Aveia was an ancient town of the

Vestini Vestini () were an Italic peoples, Italic tribe who occupied the area of the modern Abruzzo (central Italy), included between the Gran Sasso and the northern bank of the Aterno-Pescara, Aterno river. Their main centres were ''Pitinum ''(near mo ...

and Roman former bishopric, which remains a 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 archbi ...

. Its site is on the Via Claudia Nova, c. 10 km south-east of

L'Aquila L'Aquila ( ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of the Province of L'Aquila and the Abruzzo region in Italy. , it has a population of 69,902. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the A ...

, N.E. of the modern village of Fossa, in central

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...

region. Some remains of ancient buildings still exist, and the name Aveia still clings to the place. The identification was first made by V. M. Giovenazzi in ''Della Città di Aveia ne' Vestini'' (1773). Paintings in the church of S. Maria ad Cryptas, of the 12th to 15th centuries, are important in the history of art. An inscription of a stationarius of the 3rd century, sent here on special duty (no doubt for the suppression of

brigandage Brigandage is the life and practice of highway robbery and plunder. It is practiced by a brigand, a person who is typically part of a gang and lives by pillage and robbery.Oxford English Dictionary second edition, 1989. "Brigand.2" first recorded ...

), was found here in 1902.

Ecclesiastical history

Residential Bishopric

The

bishopric 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 associate ...

of Aveia (Vestina) was founded in the mid-5th century (circa 450 AD) and disappeared, along with the town, in the 6th-century devastations of the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

, circa 500 AD.

Maximus of Aveia Saint Maximus of Aveia (died c. 250 AD) (sometimes also known as ''Saint Maximus of Aquila'') is one of the patron saints of L'Aquila, Italy. Life He was born in Aveia, currently known as Fossa (Italy), Fossa. As a deacon, he was martyred for ...

, a native of the town and a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

, was

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

ed in the persecution of

Decius Gaius Messius Quintus Trajanus Decius ( 201June 251), known as Trajan Decius or simply Decius (), was Roman emperor from 249 to 251. A distinguished politician during the reign of Philip the Arab, Decius was proclaimed emperor by his troops a ...

, Roman Emperor from 249 to 251. The bishopric of Aveia may have arisen because of veneration of his relics. After the destruction of the town, these were removed to a nearby town which became known as ''Civitas Sancti Maximi'' (Saint Maximus Town), which thereupon became the seat of the diocese. From there, in 1256, they were moved to the new town and diocese of L'Aquila.

Titular see

No longer a residential bishopric, Aveia 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 ''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), p. 843

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 Aveia since the diocese was nominally restored in January 2009. Its only incumbent so far has been, of fitting episcopal (lowest rank) : * Titular Bishop (2009.01.30 – ...) Raúl Antonio Chau Quispe,

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. ...

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

(Peru)

Notes

Sources and external links

;Attribution *
GCatholic
{{Coord, 42, 18, 0, N, 13, 29, 23, E, type:landmark_region:IT, display=title Ghost towns in Italy Catholic titular sees in Europe 5th-century establishments in Italy 6th-century disestablishments in Italy Populated places established in the 5th century Populated places disestablished in the 6th century Roman towns and cities in Abruzzo