The Diocese of Thucca Terenbenthina is an ancient

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 ...

of the

Roman 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 ...

. The diocese is also known as Tucca Terebentina or دڨة , (Latin : Dioecesis Thuccensis Terebenthina ).

History

Also known as Tucca Terebentina, the

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 ...

is an ancient episcopal see 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 Byzacena. In antiquity the bishopric was centered on Dougga. The diocese was founded during the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

and survived through the

Arian Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God t ...

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 ...

and

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

empires, only ceasing to function with the

Muslim conquest of the Maghreb The Muslim conquest of the Maghreb ( ar, الْفَتْحُ الإسلَامِيُّ لِلْمَغرِب) continued the century of rapid Muslim conquests following the death of Muhammad in 632 and into the Byzantine-controlled territories of ...

. The bishopric was re-founded in name at least in the 20th century and it remains today 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 ...

. Titular Episcopal See of Thugga
Very little is known of the history of the Bishopric. The donatist bishop Pascasio, who was present at the Carthage conference of 411 may have belonged to this town but it is uncertain. Today Thucca Terebentina survives as a

titular bishop 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 ...

's seat having been re-founded in the 1930s and the current titular bishop is Gerardo Antonio Zerdín Bukovec, apostolic vicar of San Ramón. Modern bishops have included: * André Lefebvre (Bishop),(1967 - 1976 ) who was dismissed. * Pío Bello Ricardo, (1977 - 1981) who was appointed bishop of Los Teques. * Luis Sáinz Hinojosa,(1982 - 1987 ) who was appointed archbishop of La Paz. * Gerardo Antonio Zerdín Bukovec, who has held the office since 19 January 2002.

References

{{Reflist Archaeological sites in Tunisia Roman towns and cities in Tunisia Lost cities and towns Ruins in Tunisia Catholic titular sees in Africa Ancient Berber cities Cities in Tunisia Catholic Church in Tunisia