MALVITO. - An ancient diocese and a very ancient city of northern Calabria, raised to episcopal rank during the rule of the Lombard dukes. The earliest document mentioning it is the bull of Giovanni XV of 12 July 989, which places it among the suffragans of Salerno. As such it is also mentioned by Giovanni XV himself in 994; by Benedetto VIII, in the bulls of 25 Apr. 1016 and 27 Dec. 1019; by Stefano IX, in the bull of 24 March 1058; by Pasquale II, in the bull of 1102 to the archbishop of Salerno, etc. Yet in the Liber censuum it appears as immediately subject to the Holy See.
There are no grounds for denying that M. succeeded Tempsa, Cirella, or Blanda Iulia, ancient dioceses on the Tyrrhenian coast; but it certainly was not replaced by S. Marco, as Fabre maintains, because that diocese was founded by Roberto il Guiscardo around 1070, whereas M. existed until the middle of the 14th century, as is shown by the Liber censuum and by local history, which attributes its suppression to the killing of its bishop Abbondanzio in 1350. It is true, however, that upon its suppression its territory was incorporated into that of the very nearby S. Marco.