavailable

• Tommaso Sferrato,Friars Minor (O.F.M.) (1351 – 1353), later Bishop ofCagli (Italy) (1353 – 1378), Bishop ofMarsico Nuovo (Italy) (1378 – 1384)
• Gerardo, O.F.M. (1353.11.06 – 1362),previously uncanonical Bishop ofCaorle (1348 – 1350?)
• Alfonso (1363 – 1383)
  • uncanonical, obedient to Avignon: Siffredo di Tommaso,Carmelite Order (O. Carm.) (1383 – 1388)
  • uncanonical, obedient to Avignon: Francesco de Marginibus (1390 – ?)
• Simone(1390 – ?)
• Simone Margens (1401 – 1407)
• Angelo (1409? – ?)
• Sancio (? – 1433.01.14), next Bishop ofMinervino (1433.01.14 – 1434)
• Lorenzo Scopulart,Dominican Order (O.P.) (1439? – ?)
• Agostino di Poggibonsi,Augustinian Order O.E.S.A. (1442? – death 1443)
• Antonio de Fontanis, O.F.M. (1443.10.30 – 1460)
• Rodrigo de Sesse, O.F.M. (1460 – death 1490)
• Pedro Stornell, O.P. (1490 – 1506? death 1510)

Suffragan Bishops of Civita (and of Ampurias)

from 1506 all incumbents of Civita are simultaneously Bishop of Ampurias (Italy)aeque principaliter

• Francesco Manno (1506.06.05 – 1511), already (andlast separate) Bishop of Ampurias (Italy) (1493.11.27 – 1511)
• Luis González, O.F.M. (1513.06.08 – death 1538)
• Giorgio Artea (1538 – 1545)
• Luis de Casas, O.E.S.A. (1545.05.22 – ?)
• Francisco Tomás (1558.05.23 – death 1572)
• Pedro Narro,Benedictine Order (O.S.B.) (1572.07.30 – 1574.10.22), next Metropolitan Archbishop ofOristano (Italy) (1574.10.22 – death 1577)
• Gaspare Vincenzo Novella (1575.09.18 – 1578.10.06), next Metropolitan Archbishop ofCagliari (Sardinia, Italy) (1578.10.06 – 1586.08.24) and Bishop ofIglesias (Italy) (1578.10.06 – death 1586.08.24)
• Miguel Rubio,Cistercian Order (O. Cist.) (1579.06.26 – 1586)
• Giovanni Sanna (1586 – death 1606)
• Diego Passamar (1613 – 1622.06.13), next Metropolitan Archbishop ofSassari (Sardinia, Italy) (1622.06.13 – death 1644)
• Giovanni de la Bronda (1622 – 1633)
• Andrea Manca (1633 – 1644.07.13), next Metropolitan Archbishop ofSassari (Sardinia, Italy) (1644.07.13 – death 1652)
• Gavino Manca Figo (1644.10.17 – death 1652)
• Gaspare Litago (1652.04.29 – 1656.07.26), previously Bishop ofBosa (Italy) (1645.04.24 – 1652.04.29); later Metropolitan Archbishop ofSassari (Sardinia, Italy) (1656.07.26 – 1657)
• Lorenzo Sampero (1656.08.28 – 1669)
• Pedro de Alagó y de Cardona (1669.08.05 – 1672.01.15), next Metropolitan Archbishop ofOristano (Italy) (1672.01.15 – 1684),Archbishop-Bishop ofMallorca (Balearic Spain) (1684 – 1701)
• José Sanchis i Ferrandis,Mercederians (O. de M.) (1672.02.22 – 1673), next Bishop ofSegorbe (Spain) (1673 – 1680.02.28), Metropolitan Archbishop ofTarragona (Spain) (1680.02.28 – death 1694.03.26)
• Juan Bautista Sorribas, O. Carm. (1673.09.25 – death 1679)
• Giuseppe Acorrà (1679.09.25 – 1685.04.30), next Metropolitan Archbishop ofOristano (Italy) (1685.04.30 – 1702)
• Francesco Sampero (1685.10.01 – 1688)
• Michele Villa (1688.11.19 – 1700)
• Diego Serafino Posulo,Dominican Order (O.P.) (1702.12.11 – 1718)
• Angelo Galcerin,Conventual Franciscans (O.F.M. Conv.) (1727.05.17 – death 1735)
• Giovanni Leonardo Sanna (1736.09.26 – 1737.09.30), next Bishop ofBosa (Italy) (1737.09.30 – death 1741.10)
• Vincenzo Giovanni Vico Torrellas (1737.09.30 – 1741.07.03), next Metropolitan Archbishop ofOristano (Italy) (1741.07.03 – death 1744)
• Salvator Angelo Cadello (1741.07.05 – death 1764)
• Pietro Paolo Carta (1764 – death 1771)
• Francesco Ignazio Guiso (1772 – death 1778)
• Giovanni Antonio Arras Minutili (1779 – death 1784)
• Michele Pes (1785.02.14 – death 1804)
• Giuseppe Stanislao Paradisi (1807.09.18 – 1819.03.29), next Bishop ofAles (Italy) (1819.03.29 – death 1822) and Bishop ofTerralba (Italy) (1819.03.29 – 1822)
• Stanislao Mossa (1823 – death 1827.04.09)

