Castulo (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Castulo''; Iberian: ''Kastilo'') was an Iberian town and bishopric (now Latin

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 ...

located in the

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

n province of Jaén, in south-central

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, near modern Linares.

History

Evidence of human presence since the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...

period has been found there. It was the seat of the

Oretani The Oretani or Oretanii (Greek: ''Orissioi'') were a pre-Roman ancient Iberian people (in the geographical sense) of the Iberian Peninsula (the Roman Hispania), that lived in northeastern Andalusia, in the upper Baetis (Guadalquivir) river valley, ...

, an Iberian tribe which settled in the vicinity in the north of the

Guadalquivir River The Guadalquivir (, also , , ) is the fifth-longest river in the Iberian Peninsula and the second-longest river with its entire length in Spain. The Guadalquivir is the only major navigable river in Spain. Currently it is navigable from the Gul ...

beginning in the sixth century BC. According to tradition, a local princess named

Himilce Imilce or Himilce was the Spanish wife of Hannibal Barca according to a number of historical sources. History Livy records that Hannibal married a woman from Castulo, a powerful Spanish city allied with Carthage., by Livy The Roman poet Silius I ...

married Hannibal, gained the alliance of the city with the

Carthaginian Empire Carthage () was a settlement in modern Tunisia that later became a city-state and then an empire. Founded by the Phoenicians in the ninth century BC, Carthage reached its height in the fourth century BC as one of the largest metropolises in t ...

. In 211 BC, Castulo was the site of

Hasdrubal Barca Hasdrubal Barca (245– 22June 207BC), a latinization of ʿAzrubaʿal ( xpu, 𐤏𐤆𐤓𐤁𐤏𐤋 ) son of Hamilcar Barca, was a Carthaginian general in the Second Punic War. He was the brother of Hannibal and Mago Barca. Youth and Iberi ...

's crushing

victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes ...

over the Roman army with a force of roughly 40,000 Carthaginian troops plus local Iberian mercenaries. Thereafter the Romans made a pact with the residents of city — who then betrayed the Carthaginians — and they became foederati (allied people) of Rome. According to

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...

, the inhabitants of Castulo were intimidated by Scipio Africanus ordering the wholesale massacre of the inhabitants of the neighboring

Illiturgis Illiturgis, also known as Iliturgi, Illurgis was a city in Spain during antiquity, located on the road from Corduba to Castulo. Originally, it was located near the site of Mengíbar, but when it was destroyed the populace was relocated near pres ...

Its medieval name was Cazlona. It lost importance even more when

fell under Islamic rule in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, and at the same time the nearby village of Linares grew because of its strong castle —first built as an Arab fortress, then rebuilt by the

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

after the

Reconquista The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...

— overlooking the city. In 1227 the walls of Castulo were destroyed, and the town was depopulated shortly afterwards.

Ecclesiastical history

A Bishopric of Castulo was established around 350 AD on territory split from the Andalusian diocese of Tucci (now also a titular see). Information about Christian bishops of Castulo appears in the first half of the fourth century AD through participation by its bishops in the

Council of Elvira The Synod of Elvira ( la, Concilium Eliberritanum, es, Concilio de Elvira) was an ecclesiastical synod held at Elvira in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica, now Granada in southern Spain.. Its date has not been exactly determined but is belie ...

and that of Sardica. It may have been reabsorbed by Tucci. The diocese reappears two centuries later, when in 589 a bishop of Castulo, which by then was under

Visigoth The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kn ...

rule and a suffragan of the Metropolitan of Toledo, took part in the

third Council of Toledo The Third Council of Toledo (589) marks the entry of Visigothic Spain into the Catholic Church, and is known for codifying the filioque clause into Western Christianity."Filioque." Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford dictionary of the Christian church. ...

. Other bishops of Castulo were at later Visigoth councils down to the

tenth Council of Toledo The Tenth Council of Toledo was summoned to meet in Toledo on 1 December 656 by King Reccesuinth of Hispania. In November 655, the bishops of Carthaginiensis had held a provincial synod in Toledo, the Ninth Council of Toledo. They scheduled a sec ...

in 656. Thereafter, Castulo is replaced as bishopric by the Diocese of Baeza.

Enrique Flórez Enrique or Henrique Flórez de Setién y Huidobro (July 21, 1702August 20, 1773) was a Spanish historian. Biography Flórez was born in Villadiego. At 15 years old, he entered the order of St Augustine. He subsequently became professor of theol ...

Titular see

No longer a residential bishopric, Castulo is listed by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

as a Latin

.''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), page 863 It was nominally restored in 1969 and since has had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting episcopal (lowest) rank ''with an archiepiscopal exception'': *Titular Archbishop Angel Maria Ocampo Berrio,

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

(S.J.) (1970.02.20 – resigned 1973.03.10) as emeritate, died 1991; previously Titular Bishop of Cynopolis in Arcadia (1942.06.23 – 1947.07.19) as Coadjutor Bishop of Socorro y San Gil ( Colombia) (1942.06.23 – 1947.07.19), succeeding as Bishop of Socorro y San Gil (1947.07.19 – 1950.12.06), then last Suffragan Bishop of

Tunja Tunja () is a city on the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, in the region known as the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, 130 km northeast of Bogotá. In 2018 it had a population of 172,548 inhabitants. It is the capital of Boyacá departmen ...

(Colombia) (1950.12.06 – 1964.06.20), promoted first Metropolitan Archbishop of Tunja (1964.06.20 – retired 1970.02.20) * Enrico Bartolucci Panaroni,

Comboni Missionaries The term ''Comboni Missionaries'' can refer to either of two religious orders founded by Saint Daniele Comboni: * Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus Bold text The Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus ( la, Missionarii Comboniani Co ...

(M.C.C.J.) (1973.06.14 – death 1995.02.10) 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 ...

of Esmeraldas (

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

) (1973.06.14 – 1995.02.10) * Riccardo Ruotolo (1995.12.06 – death 2012.08.01) as Auxiliary Bishop of Manfredonia–Vieste–San Giovanni Rotondo (Italy) (1995.12.06 – retired 2004.02.28) and on emeritate * Adelio Dell’Oro (2012.12.07 – 2015.01.31) as last

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 ...

of Apostolic Administration of Atyrau (

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 ...

) (2012.12.07 – 2015.05.16), next promoted first Bishop of

Karaganda Karaganda or Qaraghandy ( kk, Қарағанды/Qarağandy, ; russian: Караганда, ) is the capital of Karaganda Region in the Republic of Kazakhstan. It is the fourth most populous city in Kazakhstan, behind Almaty (Alma-Ata), Astan ...

(Kazakhstan) (2015.01.31 – ...) * Víctor Alejandro Aguilar Ledesma (2015.12.01 – ...), Auxiliary Bishop of

Morelia Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid) is a city and municipal seat of the municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital and lar ...

(

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

References

Sources and external links

A Brief History of Spain - Carthage and Rome, on PracticalSpain.com

"CÁSTULO (Cazlona) Jaén, Spain." In ''The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites'' edited by R. Stillwell ''et al''. 1976.

{{Authority control Archaeological sites in Andalusia Catholic titular sees in Europe Roman sites in Spain Buildings and structures in the Province of Jaén (Spain)

History

Ecclesiastical history

Titular see

See also

References

Sources and external links