Castulo (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Castulo''; Iberian: ''Kastilo'') was an Iberian town and bishopric (now Latin

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 ...

located in the

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

n province of Jaén, in south-central

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, near modern Linares.

History

Evidence of human presence since the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

period has been found there. It was the seat of the Oretani, an Iberian tribe which settled in the vicinity in the north of the Guadalquivir River beginning in the sixth century BC. According to tradition, a local princess named Himilce married

Hannibal Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. Hannibal's fat ...

, gained the alliance of the city with the

Carthaginian Empire Ancient Carthage ( ; , ) was an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic civilisation based in North Africa. Initially a settlement in present-day Tunisia, it later became a city-state, and then an empire. Founded by the Phoenicians ...

. It probably is the place of the ancient Castax (). In 211 BC, Castulo was the site of Hasdrubal Barca's crushing

victory The term victory (from ) originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a strategic vi ...

over the Roman army with a force of roughly 40,000 Carthaginian troops plus local Iberian mercenaries. Thereafter the Romans made a pact with the residents of city — who then betrayed the Carthaginians — and they became

foederati ''Foederati'' ( ; singular: ''foederatus'' ) were peoples and cities bound by a treaty, known as ''foedus'', with Rome. During the Roman Republic, the term identified the '' socii'', but during the Roman Empire, it was used to describe foreign ...

(allied people) of Rome. According to

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding i ...

, the inhabitants of Castulo were intimidated by

Scipio Africanus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (, , ; 236/235–) was a Roman general and statesman who was one of the main architects of Rome's victory against Ancient Carthage, Carthage in the Second Punic War. Often regarded as one of the greatest milit ...

ordering the wholesale massacre of the inhabitants of the neighboring Illiturgis Its medieval name was Cazlona. It lost importance even more when

fell under Islamic rule in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, and at the same time the nearby village of Linares grew because of its strong castle —first built as an Arab fortress, then rebuilt by the

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

after the

Reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

— overlooking the city. In 1227 the walls of Castulo were destroyed, and the town was depopulated shortly afterwards.

Ecclesiastical history

A Bishopric of Castulo was established around 350 AD on territory split from the Andalusian diocese of Tucci (now also a titular see). Information about Christian bishops of Castulo appears in the first half of the fourth century AD through participation by its bishops in the Council of Elvira and that of Sardica. It may have been reabsorbed by Tucci. The diocese reappears two centuries later, when in 589 a bishop of Castulo, which by then was under

Visigoth The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied barbarian military group united under the comman ...

rule and 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 ...

of the Metropolitan of Toledo, took part in the third Council of Toledo. Other bishops of Castulo were at later Visigoth councils down to the tenth Council of Toledo in 656. Thereafter, Castulo is replaced as bishopric by the Diocese of Baeza. Enrique Flórez,

Titular see

No longer a residential bishopric, Castulo is listed by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

as a Latin

.''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), page 863 It was nominally restored in 1969 and since has had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting episcopal (lowest) rank ''with an archiepiscopal exception'': *Titular Archbishop Angel Maria Ocampo Berrio,

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

(S.J.) (1970.02.20 – resigned 1973.03.10) as emeritate, died 1991; previously Titular Bishop of Cynopolis in Arcadia (1942.06.23 – 1947.07.19) as Coadjutor Bishop of Socorro y San Gil (

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

) (1942.06.23 – 1947.07.19), succeeding as Bishop of Socorro y San Gil (1947.07.19 – 1950.12.06), then last Suffragan Bishop of Tunja (Colombia) (1950.12.06 – 1964.06.20), promoted first Metropolitan Archbishop of Tunja (1964.06.20 – retired 1970.02.20) * Enrico Bartolucci Panaroni, Comboni Missionaries (M.C.C.J.) (1973.06.14 – death 1995.02.10) 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 ...

of Esmeraldas (

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) (1973.06.14 – 1995.02.10) * Riccardo Ruotolo (1995.12.06 – death 2012.08.01) 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. ...

of Manfredonia–Vieste–San Giovanni Rotondo (Italy) (1995.12.06 – retired 2004.02.28) and on emeritate * Adelio Dell’Oro (2012.12.07 – 2015.01.31) as last

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 ...

Apostolic Administration of Atyrau The Apostolic Administration of Atyrau is a pastoral area ''sui iuris'', not yet fully a diocese, in western Kazakhstan which forms part of the Roman Catholic Church in this country, namely of the metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ma ...

(

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 ...

) (2012.12.07 – 2015.05.16), next promoted first Bishop of Karaganda (Kazakhstan) (2015.01.31 – ...) * Víctor Alejandro Aguilar Ledesma (2015.12.01 – ...), Auxiliary Bishop of Morelia (

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

References

Sources and external links

A Brief History of Spain - Carthage and Rome, on PracticalSpain.com

"CÁSTULO (Cazlona) Jaén, Spain." In ''The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites'' edited by R. Stillwell ''et al''. 1976.

{{Authority control Archaeological sites in Andalusia Catholic titular sees in Europe Roman towns and cities in Spain Buildings and structures in the Province of Jaén (Spain)

History

Ecclesiastical history

Titular see

See also

References

Sources and external links