Doclea or Dioclea, also known as Docleia or Diocleia ( sr, Дукља, Duklja; gr, Διοκλεία; sq, Dioklea) was an ancient

Illyria In classical antiquity, Illyria (; grc, Ἰλλυρία, ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; la, Illyria, ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyr ...

Roman 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 ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

and

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 Constantin ...

city, in the region of the Docleatae tribe (late Roman province of

Praevalitana Praevalitana (also ''Prevalitana'', ''Prevaliana'', ''Praevaliana'' or ''Prevalis'') was a Late Roman province that existed between c. 284 and c. 600. It included parts of present-day Montenegro, northern Albania, and part of present-day Kosovo. ...

), now an archeological site near

Podgorica Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...

in modern

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

. It was an episcopal see since the late Roman period, and during the Early Middle Ages. Today, it is 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 archbis ...

, both in the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...

, and in 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 ...

(Latin Rite). When spelled as ''Diocleia'' or ''Diokleia'', it should not be confused with ancient

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; grc, Φρυγία, ''Phrygía'' ) was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. After its conquest, it became a region of the great empire ...

n city of ''

Diokleia in Phrygia Dioclea or Dioklea, Dioclia or Dioklia, Diocleia or Diokleia ( grc, Διοκλεία, Diokleía), was a town of ancient Phrygia, inhabited during Roman and Byzantine times. In Hellenic times it had a mint, under its king Elagabalus. It was the s ...

'' ( gr, Διόκλεια Φρυγίας).

History

The town was situated ca. 3 km north from present-day

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

's capital. The Illyrian Docleatae, which were later Romanized, inhabiting the area derived their name from the city. Doclea was the largest settlement of the Docleatae, and became a municipality during the reign of Emperor Claudius, thus between year 41 and 54 AD. A large town with between 8,000 and 10,000 inhabitants, Doclea had been built to conform to the terrain. The surrounding area had a relatively high population density within a radius of 10 km due to the city's geographical position, a favorable climate, positive economic conditions and defensive site that were of great importance at that time.

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ...

mentions the cheese of Doclea as a famous Illyrian product. After the administrative division of 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 Medite ...

in 297, Doclea became the capital of the new

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 ...

, which Roman emperor Diocletian established in the imperial administrative reform of 293, splitting this southern part from the province of Dalmatia. The castle of Doclea was built as a typical Roman castrum with the purpose of controlling the road coming from Dalmatia and going to Scodra. In the 4th and the 5th centuries, it was taken by the barbarian tribes and went into decline. At the beginning of the 5th century, it was attacked by the Germanic

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is ...

. A severe earthquake destroyed it in 518. The

South Slavs South Slavs are Slavic peoples who speak South Slavic languages and inhabit a contiguous region of Southeast Europe comprising the eastern Alps and the Balkan Peninsula. Geographically separated from the West Slavs and East Slavs by Austria, ...

migrated into the land and proceeded to rebuild the settlement in the 7th century. The historical ruins of the town can be seen today.

Ecclesiastical history

Circa 400, the city became the seat of a bishopric, initially as

suffragan 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

Archdiocese of Salona The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Split-Makarska ( hr, Splitsko-makarska nadbiskupija; la, Archidioecesis Spalatensis-Macarscensis) is a Metropolitan archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in Croatia and Montenegro.

. A letter from

Pope Gregory I Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregori ...

to bishop Constanti(n?)us (circa 602) suggests it had become suffragan of the Archdiocese of Scutari. * Around 877, the synod of Dumno (Delmitanus), elevatated it;, apparently justified as former capital of a Late Roman province Dalmatia Superior, to Metropolitan rank in chief of a Bulgarian

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sev ...

at the expense of Scutari, but shifting Bulgarian borders made it lose the Metropolitan status again the next century * The Byzantine Notitia Episcopatuum in the tenth century. lists it fifth among the suffragans of the Metropolitanate of Dyrrachium, in the sway of the

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

. * It was suppressed in 927, when the city was destroyed and its last bishop John took refuge in

Ragusa Ragusa is the historical name of Dubrovnik. It may also refer to: Places Croatia * the Republic of Ragusa (or Republic of Dubrovnik), the maritime city-state of Ragusa * Cavtat (historically ' in Italian), a town in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Cro ...

, of which he was soon named Archbishop. * Allegedly from 1034 (no later than the 1062 letter from

Pope Alexander II Pope Alexander II (1010/1015 – 21 April 1073), born Anselm of Baggio, was the head of the Roman Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1061 to his death in 1073. Born in Milan, Anselm was deeply involved in the Pataria reform ...

