MOTTOLA (MUTYLA, MOTULA). – An ancient suffragan diocese of Taranto, in the province of Lecce. After the ancient city of Mateola fell into ruin, the new city was rebuilt in 1023 and named Mutyla or Motula, today M.; at that time it was established as a diocese, and its first bishop died in 1040.
The city was sacked at the end of the 15th century. In 1557, Bishop S. Rebiba was made a cardinal and retained the diocese in administration. Its last bishop was M. Palmieri in 1798.
Pope Pius VII, in 1818, with the letter De utiliori, suppressed the diocese, uniting it with that of Castellaneta. The ancient Cathedral dedicated to the B. V. Assunta dates from the 15th century, but only a few small arches remain on the northern side; the rest was transformed in the 16th century. Near M. there are several Basilian crypts; the best known are those of S. Gregorio, with three naves and three apses, and of S. Nicola, with noteworthy frescoes.