Doclea or Dioclea, also known as Diokleia or Diocleia (; ), was an ancient

Illyria In classical and late antiquity, Illyria (; , ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; , ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyrians. The Ancient Gree ...

Roman 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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

city, in the region of the Docleatae tribe (Roman province of

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

, later

Praevalitana Praevalitana (also ''Prevalitana'', ''Prevaliana'', ''Praevaliana'' or ''Prevalis'') was a Late Roman province that existed between c. 284 and c. 600. It included parts of present-day Montenegro, Albania, and part of present-day Kosovo. Its cap ...

), now an archeological site near

Podgorica Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...

in modern

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

. It was an

episcopal see An episcopal see is 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, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...

since the late Roman period, and during the Early Middle Ages. Today, it is a

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 ...

, both in the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

, and in 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 ...

(Latin Rite). When spelled as ''Diocleia'' or ''Diokleia'', it should not be confused with ancient

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; , ''Phrygía'') was a kingdom in the west-central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. Stories of the heroic age of Greek mythology tell of several legendary Ph ...

n city of '' Diokleia in Phrygia'' ().

History

The town was situated ca. 3 km north from present-day

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

's capital. The Illyrian Docleatae, which were later Romanized, inhabiting the area derived their name from the city. Doclea was the largest settlement of the Docleatae, and became a municipality during the reign of Emperor

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusus and Ant ...

, thus between year 41 and 54 AD. A large town with between 8,000 and 10,000 inhabitants, Doclea had been built to conform to the terrain. The surrounding area had a relatively high population density within a radius of 10 km due to the city's geographical position, a favorable climate, positive economic conditions and defensive site that were of great importance at that time.

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...

mentions the cheese of Doclea as a famous Illyrian product. After the administrative division of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

in 297, Doclea became the capital of the new

Roman province The Roman provinces (, pl. ) 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 ruled by a Roman appointed as Roman g ...

, which Roman emperor

Diocletian Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...

established in the imperial administrative reform of 293, splitting this southern part from the province of Dalmatia. The castle of Doclea was built as a typical Roman castrum with the purpose of controlling the road coming from Dalmatia and going to Scodra. In the 4th and the 5th centuries, it was taken by the barbarian tribes and went into decline. At the beginning of the 5th century, it was attacked by the Germanic

Visigoths The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian military group unite ...

. A severe earthquake destroyed it in 518. The

South Slavs South Slavs are Slavic people who speak South Slavic languages and inhabit a contiguous region of Southeast Europe comprising the eastern Alps and the Balkan Peninsula. Geographically separated from the West Slavs and East Slavs by Austria, ...

migrated into the land and proceeded to rebuild the settlement in the 7th century. The historical ruins of the town can be seen today.

Ecclesiastical history

Circa 400, the city became the seat of a bishopric, initially as

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

of the Archdiocese of Salona. A letter from

Pope Gregory I Pope Gregory I (; ; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great (; ), was the 64th Bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 until his death on 12 March 604. He is known for instituting the first recorded large-scale mission from Ro ...

to bishop Constanti(n?)us (circa 602) suggests it had become suffragan of the Archdiocese of Scutari. * Around 877, the synod of Dumno (Delmitanus), elevatated it;, apparently justified as former capital of a Late Roman province Dalmatia Superior, to Metropolitan rank in chief of a Bulgarian

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

at the expense of Scutari, but shifting Bulgarian borders made it lose the Metropolitan status again the next century * The Byzantine

Notitia Episcopatuum The ''Notitiae Episcopatuum'' (singular: ''Notitia Episcopatuum'') were official documents that furnished for Eastern countries the list and hierarchical rank of the metropolitan and suffragan bishoprics of a church. In the Roman Church (the mos ...

in the tenth century. lists it fifth among the suffragans of the Metropolitanate of Dyrrachium, in the sway of the

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is heade ...

