Benda, Albania

For namesakes, see Benda

Benda is an Ancient city and former diocese in present Albania, now a Latin Catholic titular see.

History

Benda probably was important enough in the Roman province of Epirus Novus to become a suffragan diocese of its capital Dyrrhachium's Metropolitan Archbishopric, although authors like Michel Lequien, in Oriens christianus, doubt its existence in Antiqiuity, given its total absence from the great synods of the first millennium. Michel Antoine Baudrand's Geographia states (quoted by Farlati) «Benda, urbs Macedoniae in Albania regione, episcopalis sub Archiepiscopo Dyrrhachino, nunc in ruinis jacens sub dominio Turcarum; ejus Episcopus commorabutur in castro Mammoli dicte…», situating it in Roman Macedonia, near Croia.

The see is mentioned in historical sources only from the XIVth century, but no longer in its own right, only as 'united' with the Diocese of Stephaniacum (in Epirus, suffragan of Dyrrachium) and soon also with some Diocese of Prisca (which Eubel (op. cit., vol. I, p. 463) believes a copyist error; some identify it with Pristina or Prizren, despite suspicious geographical distance, while L. Petit identifies the see with the village Presa or Press in Albania), due to Ottoman Turkish occupations rendering its situation instable, seeing most Catholics flee the region.

A geographical map published in 1689, shows the diocese comprising a mountainous region in central Albania, bounded by the Latin dioceses of Acrida (Ochrid), Croia and Cunavia = Canovia.[1]

At least the union with Stephaniacum last till both disappear in the late XVIIth century, after 1669 when an Archbishop of Durazzo was given administration of the see of Benda.

Still in 1640, Archbishop of Durazzo Marco Scura, a Franciscan, describes to Propaganda Fide the see of Benda under his administration (quoted by Farlati): its old cathedral in the 'pagus' (district) Moilitus, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, was ravaged to the ground, the episcopal quarter had no more ministers or faithful; its 20 to 27 parishes, for circa 2.000 Catholic residents, being served by 8 priest.

No residential bishops were recorded.

Titular see

It was nominally restored as a Latin titular bishopric in 1760.

It has had the following incumbents, so far all of the fitting lowest (episcopal) rank :

See also

References

  1. ↑ Giacomo Cantelli da Vignola, Albania propria, Rome 1689
Bibliography

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.