(1061–1073) to their Archbishop Peter) till circa 1100, its now hollow title was nominally united in personal union with the neighbouring, then still Archdiocese of Bar (Antivari), also in modern Montenegro, possibly mainly to justify its (later lost) Metropolitan status. Few of its bishops are historically documented, and some sources may confound the see with Diocletiana. * Paulus (circa 590) * Nemesius (in 602) * (Anonymus) (circa 877) * Johannes = John (circa 900)

Serbian Orthodox titular see

Auxiliary bishops of the

Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral The Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral of the Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr, Митрополија црногорско-приморска Српске православне цркве, Mitropolija crnogorsko-primorska Srpske pravoslav ...

(Serbian Orthodox Church) are given the title "''Bishop of Dioclea''" ( sr, епископ диоклијски). Recent holders of the title were bishops Jovan Purić (2004-2011), Kirilo Bojović (2016-2018), and Metodije Ostojić (since 2018).Serbian Orthodox Church: Consecration of the Bishop-elect Metodije of Dioclea
/ref>

Roman Catholic titular see

In 1910, the archdiocese was nominally restored as Latin

titular archbishopric 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 ...

of the Metropolitan (highest) rank as Dioclea, renamed from 1925 (exclusively from 1933) as Doclea. It has had the following archiepiscopal incumbents : * Carlo Bertuzzi (Italian) (1910.05.10 – death 1914.01.04), emeritate as former Bishop of

Rieti Rieti (; lat, Reate, Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of 47,700. It is the administrative seat of the province of Rieti and see of the diocese of Rieti, as well as the modern capital of the Sabin ...

(Italy) (1889.02.11 – 1895.03.18) and Bishop of

Foligno Foligno (; Southern Umbrian: ''Fuligno'') is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clitunno river system. It is located s ...

(Italy) (1895.03.18 – retired 1910.05.10) * Henri Doulcet (French),

Passionists The Passionists, officially named Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ (), abbreviated CP, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men, founded by Paul of the Cross in 1720 with a special emphasis on and d ...

(C.P.) (1914.03.17 – death 1916.07.27) on emeritates, formerly Bishop of Nikopol (

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...

) (1895.01.07 – retired 1913.03.31) and Titular Bishop of Ionopolis (1913.06.03 – resigned 1914.03.17) *

Pietro Fumasoni Biondi Pietro Fumasoni Biondi (4 September 1872 – 12 July 1960) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith in the Roman Curia from 1933 until his death ...

(1916.11.14 – 1933.03.13) (Italian) as papal diplomat and Roman Curia official :

Apostolic Delegate 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 org ...

East India East India is a region of India consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The region roughly corresponds to the historical region of Magadha ...

(1916.11.15 – 1919.12.06), Apostolic Delegate to Japan (1919.12.06 – 1921.06.16), Secretary of

Sacred Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

(1921.06.14 – 1922.12.14), Apostolic Delegate to United States of America (1922.12.14 – 1933.03.13), created

Cardinal-Priest 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. Croce in Gerusalemme (1933.03.16 – death 1960.07.12), Prefect of above Sacred Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith (1933.03.16 – 1960.07.12) * Paolo Marella (1933.09.15 – 1959.12.14) (Italian) as papal diplomat and Roman Curia official :

to Japan (1933.10.30 – 1948.10.27), Apostolic Delegate to Australia, New Zealand and Oceania (1948.10.27 – 1953.04.15),

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 org ...

(papal ambassador) to France (1953.04.15 – 1959.12.14),

Apostolic Pro-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 org ...

to France (1959.12.14 – 1960.04.16), created

S. Andrea delle Fratte S is the nineteenth letter of the English alphabet. S may also refer to: History * an Anglo-Saxon charter's number in Peter Sawyer (historian), Peter Sawyer's, catalogue Language and linguistics * Long s (ſ), a form of the lower-case letter s ...

(1960.03.31 – 1972.03.15), President of

Sacred Congregation of the Reverend Basilica of St. Peter The Fabric of Saint Peter (, ) is an institution of the Roman Catholic Church responsible for the conservation and maintenance of St. Peter's Basilica and exercising vigilance over its sacred character and the organization of visitors. While it ...

