Niebla, Andalusia
Niebla is a town and municipality located in the province of Huelva, in Andalusia, southern Spain, as Elepla a former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see.
According to the 2008 census, it has a population of 4,200 inhabitants. A 2-km town wall surrounds the perimeter of the town. [1]
Ecclesiastical history
Niebla has once been a Catholic bishopric, suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Sevilla in the Visigothic Kingdom, founded probably around 400.
It survived the Muslim conquest of Iberia, until the arrival of the most intolerant Almohads in the 12 century, when its last (name lost) bishop fled to Seville.
Its former territory is now entirely comprised in the Diocese of Huelva.
- Suffragan Bishops of Elepla/Niebla
- incomplete
- Vincomalos (466 - 509)
- Basilio (circa 585 - 590)
- Juan (John) (mentioned between 633 and 646)
- Servando (between 653 and 656)
- Geta (between 681 and 688)
- Pápulo (in 693)
- (anonymous) (? - 1154)
Titular see
In 1969 the diocese was nominally restored as Latin Titular bishopric under the names of Elepla (also Curiate Italian) / Eleplen(sis) (Latin adjective).
It has had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank :[2]
- Luis Almarcha Hernández (1970.04.04 – resigned 1970.12.11) on emeritate as former Bishop of León (Spain) (1944.07.10 – retired 1970.04.04), died 1974
- Ciro Alfonso Gómez Serrano (1972.07.24 – 1975.10.25) as Coadjutor Bishop of Socorro y San Gil (Colombia) (1972.07.24 – 1975.10.25), later succeeding as Bishop of Socorro y San Gil (1975.10.25 – death 1980.01.19); previously Bishop of Girardot (Colombia) (1961.04.08 – 1972.07.24)
- Pablo Ervin Schmitz Simon, Capuchin Franciscans (O.F.M. Cap.) (1984.06.22 – ...), first as Auxiliary Bishop of Bluefields (Nicaragua) (1984.06.22 – 1994.07.28), then having succeeded as Apostolic Vicar of Bluefields.
See also
References
Sources and external links
- Niebla - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía
- http://www.spain.info/TourSpain/Destinos/TipoIII/Datos+Generales/A/JP/0/Niebla?Language=en
- GCatholic - Elepla (titular) bishopric
Coordinates: 37°22′N 6°41′W / 37.367°N 6.683°W