. * It was suppressed in 927, when the city was destroyed and its last bishop John took refuge in

Ragusa Ragusa may refer to: Places Croatia * Ragusa, Dalmatia, the historical name of the city of Dubrovnik * the Republic of Ragusa (or Republic of Dubrovnik), the maritime city-state of Ragusa * Ragusa Vecchia, historical Italian name of Cavtat, a t ...

, of which he was soon named Archbishop. * Allegedly from 1034 (no later than the 1062 letter from

Pope Alexander II Pope Alexander II (1010/1015 – 21 April 1073), born Anselm of Baggio, was the head of the Roman Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1061 to his death in 1073. Born in Milan, Anselm was deeply involved in the Pataria reform mo ...

(1061–1073) to their Archbishop Peter) till circa 1100, its now hollow title was nominally united in personal union with the neighbouring, then still Archdiocese of Bar (Antivari), also in modern Montenegro, possibly mainly to justify its (later lost) Metropolitan status. Few of its bishops are historically documented, and some sources may confound the see with Diocletiana. * Paulus (circa 590) * Nemesius (in 602) * (Anonymus) (circa 877) * Johannes = John (circa 900)

Serbian Orthodox titular see

Auxiliary bishops of the

Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral The Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral of the Serbian Orthodox Church () is the largest eparchy (diocese) of the Serbian Orthodox Church in modern Montenegro. Founded in 1219 by Saint Sava as the Eparchy of Zeta, it has continued to ex ...

(Serbian Orthodox Church) are given the title "''Bishop of Dioclea''" (). Recent holders of the title were bishops Jovan Purić (2004-2011), Kirilo Bojović (2016-2018), and Metodije Ostojić (since 2018).

Roman Catholic titular see

In 1910, the archdiocese was nominally restored as Latin titular archbishopric of the Metropolitan (highest) rank as Dioclea, renamed from 1925 (exclusively from 1933) as Doclea. It has had the following archiepiscopal incumbents : * Carlo Bertuzzi (Italian) (1910.05.10 – death 1914.01.04), emeritate as former Bishop of

Rieti Rieti (; , Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of 47,700. It is the administrative seat of the province of Rieti and see of the diocese of Rieti, as well as the modern capital of the Sabina region. T ...

(Italy) (1889.02.11 – 1895.03.18) and Bishop of

Foligno Foligno (; Central Italian, Southern Umbrian: ''Fuligno'') is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennine Mountains, Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clit ...

(Italy) (1895.03.18 – retired 1910.05.10) * Henri Doulcet (French),

Passionists The Passionists, officially named the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ (), abbreviated CP, are a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men, founded by Paul of the Cross in 1720, with a special emphasis on ...

(C.P.) (1914.03.17 – death 1916.07.27) on emeritates, formerly Bishop of Nikopol (

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

) (1895.01.07 – retired 1913.03.31) and Titular Bishop of Ionopolis (1913.06.03 – resigned 1914.03.17) * Pietro Fumasoni Biondi (1916.11.14 – 1933.03.13) (Italian) as papal diplomat and

Roman Curia The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use ...

official :

Apostolic Delegate An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

East India East India is a region consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The states of Bihar and West Bengal lie on the Indo-Gangetic plain. Jharkhan ...

(1916.11.15 – 1919.12.06), Apostolic Delegate to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

(1919.12.06 – 1921.06.16), Secretary of Sacred Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith (1921.06.14 – 1922.12.14), Apostolic Delegate to United States of America (1922.12.14 – 1933.03.13), created

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...

of S. Croce in Gerusalemme (1933.03.16 – death 1960.07.12), Prefect of above Sacred Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith (1933.03.16 – 1960.07.12) *

Paolo Marella Paolo Marella (25 January 1895 – 15 October 1984) was an Italian people, Italian Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served in the Roman Curia following a career as a Nuncio, delegate of the Holy See, and w ...

