It is located 9 km. northeast of Ödemiş/İzmir.(ref: Tmolos’ta saklı kutsal bir kent Dioshieron, Hüseyin Üreten, Journal of International Social Research , Vol 9, Issue 44: 562-578) Dios Hieron ( grc, Διὸς Ἱερόν, meaning 'Sanctuary of Zeus') was a town of
ancient Lydia, in the upper valley of the
Cayster River. The city became part of the
Roman Republic and the
Roman province of
Asia with the annexation of the
Kingdom of Pergamon.
It also bore the name Diospolis (Διόσπολις), and was cited by the sixth century Byzantine geographer
Stephanus of Byzantium
Stephanus or Stephan of Byzantium ( la, Stephanus Byzantinus; grc-gre, Στέφανος Βυζάντιος, ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD), was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethni ...
under that name. It was renamed to Christopolis or Christoupolis (Χριστούπολις, meaning 'city of Christ') in the 7th century and was known as Pyrgium or Pyrgion (Πυργίον) from the 12th century on.
Pyrgion fell to the Turks in 1307, and became the capital of the
beylik of
Aydin.
The town minted coins in antiquity, often with the inscription "Διοσιερειτων".
Its site is located near
Birgi
Birgi is a small town located in the Ödemiş district of İzmir province in Turkey. Its current name is a distortion of its medieval Greek name, Pyrgion (Greek: Πυργίον, meaning "Little Tower").
History
In antiquity, the town was known ...
,
Asiatic Turkey.
Bishopric
The
Roman Era city had an ancient
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
bishop and is attested as an
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 ...
from at least 451. It was a
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 jurisdictiona ...
of
Ephesus
Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἔφεσος, Éphesos; tr, Efes; may ultimately derive from hit, 𒀀𒉺𒊭, Apaša) was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in t ...
, which it remained under until the late 12th century when it became a separate
metropolis.
There are four known bishops from antiquity.
*Stephen took part in the
Council of Ephesus
The Council of Ephesus was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk in Turkey) in AD 431 by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II. This third ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus in the church th ...
of 431
*Eustorgios was not present at the
Council of Chalcedon (451) and his metropolitan, Stephen of Ephesus, signed on his behalf
*Zoetus was among the fathers of the
Council of Constantinople of 680 and the
Council in Trullo of 692
*Stephen of Pyrgion participated at the two Councils of Constantinople in
869–870 and
879–880 who dealt with the issue of Patriarch
Photios I of Constantinople
Photios I ( el, Φώτιος, ''Phōtios''; c. 810/820 – 6 February 893), also spelled PhotiusFr. Justin Taylor, essay "Canon Law in the Age of the Fathers" (published in Jordan Hite, T.O.R., & Daniel J. Ward, O.S.B., "Readings, Cases, Materia ...
Today Dioshieron survives as
titular see in the
Roman Catholic Church, so far the see has never been assigned.
Dioshieron
at GCatholic.org.
References
Populated places in ancient Lydia
Former populated places in Turkey
Former dioceses in Asia
Defunct dioceses of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
Titular sees in Asia
Roman towns and cities in Turkey
Populated places of the Byzantine Empire
Ödemiş District
History of İzmir Province
{{Byzantine-geo-stub