{{short description, Former Roman city and modern titular see in North Africa
Vegesela (in Numidia) was an ancient city and former
episcopal see
An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...
in
Roman North Africa
Africa Proconsularis was a Roman province on the northern African coast that was established in 146 BC following the defeat of Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day Tunisia, the northeast of Algeri ...
and remains a
Latin Church
, native_name_lang = la
, image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran
, caption = Archbasilica of Saint Jo ...
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 ...
of 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 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
It was among the many cities of sufficient importance 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 ...
of
Numidia
Numidia ( Berber: ''Inumiden''; 202–40 BC) was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians located in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up modern-day Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunis ...
to become a
suffragan diocese
A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandri ...
under the
Pope of Rome
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
, but faded, presumably at the seventh century advent of Islam.
Four of it bishops are historically documented :
* According to Church father
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...
, the
Council of Carthage
The Councils of Carthage were church synods held during the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries in the city of Carthage in Africa. The most important of these are described below.
Synod of 251
In May 251 a synod, assembled under the presidency of Cyprian ...
of 401 deposed the unnamed bishop of Vegesela di Numidia, but that is dubious, possibly happened much earlier, as in 397 the see was occupied by Reginus, who attended the
Council of Carthage
The Councils of Carthage were church synods held during the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries in the city of Carthage in Africa. The most important of these are described below.
Synod of 251
In May 251 a synod, assembled under the presidency of Cyprian ...
of 411, among the Catholic bishops, like his schismatic heretic
Donatist
Donatism was a Christian sect leading to a schism in the Church, in the region of the Church of Carthage, from the fourth to the sixth centuries. Donatists argued that Christian clergy must be faultless for their ministry to be effective and the ...
Huneric
Huneric, Hunneric or Honeric (died December 23, 484) was King of the (North African) Vandal Kingdom (477–484) and the oldest son of Gaiseric. He abandoned the imperial politics of his father and concentrated mainly on internal affairs. He was m ...
diocese
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 associa ...
was nominally restored in 1933 as
Latin Church
, native_name_lang = la
, image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran
, caption = Archbasilica of Saint Jo ...
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 ...
of Vegesela in Numidia (Latin = Curiate Italian) / Vegeselitan(us) in Numidia (Latin adjective)
It has had the following incumbents:
* Idílio José Soares (1966.11.21 – death 1969.12.10) as emeritate; previously Bishop of
Petrolina
Petrolina is a municipality located in the southernmost point of the state of Pernambuco, in Northeast Brazil, in the valley of the São Francisco River. The population was 354,317 in 2020, and the total area is km², making it the largest m ...
(
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
) (1932.09.16 – 1943.06.12), Bishop of Santos (Brazil) (1943.06.12 – 1966.11.21)
* Eduardo Larraín Cordovez (1970.02.02 – death 1970.10.20) as emeritate; previously Bishop of
Rancagua
Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago.
It was originally named Sant ...
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
) (1970.11.13 – 1971.07.24); next succeeded as Bishop of Cienfuegos–Santa Clara (1971.07.24 – 1995.04.01), Bishop of daughter see Santa Clara (Cuba) (1995.04.01 – death 1999.01.09)
* Moacyr Grechi,
Servites
The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary ( la, Ordo Servorum Beatae Mariae Virginis; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original Catholic mendicant orders. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothe ...
(O.S.M.) (later Archbishop) (1973.07.20 – 1978.05.26) as
Bishop-Prelate
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an Holy Orders, ordained Minister (Catholic Church), minister who holds the fullness of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, sacrament of Holy orders in the Catholic Church, holy orders and is responsible ...
of Territorial Prelature of Acre e Purus (Brazil) (1972.07.10 – 1986.02.15); later Bishop of Rio Branco (Brazil) (1986.02.15 – 1998.07.29), Metropolitan Archbishop of Porto Velho (Brazil) (1998.07.29 – retired 2011.11.30)
* Severo Aparicio Quispe,
Mercederians
The Royal, Celestial and Military Order of Our Lady of Mercy and the Redemption of the Captives ( la, Ordo Beatae Mariae de Mercede Redemptionis Captivorum, abbreviated O. de M.), also known as the Mercedarians, is a Catholic mendicant order es ...
(O. de M.) (1978.12.11 – death 2013.05.06) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Cusco (
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
) (1978.12.11 – retired 1999.04.10) and as emeritate
*
Bishop-elect
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an Holy Orders, ordained Minister (Catholic Church), minister who holds the fullness of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, sacrament of Holy orders in the Catholic Church, holy orders and is responsible ...
List of Catholic dioceses in Algeria
Current dioceses
All Roman Rite
;''Ecclesiastical province of Alger''
* Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Alger; united with the titular see of Iulia Caesarea (Ancient bishopric at Alger)
** suffragan Roman Catholic Diocese of Consta ...
* Vegesela in Byzacena, fellow former bishopric and Latin titular see in neighboring province
Sources and external links
GCatholic ; Bibliography
* Pius Bonifacius Gams, ''Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae'', Leipzig 1931, p. 469
* Stefano Antonio Morcelli, ''Africa christiana'', Volume I, Brescia 1816, pp. 349–350
* J. Mesnage, ''L'Afrique chrétienne'', Paris 1912, p. 240
* H. Jaubert, ''Anciens évêchés et ruines chrétiennes de la Numidie et de la Sitifienne'', in ''Recueil des Notices et Mémoires de la Société archéologique de Constantine'', vol. 46, 1913, pp. 99–100
Catholic titular sees in AfricaFormer Roman Catholic dioceses in AfricaSuppressed Roman Catholic dioceses