Benda is an Ancient city and former diocese in present

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, now a Latin Catholic

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbis ...

. The present ethnographic region has taken its name from it. In the XVI-XVII centuries, it was composed of the center Moisit and the villages of Shëngjergj, Shënmëri, Shëngjin, Façesh, Mëner, Bruz, Shënpal, Derje, Kumardh, Xibër, Gur i Bardh, Martanesh, Bastar. Nowadays, it incorporates villages like Bastar, Bulçesh, Mëner i Sipërm, Murriza, Vilëza, Zall-Mëner, and Zall-Dajt - Besh, Selita e Malit,

Shëngjin Shëngjin is a coastal town and a former municipality in Lezhë County, northwestern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality of Lezhë. The population at the 2011 census was 8,091.

History

Benda probably was important enough in the

Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...

of Epirus Novus to become a suffragan diocese of its capital Dyrrhachium's Metropolitan

Archbishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

, 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…» (Benda, a city of Macedonia in the region of Albania, bishopric under the archbishopric of

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...

, now lying in ruins under the Turkish dominion; its bishop lodges in the castle called Mamli...), situating it in Roman Macedonia, near Krujë. Edmund Bohun (1688): Benda, a City of Albania in Macedonia, which, is a Bishop's See, under the Archbishop of Durazzo, yrrachium It now lies in ruins, under the Slavery of the Turks, and the Bishop resides at Mamoli, yet from this place the adjacent Country is call'd Benda, under which Title is included also Sermenica, a small district which lies towards Croia, as I have heard (saith M. Baudrand) from the Archbishop of Durazzo. Maty, in his "Dictionnaire géographique universel" (1750) writes that: The ruins of the ancient city of Benda, Episcopal see and suffragan of Durrës. They are in Greece, in Albania, towards the gulf of the Drin, and the city of Kruja, in a little Quarter, that they still nowadays call La Benda. The bishop of this city makes his residence in the castle of Mamli. The see is mentioned in historical sources only from the 14th century, but no longer in its own right, only as 'united' with the Diocese of Stephaniaca (in Epirus, suffragan of Dyrrachium) and soon also with some Diocese of

Prisca Priscilla is an English female given name adopted from Latin '' Prisca'', derived from ''priscus''. One suggestion is that it is intended to bestow long life on the bearer. The name first appears in the New Testament of Christianity variously a ...

(which Eubel (op. cit., vol. I, p. 463) believes a copyist error; some identify it with

Pristina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians an ...

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. The Kanun of Scanderbeg (Alb. Kanuni i Skënderbeut) was adhered to by the Albanians of northern central Albania, primarily in the regions of Benda, but also Dibra, Kruja, Kurbin, and Martanesh, - that is, the territory that was once part of the principality created by Scanderbeg. A geographical map published in 1689, shows the diocese comprising a mountainous region in central

, bounded by the Latin dioceses of Acrida (Ochrid), Krujë and Chunavia.Giacomo Cantelli da Vignola, ''Albania propria'', Rome 1689 At least the union with Stephaniacum last till both disappear in the late 17th century, after 1669 when an Archbishop of

was given administration of the see of Benda. Still in 1640, Archbishop of Durrës, Marco Scura, a Franciscan, describes to

Propaganda Fide Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

the see of Benda under his administration (quoted by Farlati): its old cathedral in the 'pagus' (district) Moilitus, dedicated to Saint

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

, 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

P. Francesco Marino Canti (created titular Bishop of Benda and Stephaniaca by Pope Martin V on 23 November 1418). It was nominally restored as a Latin

titular bishopric A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...

in 1760. It has had the following incumbents, so far all of the fitting lowest (episcopal) rank : * Hieronim Wielogłowski (1760.09.22 – 1767.01), as Coadjutor Bishop of Przemyśl (

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

) (1760.09.22 – death 1767.01) * Władysław Jan Walknowski (1768.12.19 – 1779.12), as Coadjutor Bishop of then bishopric

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

(Posen, now

primatial see Primate () is a title or rank bestowed on some important archbishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority ( title of authority) or (usually) ceremonial precedence (t ...

of Poland) (1768.12.19 – death 1779.12) * Józef Wojciech Gadomski (1782.09.23 – 1791.06.23), Coadjutor Bishop of

Płock Płock (pronounced ) is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by GUS on 31 December 2021, there were 116,962 inhabitants in the city. Its full ceremonial name, according to th ...

