Naissus was an ancient city and former bishopric in Balkanic

Dacia Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It ...

, which remains a Latin Catholic

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 ...

History

Naissus, today's

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

, was important enough in 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 ...

Dacia Mediterranea Dacia Mediterranea (Mid-land Dacia; ) was a late antique Roman province, whose capital city was Serdica (or Sardica; later Sradetz or Sredets, now Sofia). The date for the establishment of Dacia Mediterranea is uncertain. It was traditionally he ...

to become an episcopal see at an early date and was a suffragan of the

Metropolitan see Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a ...

in the Archdiocese of Sardica, in the sway of the

Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( el, Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριαρχεῖον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, translit=Oikoumenikón Patriarkhíon Konstantinoupóleos, ; la, Patriarchatus Oecumenicus Constanti ...

. The city was wrecked by Attila's

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

, but rebuilt, as the revival of the bishopric attests.

Residential bishops

The names of several of early ''Suffragan Bishops of Naissus'' are known: * Cyriacus (first half of the 4th century), sympathized with the heresy Arianism and opposed

Marcellus of Ancyra Marcellus may refer to: * Marcellus (name) * Marcus Claudius Marcellus, Roman commander Places * Marcellus, Lot-et-Garonne, France * Marcellus Township, Michigan ** Marcellus, Michigan, a village in Marcellus Township ** Marcellus Community Sch ...

* Gaudentius (from before 343/344, apparently succeeding the former), till after 351, when he attended the council at

Sirmium Sirmium was a city in the Roman province of Pannonia, located on the Sava river, on the site of modern Sremska Mitrovica in the Vojvodina autonomous provice of Serbia. First mentioned in the 4th century BC and originally inhabited by Illyrian ...

* Bonosus (mentioned c. 380), who was deposed * Martianus (before 409 to after 414), appointed by

Pope Innocent I Pope Innocent I ( la, Innocentius I) was the bishop of Rome from 401 to his death on 12 March 417. From the beginning of his papacy, he was seen as the general arbitrator of ecclesiastical disputes in both the East and the West. He confirmed the ...

instead of the former * Dalmatius (mentioned 451), allegedly signator in 458 of the letter of the bishops to

Byzantine emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, to Fall of Constantinople, its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. On ...

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 ...

after the lynching by Coptic mobs of the Patriarch

Proterius of Alexandria Hieromartyr Proterius of Alexandria (died 457) was Patriarch of Alexandria from 451 to 457. He had been appointed by the Council of Chalcedon to replace the deposed Dioscorus. History Proterius was elected by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 t ...

* Gaianus (mentioned 516), invited to Constantinople by

Byzantine Emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, to Fall of Constantinople, its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. On ...

Anastasius I Dicorus * Proiectus, participant at the Ecumenical

Second Council of Constantinople The Second Council of Constantinople is the fifth of the first seven ecumenical councils recognized by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. It is also recognized by the Old Catholics and others. Protestant opinions and rec ...

in 553 (which repudiated the Three Chapters as Nestorian, condemned

Origen of Alexandria Origen of Alexandria, ''Ōrigénēs''; Origen's Greek name ''Ōrigénēs'' () probably means "child of Horus" (from , "Horus", and , "born"). ( 185 – 253), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theo ...

and decreed the

Theopaschite Formula The Scythian monks were a community of monks from the region around the mouths of the Danube, who played an influential role in Christian theological disputes between the 4th and 6th centuries. The name ''Scythian'' comes from Scythia Minor, the ...

Titular see

It 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 titular see ''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, ), p. 936 since the diocese was nominally restored in 1933 as

Titular bishopric 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 Naissus (Latin) / Naisso (Curiate Italian) / Naissitan(us) (Latin adjective). It has had the following incumbents, of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank, ''with a few archiepiscopal exceptions'': * William F. O’Shea,

Maryknoll Fathers Maryknoll is a name shared by a number of related Catholic organizations, including the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (also known as the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America or the Maryknoll Society), the Maryknoll Sisters, and the Mary ...

(M.M.) (born USA) (1939.07.11 – death 1945.02.27) as only

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 Heijo (now Pyong-Yang, (North)

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

) (1939.07.11 – retired 1942) * Henri Routhier,

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, ...

