Castabala (city)

Acropolis of the city

Castabala (Greek: Καστάβαλα), also known as Hieropolis and Hierapolis [ad Pyramum] (Ίεράπολις) was a city in Cilicia (modern southern Turkey), near the Ceyhan River (ancient Pyramus).

The Turkish town of Kırmıtlı, in the Osmaniye district of Osmaniye Province, sits atop the ruins of the ancient city.

History

The city was important enough in the Roman province of Cilicia Secunda to become a suffragan of its capital Anazarbus's Metropolitan Archbishopric, but would fade.

Titular see

The Diocese of Castabala is a titular bishopric of the Catholic Church^[1] reflecting its active status in Late Antiquity.

It has had the following incumbents, of the lowest (episcopal) rank :

• John Milner 1803.03.06 – 1826.04.19)
• John Murdoch (1833.06.04 – 1865.12.15)
• Louis Aloysius Lootens (1868.03.03 – 1898.01.12)Belgian, as Apostolic Vicar of Idaho and Montana (USA) (1868.03.03 – 1876.02.27) and as Auxiliary Bishop of Vancouver Island (Canada) (1876.02.27 – 1898.01.12)
• Rocco Tornatore, Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (1889.11.18 – 1908)
• John William Shaw (1910.02.07 – 1911.03.11) as Coadjutor Bishop of San Antonio (Texas, USA) (1910.02.07 – 1911.03.11), later succeeding as Bishop of San Antonio (1911.03.11 – 1918.01.25), later Metropolitan Archbishop of New Orleans (USA) (1918.01.25 – 1934.11.02)
• Juan José Marcos Zapata (1913.05.30 – 1951.05.13)
• Doroteo Fernández y Fernández (1956.03.06 – 1971.07.22)
• Patrick Ebosele Ekpu (1971.06.05 – 1973.07.05) (later Archbishop)
• Felipe Tejeda García, Missionaries of the Holy Spirit (M.Sp.S.) (2000.01.29 – ...):, Auxiliary Bishop emeritus of México (Mexico)

Gallery

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Castabala (city).

References

Source and External links

• GCatholic, with titular incumbent biography links

Coordinates: 37°10′39″N 36°11′15″E / 37.17743°N 36.18744°E / 37.17743; 36.18744