Benda is an Ancient city and former diocese in present

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

, now 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 archbi ...

. The present ethnographic region has taken its name from it. In the XVI-XVII centuries, it was composed of the center Moisit and the villages of Shëngjergj, Shënmëri, Shëngjin, Façesh, Mëner, Bruz, Shënpal, Derje, Kumardh, Xibër, Gur i Bardh, Martanesh, Bastar. Nowadays, it incorporates villages like Bastar, Bulçesh, Mëner i Sipërm, Murriza, Vilëza, Zall-Mëner, and Zall-Dajt - Besh, Selita e Malit,

Shëngjin Shëngjin () is a coastal town and a former municipality in Lezhë County, northwestern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality of Lezhë. The population at the 2023 census was 6,963. Shëngjin i ...

History

Benda probably was important enough in the

Roman province The Roman provinces (, pl. ) 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 ruled by a Roman appointed as Roman g ...

Epirus Novus The province of Epirus (, Koine Greek, Koine and Medieval Greek: Ἐπαρχία Ἠπείρου, Eparchía Ēpeírou) was a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire, covering the region of Ancient Epirus. Rome first annexed the region in 167 ...

to become a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

diocese of its capital Dyrrhachium's Metropolitan

Archbishopric In 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 provinces were administratively associated ...

, although authors like Michel Lequien, in ''Oriens christianus'', doubt its existence in Antiqiuity, given its total absence from the great synods of the first millennium. Michel Antoine Baudrand's ''Geographia'' states (quoted by Farlati) «Benda, urbs Macedoniae in Albania regione, episcopalis sub Archiepiscopo Dyrrhachino, nunc in ruinis jacens sub dominio Turcarum; ejus Episcopus commorabutur in castro Mammoli dicte…» (Benda, a city of Macedonia in the region of Albania, bishopric under the archbishopric of

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the List of cities and towns in Albania#List, second most populous city of the Albania, Republic of Albania and county seat, seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is one of Albania's oldest ...

, now lying in ruins under the Turkish dominion; its bishop lodges in the castle called Mamli...), situating it in Roman Macedonia, near

Krujë Krujë ( sq-definite, Kruja; see also the etymology section) is a town and a municipality in north-central Albania. Located between Mount Krujë and the Ishëm River, the city is 20 km north of the capital of Albania, Tirana. Krujë was ...

. Edmund Bohun (1688): Benda, a City of Albania in Macedonia, which, is a Bishop's See, under the Archbishop of Durazzo, yrrachium It now lies in ruins, under the Slavery of the Turks, and the Bishop resides at Mamoli, yet from this place the adjacent Country is call'd Benda, under which Title is included also Sermenica, a small district which lies towards Croia, as I have heard (saith M. Baudrand) from the Archbishop of Durazzo. Maty, in his "Dictionnaire géographique universel" (1750) writes that: The ruins of the ancient city of Benda, Episcopal see and suffragan of Durrës. They are in Greece, in Albania, towards the gulf of the Drin, and the city of Kruja, in a little Quarter, that they still nowadays call La Benda. The bishop of this city makes his residence in the castle of Mamli. The see is mentioned in historical sources only from the 14th century, but no longer in its own right, only as 'united' with the Diocese of Stephaniaca (in Epirus, suffragan of Dyrrachium) and soon also with some Diocese of Prisca (which Eubel (op. cit., vol. I, p. 463) believes a copyist error; some identify it with

Pristina Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and District of Pristina, district. In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdo ...

Prizren Prizren ( sq-definite, Prizreni, ; sr-cyr, Призрен) is the second List of cities and towns in Kosovo, most populous city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and District of Prizren, ...

, despite suspicious geographical distance, while L. Petit identifies the see with the village Presa or Press in Albania), due to Ottoman Turkish occupations rendering its situation instable, seeing most Catholics flee the region. The Kanun of Scanderbeg (Alb. Kanuni i Skënderbeut) was adhered to by the Albanians of northern central Albania, primarily in the regions of Benda, but also Dibra, Kruja, Kurbin, and Martanesh, - that is, the territory that was once part of the principality created by Scanderbeg. A geographical map published in 1689, shows the diocese comprising a mountainous region in central

, bounded by the Latin dioceses of Acrida (Ochrid), Krujë and Chunavia.Giacomo Cantelli da Vignola, ''Albania propria'', Rome 1689 At least the union with Stephaniacum last till both disappear in the late 17th century, after 1669 when an archbishop of

was given administration of the see of Benda. Still in 1640, Archbishop of Durrës, Marco Scura, a Franciscan, describes to

Propaganda Fide The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for missionary work and related activities. It is also known by its former title, the Sacred Congregati ...

the see of Benda under his administration (quoted by Farlati): its old cathedral in the 'pagus' (district) Moilitus, dedicated to Saint

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

, was ravaged to the ground, the episcopal quarter had no more ministers or faithful; its 20 to 27 parishes, for circa 2.000 Catholic residents, being served by 8 priest. No residential bishops were recorded.

Titular see

P. Francesco Marino Canti (created titular Bishop of Benda and Stephaniaca by

Pope Martin V Pope Martin V (; ; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Oddone Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. His election effectively ended the We ...

on 23 November 1418). It was nominally restored as a Latin

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 ...

in 1760. It has had the following incumbents, so far all of the fitting lowest (episcopal) rank : * Hieronim Wielogłowski (1760.09.22 – 1767.01), as

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

Przemyśl Przemyśl () is a city in southeastern Poland with 56,466 inhabitants, as of December 2023. Data for territorial unit 1862000. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodeship. It was previously the capital of Prz ...

