Euroea or Euroia ( grc, Εὔροια; also transcribed as Eurœa) was a city in Epirus, in western

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, during

late antiquity Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English ha ...

. It was abandoned in the early 7th century due to Slavic invasions. During the 4th–8th centuries, it was a bishopric. Since the 18th century, it has also been 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 ...

of 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 ...

. Its site is located near the modern village of

Glyki Glyki ( el, Γλυκή) or Glyky (Γλυκύ) is a village in Thesprotia, in northwestern Greece. History The site of Glyki is identified with the ancient city of Euroea, which was abandoned in the early 7th century due to Slavic attacks. The m ...

History

St. Donatus, bishop of Euroea, lived under

Theodosius I Theodosius I ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. During his reign, he succeeded in a crucial war against the Goths, as well as in two ...

() and performed miracles, including providing a local settlement with abundant watersources (likely connected to the name "Euroea", "well-flowing"). A church dedicated to St. Donatus was erected, probably on the site of an ancient pagan temple (''Omphalion''). The town belonged to 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 ...

Epirus vetus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinric ...

. Bishops of Euroea are attested at councils in the 5th and 6th centuries, and the city is mentioned by Hierocles. According to Procopius, Emperor

Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...

() resettled the inhabitants of Euroea to an islet in a neighbouring lake and built there a strong city, commonly thought to be on the site of

Ioannina Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the c ...

. As a result of the Slavic invasions, in 603 the Bishop of Euroea and the inhabitants, taking the relics of St. Donatus with them, fled to

Kassiopi Kassiopi ( el, Κασσιόπη) is a fishing village on the affluent northeast coast of Corfu, Greece. It is in the municipal unit of Kassopaia. Historically a small traditional fishing village, its surroundings have largely been developed with ...

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

. The original site of Euroea is unclear: Michel Le Quien identified it with modern

Paramythia Paramythia ( el, Παραμυθιά) is a town and a former municipality in Thesprotia, Epirus (region), Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Souli, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. Th ...

, others with the nearby ancient settlement of

Photice Photice or Photike ( grc, Φωτική) was a city in Epirus in the Roman and Byzantine periods. In the late Middle Ages it was known as Hagios Donatos (Ἅγιος Δονᾶτος). History The city was likely settled since Classical Antiquity, bu ...

. It is now tentatively located near the village of

Glyky Glyki ( el, Γλυκή) or Glyky (Γλυκύ) is a village in Thesprotia, in northwestern Greece. History The site of Glyki is identified with the ancient city of Euroea, which was abandoned in the early 7th century due to Slavic attacks. The m ...

Bishopric

The first (and only) mention of the bishopric in one of the '' Notitiae Episcopatuum'' is in the so-called "iconoclast ''notitia''" (compiled some time after 787), where it is listed (as Εὐρόσου) as the second among the

suffragans A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

of the

Metropolis of Nicopolis Nicopolis ( grc-gre, Νικόπολις, Nikópolis, City of Victory) or Actia Nicopolis was the capital city of the Roman province of Epirus Vetus. It was located in the western part of the modern state of Greece. The city was founded in 29 ...

. The known bishops are: * St. Donatus, under

() * Mark, participant in the

Second Council of Ephesus The Second Council of Ephesus was a Christological church synod in 449 AD convened by Emperor Theodosius II under the presidency of Pope Dioscorus I of Alexandria. It was intended to be an ecumenical council, and it is accepted as such by the mi ...

in 449 and the

Council of Chalcedon The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bith ...

in 451 * Eugenius, signatory of a letter by the synod of Epirus vetus on the Council of Chalcedon and the murder of Proterius of Alexandria to Emperor

Leo I the Thracian Leo I (; 401 – 18 January 474), also known as "the Thracian" ( la, Thrax; grc-gre, ο Θραξ),; grc-gre, Μακέλλης), referencing the murder of Aspar and his son. was Eastern Roman emperor from 457 to 474. He was a native of Dacia A ...

* Theodotus, attended the 536 council under Patriarch

Menas of Constantinople Menas (Minas) ( grc, Μηνάς) (died 25 August 552) considered a saint in the Calcedonian affirming church and by extension both the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church of our times, was born in Alexandria, and enters the recor ...

* John I, mentioned by Procopius * John II, mentioned in a letter by Pope Gregory the Great; he presided over the flight of the Euroeans to Corfu

Catholic titular see

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 ...

has established "Eurœa" (since 1933: "Eurœa in Epiro") as a

. Its incumbents are: * Bishop Jean de Brunet de Pujols de Castelpers de Panat (1739.09.30 – ?) * Bishop Joachin Salvetti (艾若亞敬), O.F.M. (1815.02.21 – 1843.09.21) * Bishop Gabriel Grioglio, O.F.M. (1844.03.02 – 1891.01.09) * Bishop Salvatore di Pietro, S.J. (1893.01.03 – 1898.08.23) * Bishop Jean-Baptiste-Marie Budes de Guébriant (光若翰),

M.E.P. 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 ...

(later Archbishop) (1910.08.12 – 1921.12.11) * Bishop Giovanni Battista Peruzzo, C.P. (later Archbishop) (1924.01.18 – 1928.10.19) * Bishop Pedro Dionisio Tibiletti (1929.01.25 – 1934.09.13) * Blessed Bishop Florentino Asensio Barroso (1935.11.11 – 1936.08.09) * Bishop Alfredo Del Tomba (1937.07.10 – 1944.08.10) * Bishop Ezio Barbieri (1945.07.21 – 1949.08.02) * Bishop Policarpo da Costa Vaz (高德華) (1950.04.17 – 1954.01.29) * Bishop João Pereira Venâncio, O.R.C. (1954.09.30 – 1958.09.13) * Bishop Alfonso Niehues (later Archbishop) (1959.01.08 – 1965.08.03)

References

{{coord, 39.335898, N, 20.607289, E, format=dms, display=title, source:http://dare.ht.lu.se/places/31548 Ancient Greek cities Catholic titular sees in Europe Former dioceses in Europe Former populated places in Greece Populated places in ancient Epirus Populated places of the Byzantine Empire