Diocese of Sarsenterum (Latin: ''Dioecesis Sarsenterensis'') was a Latin

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, pro ...

in the area of present

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

, restored as a

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 archbish ...

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

in 2009. The first

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of the restored Titular See of Sarsenterum appointed was

Petar Rajič Petar Rajič (born 12 June 1959) in Toronto Canada. Hercegovina-Croatian prelate of the Catholic Church who works in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He was named Apostolic Nuncio to Lithuania on 15 June 2019. On 6 August 2019, he was a ...

History

The Diocese of Sarsenterum was established during the Second Church Synod in

Salona Salona ( grc, Σάλωνα) was an ancient city and the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. Salona is located in the modern town of Solin, next to Split, in Croatia. Salona was founded in the 3rd century BC and was mostly destroyed in t ...

in 533 presided by Archbishop Honorius II. The Diocese was given the basilicas from the municipal areas of ''Dellontino'', ''Stantino'', ''Nouense (Neuense) per Rusticiarum'', ''Potuatico'', ''Beuzavatico (Benzavatico)'' and others as well. The priest Paulinus was elected and consecrated as its first bishop. In 2009

restored it as a

and appointed

as titular Archbishop of Sarsenterum.

Localization

Since no epigraphic inscription has been found to localize Sarsenterum, there are different theories about the location of this settlement.

Wilhelm Tomaschek Wilhelm Tomaschek, or Vilém Tomášek (May 26, 1841, Olomouc – September 9, 1901, Vienna) was a Czech-Austrian geographer and orientalist. He is known for his work in the fields of historical topography and historical ethnography.

located the settlement in the village of Goranci.

Dominik Mandić Dominik Mandić (2 December 1889 – 23 August 1973) was a Herzegovinian Croat Franciscan and historian. Biography Mandić was born in Lise near Široki Brijeg in Herzegovina. He completed his primary education in Široki Brijeg, where he atte ...

questioned his opinion, arguing that there were no traces of an important ancient settlement in that area as well as that the area was difficult to access and did not have the source of fresh water. Relying on the ancient Church provision that dioceses can only be founded in cities worthy of a bishop's dignity, some contemporary archaeologists and historians located in the area of

Stolac Stolac is an ancient city located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the region of Herzegovina. Stolac is one of the oldest cities in Bosnia and Herzego ...

where the most important urban center in that part of the province of

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

developed.

References

{{R-C dioceses in Bosnia and Herzegovina , state=autocollapse Dioceses established in the 6th century Sarsenterum Religion in medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina Roman Catholic dioceses in Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarsenterum

History

Localization

See also

References