 Local tradition traces the origin of the bishopric of Lucera to the third century and Saint Bassus.The first historically certain bishop is Marcus (c. 743).In 1391, the diocese of Lucera was increased by the addition of the bishopric of Castel Fiorentino (Farentino), a city founded in 1015 by the Byzantine catapan Basil Mesardonites, and the place of Emperor Frederick II's death.