MOLFETTA  , a seaport and episcopal see of

Apulia, Italy, in the province of Bari, from which it is 16 m . N.N.W. by rail . Pop . (1901), 42,363 . The old cathedral of S . Conrad is a Romanesque structure . The old town is surrounded by walls, and has medieval houses; the new town is more spacious, and is an active seaport . The origin of Molfetta is uncertain, though there was a neolithic settlement here . The town was given by Charles V. to the duke of Termoli in 1522, and during his lordship it was sacked by the French under Lautrec . In 1631 Cesare Gonzaga took the title of duke of Guastalia and prince of Molfetta; but in 164o the fief was sold to the Spinola family, and in 1798 incorporated with the royal domain . The bishopric is directly subject to the papal see .