MURSIO LUCANO, DIOCESE OF. – Town and diocese in the province of Potenza. Over an area of 510.38 km², it has a population of 35,000 inhabitants, all Catholic, 14 parishes and 38 diocesan priests (Ann. Pont., 1951, p. 281).
The establishment of the episcopal see dates back to the 11th century as a suffragan of Conza, on which it still depends. The first bishop, Eustace, is attested in 1059, present at the consecration of the church of S. Angelo near Melfi, performed by Nicholas III. He was followed by: Gaudinus, attested between 1100 and 1108, who took part in the consecration of the church of S. Sabino in Canosa, in the presence of Paschal II; Robert, who attended at Conza the consecration of the cathedral performed by Archbishop Herbert (1169); then Monteguidone (1215), John (1217), etc.
During the schism of the antipope Clement VII, Bishop Anthony, appointed by Gregory XI, sided with the antipope and, following the assassination of Queen Joanna I, withdrew arbitrarily to Polsino, both out of fear of reprisals and for the protection offered by the local lord. Clement VII naturally hastened to transfer the diocese (1386), and from then until 1389 Anthony styled himself bishop of Polsino, but after that year silence falls on his activities and his end. In 1540, after the transfer of the Florentine Matteo Grifoni, a Vallombrosan (appointed in 1528), to Trivento, Paul III entrusted the diocese of M. L. to Cardinal Ascanio Parisani for administration, who held it for a year. Among the subsequent prelates, the figure of Alfonso Pacelli stands out, a native of Balvano, in the same diocese (1674–1702), for his apostolate on behalf of the Chapter, the community and the episcopal residence.
MONUMENTS. – Christian monuments in M. L. are scarce. Notable only is the cathedral, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed, for its Romanesque origins (c. 1009), but ruined by the earthquake of 1684 and a fire in 1707, it was almost entirely rebuilt in 1725 at the expense of Benedict XIII. Of some merit are the episcopal throne (1631), richly carved, and a painting from 1580, known as “the painting of Queen Joanna.” It depicts all the figures who acted at the time of the Clementine schism, namely Joanna I, Clement VII, Charles V, Charles VI, Bishop Anthony and Otto of Brunswick, who is kneeling before the Virgin with the Child and the saints Dominic and Catherine.
A mile from M. L. is the Romanesque church of S. Maria delle Grazie di Capitignano, a work of Magister Sarolus of M. (late 12th–early 13th century), which preserves, besides notable remains of its original structure, some fine Latin marbles, including a cylindrical altar, two lions and various bucrania.