Sala or Salena was a town of ancient Lydia, and is a suppressed, vacant and titular see of the

Roman 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 ...

History

The town of Sala is identifiable with Kepecik in today's west Turkey, but in

antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

was an ancient episcopal see of 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 ...

of Lydia in

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

. It was part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople during

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 ...

times and was suffragan of the Archdiocese of Sardis. Sala is not mentioned by Michel Le Quien in his work ''Oriens Christianus'' but a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

Stephen is recorded in the episcopal lists of the second

Second Council of Nicaea The Second Council of Nicaea is recognized as the last of the first seven ecumenical councils by the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. In addition, it is also recognized as such by the Old Catholics, the Anglican Communion, an ...

. William Mitchell Ramsay in his ''The Historical Geography of Asia Minor'' (1890) claims that Le Quien's omission of Sala was due to his misreading the Greek records where he "invented" the bishopric of Helenopolis. Sala survives today as a titular bishop; the seat has been vacant since 27 January 1962.

Known bishops

Ancient bishops

*Noumenius *Anatolius fl458W. M. Ramsay, ''The Historical Geography of Asia Minor'' (Cambridge University Press, 2010) p122. *Stephen fl787

Titular Catholic bishops

*Floyd Begin Lawrence (03.22.1947 – 01.27.1962) *Edward Quentin Jennings (03/22/1941 – 22/02/1946) * Philippe-Servulo Desranleau (later Archbishop) (12/13/1937 – 02/12/1941) * Augustine Francis Schinner (17/12/1925 – 02/07/1937)

References

Catholic titular sees in Asia Dioceses established in the 1st century Populated places in ancient Lydia Roman sites in Turkey Populated places of the Byzantine Empire Lost ancient cities and towns {{Byzantine-geo-stub