(1961.08.14 – 1967), Archpriest of Papal Basilica of St. Peter (1961.08.14 – 1983.02.08), President of

Secretariat for Non-Christians The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, previously named Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID), is a dicastery of the Roman Curia, erected by Pope Paul VI on 19 May 1964 as the Secretariat for Non-Christians, and renamed by Pop ...

(1964.05.19 – 1973.02.26), President of Reverend Fabric of St. Peter (1967 – 1983.02.08), promoted

Cardinal-Bishop 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 Porto e Santa Rufina (1972.03.15 – death 1984.10.15), Cardinal Vice-Dean of College of Cardinals (1977.12.12 – 1984.10.15) * Egano Righi-Lambertini (Italian) (1960.07.09 – 1979.06.30), papal diplomat :

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 (Republi ...

(1957.12.28 – 1960.07.09),

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

(1960.07.09 – 1963.12.09), Apostolic Nuncio to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

(1963.12.09 – 1967.07.08), Apostolic Nuncio to Italy (1967.07.08 – 1969.04.23), Apostolic Nuncio to France (1969.04.23 – 1979.06.30), 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 ...

S. Giovanni Bosco in Via Tuscolana S is the nineteenth letter of the English alphabet. S may also refer to: History * an Anglo-Saxon charter's number in Peter Sawyer's, catalogue Language and linguistics * Long s (ſ), a form of the lower-case letter s formerly used where " ...

(1979.06.30 – 1990.11.26), promoted

of S. Maria in Via (1990.11.26 – death 2000.10.04) *

Jozef Tomko Jozef Tomko (11 March 1924 – 8 August 2022) was a Slovak prelate of the Catholic Church who held positions in the Roman Curia from 1962 until he retired in 2007. He was prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples from 1985 ...

(1979.07.12 – 1985.05.25) (

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

), Roman Curia official : Adjunct Secretary of

International Theological Commission The International Theological Commission (ITC) is a body of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church; it advises the magisterium of the church, particularly the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), a dicastery of the Roman Curia. Its me ...

(1969 – 1971), Undersecretary of

Sacred Congregation for Bishops The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (), is the department of the Roman Curia that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usually followed. The Dicas ...

(1974 – 1979.07.12), Secretary General of Synod of Bishops (1979.07.12 – 1985.04.24), Pro-Prefect of

Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship * Congregation (Roman Curia), an administ ...

(1985.04.24 – 1985.05.27), created

Gesù Buon Pastore alla Montagnola Gesù Buon Pastore alla Montagnola is a titular church in Rome. It is located in via Luigi Perna. Its parish was established by Pope Pius XI in 1937 and placed in the care of the Fathers of the Missionary Institute of the Pious Society of St Pa ...

(1985.05.25 – 1996.01.29), Prefect of above Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (1985.05.27 – 2001.04.09), President of Interdicasterial Commission for Consecrated Religious (1989.03.18 – 2001.04.09), promoted

S. Sabina The Basilica of Saint Sabina ( la, Basilica Sanctae Sabinae, it, Basilica di Santa Sabina all'Aventino) is a historic church on the Aventine Hill in Rome, Italy. It is a titular minor basilica and mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Pre ...

(1996.01.29 – ?death ...), President of

Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses The Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses is part of the Roman Curia of the Roman Catholic Church. It was erected in 1879 by Pope Leo XIII. Its statutes were last updated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. Aims The purpose o ...

(2001.10.23 – 2007.10.01), Member of

Commission of Cardinals overseeing the Institute for Works of Religion Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anothe ...

(2002.01.08 – 2008.02.24) * Pier Luigi Celata (1985.12.12 – present)

References

Sources

* * Koprivica T. Sacral Topography of Late Antique and Early Christian Doclea (Montenegro): the First Modern Preliminary Investigation. //Актуальные проблемы теории и истории искусства: сб. науч. статей. Вып. 2 . Под ред. А.В.Захаровой— Санкт-Петербург: НП-Принт — 2012. — с.314-320 * Michel Lequien, ''Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus'', Paris 1740, vol. II, coll. 277-282 & Index, p. III * Daniele Farlati-Jacopo Coleti, ''Illyricum Sacrum'', vol. VII, Venice 1817, pp. 1–7 * {{Authority control Illyrian Montenegro Geographic history of Montenegro Tourist attractions in Podgorica Archaeology of Illyria Roman towns and cities in Montenegro Former populated places in the Balkans Cities in ancient Illyria

History

Ecclesiastical history

Serbian Orthodox titular see

Roman Catholic titular see

See also

References

Sources