Zarzis also known as Jarjis ( ar, جرجيس, link=no ') is a coastal commune (municipality) in southeastern

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, former bishopric and 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 archbish ...

under its ancient name Gergis. To the

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...

ns,

Romans 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 lette ...

and

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...

the port was of strategic importance.

Geography

It lies on the coast of the Mediterranean, where the climate is mainly dry and sunny, making it a popular tourist destination mixing the old and the traditional. It has a major port where
park of economic activities
is based. Located at the southern end of the eastern peninsula that bears his name, the ''délégation'' (district) of Zarzis has a very large coastline. There are a variety of landscapes reflecting a great diversity of climatic conditions.

Buildings and structures

* 320-metre-high guyed mast for FM/TV-broadcasting, tallest structure in Tunisi

History

The city was known in Antiquity as Gergis and located at the western end of the Lesser Syrtis (Gulf of Gabès), not far from the island of Meninx (current Djerba). The town may owe its name and/or origin to the Biblical tribes of

Girgashites Girgashites (Heb. גִּרְגָּשִׁי) are one of the tribes who had invaded the land of Canaan as mentioned in Gen. 15:21; Deut. 7:1; Josh. 3:10; Neh. 9:8. The Girgashites are also known as the fifth ethnic group that descended from Canaan (G ...

which, according to ancient Jewish writers, had left the

Canaan Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...

at the time of

Joshua Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...

and went to settle in North Africa. According to Stadiasme, it had a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

, where stood the ruins and a

citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. In ...

modern still bearing the old name albeit now pronounced ''Zarzis'', and a (navy) port. Gergis 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 ...

Tripolitania Tripolitania ( ar, طرابلس '; ber, Ṭrables, script=Latn; from Vulgar Latin: , from la, Regio Tripolitana, from grc-gre, Τριπολιτάνια), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province o ...

(in the papal sway) to become a

suffragan bishopric 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 ...

, which was to fade, presumably at the seventh century advent of Islam. Its ecclesiastical history is confused, due to confusion in consulting the Latin sources with the near-homonymous diocese

Girba Djerba (; ar, جربة, Jirba, ; it, Meninge, Girba), also transliterated as Jerba or Jarbah, is a Tunisian island and the largest island of North Africa at , in the Gulf of Gabès, off the coast of Tunisia. It had a population of 139,544 a ...

(modern Djerba).

Titular see

The diocese was nominally restored in 1933 as a Latin Catholic

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 Gergis (Latin) / Gergi (Curiate Italian) / Gergitan(us) (Latin adjective). It has had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank : * John van Sambeek,

White Fathers The White Fathers (french: Pères Blancs), officially the Missionaries of Africa ( la, Missionarii Africae) abbreviated MAfr), are a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right (for Men) Founded in 1868 by then Ar ...

(M. Afr.) (1936.11.19 – 1953.03.25) * Otàvio Barbosa Aguiar (1954.11.06 – 1956.02.24) * Luis Aníbal Rodríguez Pardo (1956.07.28 – 1958.05.22) as Auxiliary Bishop of Diocese of Cochabamba (Bolivia) (1956.07.28 – 1958.05.22); previously Titular Bishop of

Thennesus Thennesus was a town in the Roman province of Augustamnica Prima. It was on the Tanitic branch of the Nile. It is today called Tell-Tenis, Tell-Tannis or Qôm-Tannis, at the extremity of an island in Lake Menzaleh, near the Suez Canal. There are ...

(1952.06.06 – 1953.06.17) & Auxiliary Bishop of

Diocese of Santa Cruz de la Sierra The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Cruz de la Sierra ( la, Archidioecesis Sanctae Crucis de Sierra) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bolivia. It was erected as the Diocese of Santa Cruz de la Sierra by ...

(Bolivia) (1952.06.06 – 1953.06.17), then Bishop of

Oruro Oruro (Hispanicized spelling) or Uru Uru is a city in Bolivia with a population of 264,683 (2012 calculation), about halfway between La Paz and Sucre in the Altiplano, approximately above sea level. It is Bolivia's fifth-largest city by pop ...

(Bolivia) (1953.06.17 – 1956.07.28); later last suffragan Bishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia) (1958.05.22 – 1975.07.30),

Military Vicar A military ordinariate is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church, of the Latin or an Eastern church, responsible for the pastoral care of Catholics serving in the armed forces of a nation. Until 1986, they were called "military ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

(Bolivia) (1961.07.26 – 1975.07.30), promoted first Metropolitan Archbishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (1975.07.30 – 1991.02.06), also President of Episcopal Conference of Bolivia (1980 – 1985) * Luigi Oldani (1961.10.31 – 1976.08.05) *

Antonio María Rouco Varela Antonio María Rouco Varela (born 20 August 1936) is a Spanish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and a prominent member of its conservative wing. He served as Archbishop of Madrid from 1994 to 2014. He was made a cardinal in 1998. Cardinal ...