(

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

) (1760.09.22 – death 1767.01) * Władysław Jan Walknowski (1768.12.19 – 1779.12), as Coadjutor Bishop of then bishopric

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

(Posen, now

primatial see Primate () is a title or rank bestowed on some important archbishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority (title of authority) or (usually) ceremonial precedence (tit ...

of Poland) (1768.12.19 – death 1779.12) * Józef Wojciech Gadomski (1782.09.23 – 1791.06.23), Coadjutor Bishop of

Płock Płock (pronounced ), officially the Ducal Capital City of Płock, is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by Central Statistical Office (Poland), GUS on 31 December 2021, the ...

(Poland) (1782.09.23 – death 1791.06.23) * Antonio de Stefano,

Conventual Franciscans The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M. Conv.) is a male religious fraternity in the Catholic Church and a branch of the Franciscan Order. Conventual Franciscan Friars are identified by the affix O.F.M. Conv. after their names. They are ...

(O.F.M. Conv.) (1849.08.28 – death 1893.11.01) 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 Churc ...

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

(

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

) (1849.08.28 – retired 1859.11.27) * Francesco Uccellini (1894.05.18 – 1895.05.18), later Bishop of

Roman Catholic Diocese of Kotor 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 Roman civilization * Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter ...

(Cattaro,

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

) (1895.05.18 – death 1937.06.04) * Jean-Marie Dépierre,

Paris Foreign Missions Society The Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (, , MEP) is a Catholic Missionary order, missionary organization. It is not a religious institute, but an organization of secular clergy, secular priests and Laity, lay persons dedicated to missionary wo ...

(M.E.P.) (1895.04.12 – death 1898.10.17) as Apostolic Vicar of Western Cochin (

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

) (1895.04.12 – 1898.10.17) * Paolo Schirò (1904.01.26 – death 1941.09.12), as Eastern Catholic Ordinary of Sicilia of the Italo-Albanese (

Byzantine rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, is a liturgical rite that is identified with the wide range of cultural, devotional, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Chri ...

; southern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

) (1904.01.26 – retired 1937.10.26) * Maurice-Bernard-Benoit-Joseph Despatures, M.E.P. (1942.09.06 – 1963.08.26), as emeritate; former bishop of

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

(

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

) (1922.06.21 – 1940.02.13) and Bishop of

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

(India) (1940.02.13 – 1942.09.06) * James Edward McManus,

Redemptorists The Redemptorists, officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (), abbreviated CSsR, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brothers). It was founded by Alphonsus Liguori at Scala ...

(C.SS.R.) (1963.11.18 – death 1976.07.03) as

Auxiliary Bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

(NY, USA) (1963.11.18 – 1970) and on emeritate; previously Bishop of Ponce (

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, US Antilles) (1947.05.10 – resigned 1963.11.18) * Georges Edmond Robert Gilson (1976.07.13 – 1981.08.13), as Auxiliary Bishop of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

(

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

) (1976.07.13 – 1981.08.13); later Bishop of

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

(France) (1981.08.13 – 1996.08.02), Metropolitan Archbishop of

Sens Sens () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yonne Departments of France, department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, 120 km southeast from Paris. Sens is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture and the second la ...

(France) (1996.08.02 – 2002.12.08), also

Bishop-Prelate In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teaching doctrine, governing Catholics in his jurisdiction, sanctifying the world and representing the c ...

of the

Territorial Prelature of Mission de France The Territorial Prelature of Mission de France (; French: ''Prélature Territoriale de la Mission de France''), also known as the Territorial Prelature of Pontigny (; French: ''Prélature Territoriale de Pontigny'') is a Latin territorial prelat ...

(France) (1996.08.02 – 2004.12.31), later demoted non-Metropolitan Archbishop of above Sens (2002.12.08 – 2004.12.31) * Johannes Bernardus Niënhaus (1982.01.15 – death 2000.12.05) as Auxiliary Bishop of

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

(

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

) (1982.01.15 – retired 1999.09.01) and on emeritate * Tomasz Peta (2001.02.15 – 2003.05.17) as first

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 admi ...

Astana Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...

(

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

) (1999.07.07 – 2003.05.17); later promoted as that renamed see's first Metropolitan Archbishop of

(2003.05.17 – ...), also President of Episcopal Conference of Kazakhstan (2003.05 – ...) *

Vasyl Ivasyuk Bishop Vasyl Ivasyuk (; born 21 January 1960 in Dora, Stanislav Oblast, Ukrainian SSR /present day Yaremche, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine/) is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic hierarch as an Eparchial Bishop of Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Kolomyi ...

(2003.07.28 – 2014.02.13), as Archiepiscopal Exarch of Odessa-Krym of the Ukrainians (

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

) (2003.07.28 – 2014.02.13) and as

Patriarchal Administrator Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...

of Kolomyia–Chernivtsi of the Ukrainians (Ukraine) (2013.05.22 – 2014.02.13); next Eparch (Bishop) of above Kolomyia–Chernivtsi of the Ukrainians (2014.02.13 – ...) * Wilhelm Zimmermann (2014.03.14 – ...),

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

(

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

), no previous prelature

References

Sources and external links

GigaCatholic, with titular incumbent biography links
; Bibliography * Pius Bonifacius Gams, ''Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae'', Leipzig 1931, p. 422 * Daniele Farlati-Jacopo Coleti, ''Illyricum Sacrum'', vol. VII, Venice 1817, pp. 401–405 * Konrad Eubel, ''Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi'', vol. 6, p. 120 * Louis Petit, lemma 'Benda' in ''Catholic Encyclopedia'', vol. II, New York 1907 * L. Jadin, lemma 'Benda' in ''Dictionnaire d'Histoire et de Géographie ecclésiastiques'', vol. VII, 1934, coll. 1051-1052 {{coord missing, Albania Suppressed Roman Catholic dioceses

History

Titular see

See also

References

Sources and external links