Bisaccia

Bisaccia

The diocese of Bisaccia was established in the 11th century. The first recorded bishop is Basilio, named in a notarial deed of 1097. Another documented bishop is Riccardo, who attended the Third Lateran Council in 1179. In 1513 Pope Leo X permanently united the diocese of Bisaccia with that of Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, as both had very limited revenues. The union, initially suspended, was confirmed by Pope Paul III in 1534 and completed in 1540, when the two dioceses were placed under a single bishop, Rainaldo De Cancellaris.

In this room we can admire the wooden Annunciation group. It comes from the old Church of the Annunziata in Morra De Sanctis, which no longer exists, and is a 17th-century work attributed to Aniello Perrone. The two sculptures, depicting the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel, are arranged in a swirling interplay: the Virgin kneels, startled by the sudden arrival of the angel bringing the news. Also of note in this section is the small 18th-century wooden statue of St Francis of Paola, whose fine workmanship reflects the high artistic standards of Neapolitan workshops of the time.