(1933.09.15 – 1959.12.14) (Italian) as papal diplomat and

official :

to Japan (1933.10.30 – 1948.10.27), Apostolic Delegate to Australia, New Zealand and Oceania (1948.10.27 – 1953.04.15),

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

(papal ambassador) to France (1953.04.15 – 1959.12.14), Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to France (1959.12.14 – 1960.04.16), created

of S. Andrea delle Fratte (1960.03.31 – 1972.03.15), President of Sacred Congregation of the Reverend Basilica of St. Peter (1961.08.14 – 1967),

Archpriest The ecclesiastical title of archpriest or archpresbyter belongs to certain priests with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches and may be somewhat analogo ...

of Papal Basilica of St. Peter (1961.08.14 – 1983.02.08), President of Secretariat for Non-Christians (1964.05.19 – 1973.02.26), President of Reverend Fabric of St. Peter (1967 – 1983.02.08), promoted Cardinal-Bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina (1972.03.15 – death 1984.10.15), Cardinal Vice-Dean of College of Cardinals (1977.12.12 – 1984.10.15) * Egano Righi-Lambertini (Italian) (1960.07.09 – 1979.06.30), papal diplomat :

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

(1957.12.28 – 1960.07.09),

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

(1960.07.09 – 1963.12.09), Apostolic Nuncio to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

(1963.12.09 – 1967.07.08), Apostolic Nuncio to Italy (1967.07.08 – 1969.04.23), Apostolic Nuncio to France (1969.04.23 – 1979.06.30), created

Cardinal-Deacon A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. Ca ...

of S. Giovanni Bosco in Via Tuscolana (1979.06.30 – 1990.11.26), promoted

of S. Maria in Via (1990.11.26 – death 2000.10.04) *

Jozef Tomko Jozef Tomko (11 March 1924 – 8 August 2022) was a Slovak prelate of the Catholic Church who held positions in the Roman Curia from 1962 until he retired in 2007. He was prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples from 1985 t ...

(1979.07.12 – 1985.05.25) (

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

), Roman Curia official : Adjunct Secretary of

International Theological Commission The International Theological Commission (ITC) is a body of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church; it advises the magisterium of the church, particularly the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), a dicastery of the Roman Curia. Its m ...

(1969 – 1971), Undersecretary of Sacred Congregation for Bishops (1974 – 1979.07.12), Secretary General of Synod of Bishops (1979.07.12 – 1985.04.24), Pro-Prefect of

Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation (Roman Curia), congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for Catholic missions, missionary work and related activities. It is also kn ...

(1985.04.24 – 1985.05.27), created

of Gesù Buon Pastore alla Montagnola (1985.05.25 – 1996.01.29), Prefect of above Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (1985.05.27 – 2001.04.09), President of Interdicasterial Commission for Consecrated Religious (1989.03.18 – 2001.04.09), promoted

of S. Sabina (1996.01.29 – ?death ...), President of Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses (2001.10.23 – 2007.10.01), Member of Commission of Cardinals overseeing the Institute for Works of Religion (2002.01.08 – 2008.02.24) * Pier Luigi Celata (1985.12.12 – present)

References

Sources

* * Koprivica T. Sacral Topography of Late Antique and Early Christian Doclea (Montenegro): the First Modern Preliminary Investigation. //Актуальные проблемы теории и истории искусства: сб. науч. статей. Вып. 2 . Под ред. А.В.Захаровой— Санкт-Петербург: НП-Принт — 2012. — с.314-320 * Michel Lequien, ''Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus'', Paris 1740, vol. II, coll. 277-282 & Index, p. III * Daniele Farlati-Jacopo Coleti, ''Illyricum Sacrum'', vol. VII, Venice 1817, pp. 1–7 * {{Authority control Illyrian Montenegro Historical geography of Montenegro Tourist attractions in Podgorica Archaeology of Illyria Roman towns and cities in Montenegro Former populated places in the Balkans Cities in ancient Illyria

History

Ecclesiastical history

Serbian Orthodox titular see

Roman Catholic titular see

See also

References

Sources