CHIETI and VASTO, ARCHDIOCESE OF. — In Abruzzo, Chieti is the provincial capital. The archdiocese covers an area of 2,500 km², has 138 parishes, with 215 diocesan priests and 92 religious, serving a population of 350,000, all Catholic (1948).
Chieti, the ancient *Theate*, capital of the Marrucini, is situated on a hill at the base of which flows the Pescara River. The earliest document for the diocese is a letter from Pope John VIII to Teodorico, Bishop of Theate, dated 20 November 879. The episcopal see was certainly established there long before, and despite the silence of documents, it can be traced back to the 4th century. However, claims regarding the episcopate of St. Justin the Martyr, patron saint of the city, as well as lists of the earliest bishops, are unfounded.
Its jurisdiction extended over Lanciano, Ortona, and Vasto. In the 16th century, it was distinguished by Bishop Giampietro Carafa (later Pope Paul IV). In 1526, Clement VII elevated it to a metropolitan see with Lanciano, Penne, and Atri as suffragans. In 1570, Ortona was established as a diocese and united with Lanciano; Vasto (Histonium) was separated in 1853 but has remained a separate diocese to the present. Chieti is immediately subject to the Holy See.
The most illustrious abbey in the territory of Chieti was San Salvatore alla Maiella, dating before the 11th century, which was a possession of the Roman Church and later enjoyed by the Chapter of St. Peter; it fell into ruin in 1598. Worthy of mention are the abbey of San Liberatore alla Maiella with the ruins of its temple, a typical Abruzzese Romanesque building of the 11th century, with some surviving frescoes; and San Pietro di Vallebona dei Celestini, of the 12th century, which stood near the present-day village of Manoppello, founded by the local counts.
The cathedral of Chieti, built over an ancient one dedicated to Sts. Thomas and Justin, of which the fine crypt remains, was rebuilt after the year 1000; later partial reconstructions followed the original forms. Notable are the church of SS. Peter and Paul, erected over a pagan temple, and a discreet group of Gothic churches: Sant’Agata, Sant’Antonio, and San Francesco. Among the monumental sacred buildings of Vasto is the cathedral (San Giuseppe), rebuilt in 1896 but preserving from the ancient structure the portal and the rose window on the façade, dating to the 13th century.
The archives of the Curia contain numerous documents relating to numerous *abbazie* (abbeys), though none earlier than the 13th century. Those concerning the Church of Chieti are in the Capitular Archive and various others in the Municipal Archive. — See Plate XCIII.
For the history of Vasto: *V. Vasto*.