(Poland) (1782.09.23 – death 1791.06.23) * Antonio de Stefano,

Conventual Franciscans The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites. Dating back to ...

(O.F.M. Conv.) (1849.08.28 – death 1893.11.01) as

Apostolic Vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Chur ...

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and for ...

(

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

) (1849.08.28 – retired 1859.11.27) * Francesco Uccellini (1894.05.18 – 1895.05.18), later Bishop of

Roman Catholic Diocese of Kotor The Diocese of Kotor ( cnr, Которска бискупија, Kotorska biskupija; hr, Kotorska biskupija; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Bay of Kotor and Municipality of Budva area in ...

(Cattaro,

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

) (1895.05.18 – death 1937.06.04) * Jean-Marie Dépierre,

Paris Foreign Missions Society The Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (french: Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris, short M.E.P.) is a Roman Catholic missionary organization. It is not a religious institute, but an organization of secular priests and lay persons de ...

(M.E.P.) (1895.04.12 – death 1898.10.17) as Apostolic Vicar of Western Cochin (

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

) (1895.04.12 – 1898.10.17) * Paolo Schirò (1904.01.26 – death 1941.09.12), as Eastern Catholic Ordinary of Sicilia of the Italo-Albanese ( Byzantine rite; southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

) (1904.01.26 – retired 1937.10.26) * Maurice-Bernard-Benoit-Joseph Despatures, M.E.P. (1942.09.06 – 1963.08.26), as emeritate; former Bishop of

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

(

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

) (1922.06.21 – 1940.02.13) and Bishop of

Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...

(India) (1940.02.13 – 1942.09.06) * James Edward McManus,

Redemptorists The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

(C.SS.R.) (1963.11.18 – death 1976.07.03) as Auxiliary Bishop of New York (NY, USA) (1963.11.18 – 1970) and on emeritate; previously Bishop of Ponce (

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

, US Antilles) (1947.05.10 – resigned 1963.11.18) * Georges Edmond Robert Gilson (1976.07.13 – 1981.08.13), as Auxiliary Bishop of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

(

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

) (1976.07.13 – 1981.08.13); later Bishop of Le Mans (France) (1981.08.13 – 1996.08.02), Metropolitan Archbishop of Sens (France) (1996.08.02 – 2002.12.08), also

Bishop-Prelate In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an Holy Orders, ordained Minister (Catholic Church), minister who holds the fullness of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, sacrament of Holy orders in the Catholic Church, holy orders and is responsible ...

of the

Territorial Prelature of Mission de France The Territorial Prelature of Mission de France ( la, Praelatura Territorialis Missionis Galliae; French: ''Prélature Territoriale de la Mission de France''), also known as the Territorial Prelature of Pontigny ( la, Praelatura Territorialis Mis ...

(France) (1996.08.02 – 2004.12.31), later demoted non-Metropolitan Archbishop of above Sens (2002.12.08 – 2004.12.31) * Johannes Bernardus Niënhaus (1982.01.15 – death 2000.12.05) as Auxiliary Bishop of

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...

(

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

) (1982.01.15 – retired 1999.09.01) and on emeritate * Tomasz Peta (2001.02.15 – 2003.05.17) as first

Apostolic Administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic adm ...

Astana Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, tho ...

(

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

) (1999.07.07 – 2003.05.17); later promoted as that renamed see's first Metropolitan Archbishop of

(2003.05.17 – ...), also President of Episcopal Conference of Kazakhstan (2003.05 – ...) *

Vasyl Ivasyuk Bishop Vasyl Ivasyuk ( uk, Василь Івасюк; born 21 January 1960 in Dora, Stanislav Oblast, Ukrainian SSR /present day Yaremche, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine/) is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic hierarch as an Eparchial Bishop of Ukrai ...

(2003.07.28 – 2014.02.13), as Archiepiscopal Exarch of Odessa-Krym of the Ukrainians (

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

) (2003.07.28 – 2014.02.13) and as

Patriarchal Administrator Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of dominance and privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical anthropological term for families or clans controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males a ...

of Kolomyia–Chernivtsi of the Ukrainians (Ukraine) (2013.05.22 – 2014.02.13); next Eparch (Bishop) of above Kolomyia–Chernivtsi of the Ukrainians (2014.02.13 – ...) * Wilhelm Zimmermann (2014.03.14 – ...), Auxiliary Bishop of Essen (

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

), no previous prelature

History

Titular see

See also