(1976.09.17 – 1984.05.09) as Auxiliary Bishop of

Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela The Metropolitan Archdiocese of (Santiago de) Compostela ( la, Archidioecesis Compostellana), is the senior of the five districts in which the Catholic Church divides Galicia in North-western Spain.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 ...

of Santiago de Compostela (1983.06.11 – 1984.05.09); next succeeded as Metropolitan Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela (1984.05.09 – 1994.07.28), Metropolitan Archbishop of

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

(Spain) (1994.07.28 – retired 2014.08.28), 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 ...

S. Lorenzo in Damaso The Minor Basilica of St. Lawrence in Damaso (Basilica Minore di San Lorenzo in Damaso) or simply San Lorenzo in Damaso is a parish and titular church in central Rome, Italy that is dedicated to St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr. It is incorporated ...

(1998.02.21 998.10.11– ...), President of Episcopal Conference of Spain (1999.03.02 – 2005.03.08 & 2008.03.04 – 2014.03.12), Member of Council of Cardinals for the Study of Organisational and Economic Problems of the Apostolic See (2004.12.16 – 2014.02.24) * Patricio Infante Alfonso (1984.08.07 – 1990.12.12) as Auxiliary Bishop of

Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile ( la, Archidioecesis Sancti Iacobi in Chile) is one of the five Latin Metropolitan sees of the Roman Catholic Church in Chile. Ecclesiastical province Its Suffragan sees are: * Roman Catholic D ...

(

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 east a ...

) (1984.08.07 – 1990.12.12); later Metropolitan Archbishop of

Antofagasta Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669. After the Spanish American wars ...

(Chile) (1990.12.12 – 2004.11.26) *

Jurij Bizjak Bishop Jurij Bizjak (born 22 February 1947) is a Slovenian Roman Catholic prelate who serves as a Bishop of the Diocese of Koper since 26 May 2012. Previously he was a Titular Bishop of Gergis and Auxiliary Bishop of Diocese of Koper from 13 May ...

(2000.05.13 – 2012.05.26) as Auxiliary Bishop of

Diocese of Koper ) , cocathedral = Co-Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Nova Gorica() , area_km2 = 4,386 , parishes = 100 , population = 266,403 , population_as_of = 2013 , catholics = 181,230 , catholics_percent= 68 , pope ...

(

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

) (2000.05.13 – 2012.05.26); next succeeded as Bishop of Koper (2012.05.26 – ...) :BIOs to ELABORATE *

Sérgio de Deus Borges Bishop Sérgio de Deus Borges (born 4 September 1966) is a Brazilian Roman Catholic prelate, who served as an Auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Paulo and the Titular Bishop of Zarzis, Gergis since 27 June 2012 and was an A ...

(2012.06.27 – ...), Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of São Paulo (Brazil)

Economy

Economic activity of Zarzis is mainly based on

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

, fishing and agriculture; in industry, the food sector dominates with 55 of 89 firms. The

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

occupies a special place in Zarzis . Production of the campaign 1999 - 2000 reached tons olives, equivalent to tons of

olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: f ...

. This production is processed through the 57 mills of the delegation and provides more than direct jobs. In 2011, the city is the scene of stowaway to Europe. "But why do they still leave Tunisia? "Time'' this'', TSR, 23 June 2011 The local economy is diverse—agriculture, mainly olives, oil and tourism.

People from Zarzis

Abid Briki Abid Briki (born 20 June 1957; ''Arabic'': عبيد البريكي) is a Tunisian trade unionist and politician. He served as Minister of Civil Service, Governance and the Fight against Corruption in the Chahed Cabinet. Early life Briki was born ...

(born 1957), trade unionist and politician

Gallery

Zarzis May 07.JPG ResidenceSoltanaZarzis.JPG Tunesien Zarzis 1 retouched.jpg Ibarostar Safira Palms - panoramio.jpg Zarzis2007 img 5867.jpg Zarzis - panoramio.jpg

References

Sources and external links

GCatholic, with titular incumbent bio links
; Bibliography - ecclesiastical history * Anatole-Joseph Toulotte, ''Géographie de l'Afrique chrétienne. Byzacène et Tripolitaine'', Montreuil-sur-mer, 1894, pp. 247–251 * J. Mesnage, ''L'Afrique chrétienne'', Paris, 1912, p. 170 {{Authority control Populated places in Tunisia Ports and harbours of the Arab League Transport in the Arab League Populated coastal places in Tunisia Communes of Tunisia Medenine Governorate