Simminensis is an ancient and

titular Titular may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Title character in a narrative work, the character referred to in its title Religion * Titular (Catholicism), a cardinal who holds a titulus, one of the main churches of Rome ** Titular bisho ...

episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

of 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 '' Africa Proconsularis'' in modern

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, and a

suffragan diocese A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria ...

of the Archdiocese of Carthage.

Etymology

Simminensis, also known as Siminina, Siminensis, or Simminensis, means "to sow".

History

Semina is today a titular diocese in the Proconsolare of

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

. and a number of titular bishops have sat in 20th century. Founded in the

Roman era In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

only one bishop is known for certain from antiquity, St. Fiorenzo, who participated in the Council of Carthage (484) convened by the

Vandal The Vandals were a Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century. The Vandals migrated to the area betw ...

king Huneric, after which he was exiled to

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

. Two other ancient bishops from the city are also inferred from literary sources. The first Deuterium Simminensis is mentioned in the Notitia Africae of 484AD, while the second Iunianus or Martin took part in the

Council of Carthage (525) The Councils of Carthage were church synods held during the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries in the city of Carthage in Africa. The most important of these are described below. Synod of 251 In May 251 a synod, assembled under the presidency of Cyprian ...

. The bishopric is mentioned by

Anonymous of Ravenna The ''Ravenna Cosmography'' ( la, Ravennatis Anonymi Cosmographia, "The Cosmography of the Unknown Ravennese") is a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland, compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around 700 AD. Text ...

Known bishops

*Rudolf Pierskała (Titular bishop: 7 Dec 2013 – ) *Ján Orosch (Titular bishop: 2 Apr 2004 to 11 Jul 2013) *Timothy Anthony McDonnell (Titular bishop: 30 Oct 2001 to 9 Mar 2004) *Thomas Khamphan † (Titular bishop: 10 Jul 1975 to 26 Jul 2001) *Pierluigi Sartorelli † (Titular archbishop: 9 Nov 1967 to 7 Oct 1972) * Bishop Florients * The ''Notitia Africae'' also names one Deuterius from Simminensis However, it is uncertain if he was Bishop of Simminensis or if he was from the town and bishop elsewhere. *Another, Plebis, or Martin of Siminensis took part in the

Location

The exact location of Simminensis is unknown. It would appear to have been somewhere on the north-western coast of Cap Bon 30 km east of

. It is held by some to be at Mraissa. Babelon, however, suspected its location at Dagla, Tunisia. While Tissot in turn suspected the ancient city to the south, at Henchir Bir Djedi.Ch Tissot, ''Exploration scientifique de la Tunisie: Geography comparée de la province d'Afrique romaine'' (Paris 1884–1888)

References

{{reflist, 30em Catholic titular sees in Africa