(O.M.I.) (1945.06.15 – 1967.07.13) first as Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of

Grouard Grouard, also known as Grouard Mission, is a hamlet in northern Alberta within Big Lakes County. It was previously an incorporated municipality between 1909 and 1944. Grouard is located north of Highway 2, approximately northeast of Grande ...

(

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

) (1945.06.15 – 1953.09.18), then (see promoted) as last

of Grouard (1953.09.18 – 1967.07.13); (see) later promoted first Metropolitan Archbishop of Grouard–McLennan (Canada) (1967.07.13 – retired 1972.11.21), died 1989 * Victor Hugo Martínez Contreras (1970.11.30 – 1975.09.20) as Auxiliary Bishop of Diocese of Huehuetenango ( Guatemala) (1970.11.30 – 1975.09.20); later succeeded as Bishop of Huehuetenango (1975.09.20 – 1987.04.04), President of Episcopal Conference of Guatemala (1986 – 1988), last Suffragan Bishop of Quetzaltenango, Los Altos (Guatemala) (1987.04.04 – 1996.02.13), (see) promoted first Metropolitan Archbishop of Los Altos, Quetzaltenango–Totonicapán (Guatemala) (1996.02.13 – retired 2007.04.19), again President of Episcopal Conference of Guatemala (1998 – 2002) *

Paul Josef Cordes Paul Josef Cordes (born 5 September 1934) is a German cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as president of the Pontifical Council ''Cor Unum'' (1995–2010), and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2007. Biography Youth Cordes ...

(1975.10.27 – 1995.12.02 ''see below'') first as Auxiliary Bishop of

Archdiocese of Paderborn The Archdiocese of Paderborn is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Germany; its seat is Paderborn.Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

) (1975.10.27 – 1980.03.11), then as Secretary of

Pontifical Council for the Laity The Pontifical Council for the Laity was a pontifical council of the Roman Catholic Curia from 1967 to 2016. It had the responsibility of assisting the Pope in his dealings with the laity in lay ecclesial movements or individually, and their co ...

(1980.03.11 – 1995.12.02) *'' Titular Archbishop:

(''see above'' 1995.12.02 – 2007.11.24) as President of

Pontifical Council “Cor unum” The Pontifical Council ''Cor Unum'' for Human and Christian Development was a pontifical council of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church from 1971 to 2016. History The Pontifical Council was established by Pope Paul VI on 15 July 1971 an ...

(1995.12.02 – resigned 2010.10.07), created

Cardinal-Deacon A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

of S. Lorenzo in Piscibus (2007.11.24 008.05.11– ...)'' *'' Titular Archbishop: Ambrose Madtha (安博思) (born India) (2008.05.08 – death 2012.12.08) as papal diplomat :

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international ...

(ambassador) to Ivory Coast (2008.05.08 – 2012.12.08), previously

Chargé d’affaires Chargé () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. Chargé is a small town near Amboise. The Rock 'in Chargé festival has revitalized the village sinc2006 Population The inhabitants are called ''Chargéens''. See a ...

PR China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

(2003.02.11 – 2008.05.08)'' * Valdir Mamede (2013.02.06 – ...), Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Brasília (

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

), no previous prelature.

References

{{Reflist

Sources and external links

GCatholic
; Bibliography * Pius Bonifacius Gams, ''Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae'', Leipzig 1931, p. 417 * Daniele Farlati-Jacopo Coleti, ''Illyricum Sacrum'', vol. VIII, Venice 1817, pp. 24–40 * Jacques Zeiller, ''Les origines chrétiennes dans les provinces danubiennes de l'empire romain'', Paris 1918, pp. 158–159; * Michel Lequien, ''Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus'', Paris 1740, vol. II, coll. 313-314 * Geoffrey Dunn, ''The Letter of Innocent I to Marcian of Niš'', in ''Saint Emperor Constantine and Christianity'', vol. I, Niš 2013, pp. 319–335 Catholic titular sees in Europe Suppressed Roman Catholic dioceses

History

Residential bishops

Titular see

See also

References

Sources and external links