Suffragan Bishops of Civita–Tempio;all still also Bishop of Ampuriasaeque principaliter

• Diego Capece (1833.04.15 – death 1855.08)
• Filippo Campus (1871.11.24 – death 1887)
• Paolo Pinna (1887.05.23 – death 1892.11.17), previouslyTitular Bishop ofEuropus (1882.07.03 – 1887.05.23) asAuxiliary Bishop ofDiocese of Alghero (Italy) (1882.07.03 – 1887.05.23)
• Antonio Maria Contini (1893.01.16 – 1914), previously Bishop ofOgliastra (Italy) (1882.09.26 – 1893.01.16)
• Giovanni Maria Sanna, O.F.M. Conv. (1914.12.14 – 1922.05.12), next Bishop ofGravina (Italy) (1922.05.12 – retired 1953.04.15) and Bishop ofIrsina (Italy) (1922.05.12 – 1953.04.15), emeritate asTitular Bishop ofEucarpia (1953.04.15 – death 1956.10.07)
• Albino Morera (1922.12.14 – retired 1950.12.09), emeritate as Titular Bishop ofGurza (1950.12.09 – death 1952.03.20)
• Carlo Re,Consolata Missionaries (I.M.C.) (1951.12.29 – retired 1961.02.10), previously Titular Bishop ofHadrumetum (1931.12.14 – 1951.12.29) asApostolic Vicar ofNyeri (Kenya) (1931.12.14 – 1947) andApostolic Administrator ofApostolic Prefecture of Meru (Kenya) (1932 – 1936.09.16); later emeritate as Titular Bishop ofAspona (1961.02.10 – death 1978.08.12)
• Mario Ghiga (1961.02.10 – death 1963.03.31)
• Giovanni Melis Fois (1963.05.25 – 1970.11.07), next Bishop ofNuoro (Italy) (1970.11.07 – retired 1992.04.16); died 2009
• Carlo Urru (1971.03.07 – 1982.04.21), next Bishop ofCittà di Castello (Italy) (1982.04.21 – 1991.02.07); died 2002
• Pietro Meloni (1983.06.09 –see suppression 1986.09.30), next first Bishop of successor seeTempio-Ampurias (Italy) (1986.09.30 – 1992.04.16), Bishop ofNuoro (Italy) (1992.04.16 – retired 2011.04.21).

• List of Catholic dioceses in Italy
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Civita Castellana, near-samesake

• GCatholic - Diocese of Civitate-Tempio (&precursors)

Bibliography - Fausania

• Francesco Lanzoni,Le diocesi d'Italia dalle origini al principio del secolo VII (an. 604), vol. II, Faenza 1927, pp. 677–679
• Raffaela Bucolo,Fausania (Olbia?), in Raffaela Bucolo (editor),Le sedi episcopali della Sardegna paleocristiana. Riflessioni topografiche, Rivista di archeologia cristiana 86 (2010), pp. 378–383
• Pier Giorgio Ignazio Spanu,La Sardegna bizantina tra 6 e 7 secolo, Oristano 1998, pp. 114–119

Bibliography - Civita

• Enciclopedia della Sardegna, vol. 3, Sassari 2007, pp. 29–30
• Luigi Agus,San Simplicio in Olbia e la diocesi di Civita. Studio artistico e socio-religioso dell'edificio medievale, Catanzaro 2009
• Giacomo Floris,Signoria, incastellamento e riorganizzazione di un territorio nel tardo Medioevo: il caso della Gallura, Universitat de Barcelona 2013
• Anna Maria Oliva,La diocesi di Civita all'epoca dei re cattolici, inDa Olbìa ad Olbia. 2500 anni di storia di una città mediterranea, Chiarella Editrice, Sassari 1996, pp. 277–289
• Angelo Aldo Castellaccio,Olbia nel medioevo. Aspetti politico-istituzionali, inDa Olbìa ad Olbia. 2500 anni di storia di una città mediterranea, Edes - Editrice Democratica Sarda, Sassari 2004, pp. 33–70
• Konrad Eubel,Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, vol. 1, pp. 188–189; vol. 2, p. 129