Peltae (Peltæ) or Peltai () was a city and bishopric of

ancient Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; , ''Phrygía'') was a kingdom in the west-central part of Ancient regions of Anatolia#Classical Age regions (circa 200 BC), Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. Stories of ...

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

, which remains a 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 ...

History

Peltae was a considerable town of Phrygia, was situated, according to

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; ; 355/354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian. At the age of 30, he was elected as one of the leaders of the retreating Ancient Greek mercenaries, Greek mercenaries, the Ten Thousand, who had been ...

, at a distance of 10

parasang The parasang, also known as a farsakh (from Arabic), is a historical Iranian peoples, Iranian unit of Walking distance measure, walking distance, the length of which varied according to terrain and speed of travel. The European equivalent is the ...

s from

Celaenae Celaenae (Celænæ) or Kelainai () was an ancient city of Phrygia and capital of the Persian satrapy of Greater Phrygia, near the source of the Maeander River in what is today west central Turkey (Dinar of Afyonkarahisar Province), and was situ ...

, at the head of the river Maeander. Xenophon describes it as a populous city, and states that the army of

Cyrus the Younger Cyrus the Younger ( ''Kūruš''; ; died 401 BC) was an Achaemenid prince and general. He ruled as satrap of Lydia and Ionia from 408 to 401 BC. Son of Darius II and Parysatis, he died in 401 BC in battle during a failed attempt to oust his ...

remained there three days, during which games and sacrifices were performed. The ''

Tabula Peutingeriana ' (Latin Language, Latin for 'The Peutinger Map'), also known as Peutinger's Tabula, Peutinger tablesJames Strong (theologian) , James Strong and John McClintock (theologian) , John McClintock (1880)"Eleutheropolis" In: ''The Cyclopedia of Bibli ...

'', where the name is erroneously written Pella, places it, quite in accordance with Xenophon, 26 miles from Apamea Cibotus, to the ''

conventus In Ancient Rome territorial organization, a ''conventus iuridicus'' was the capital city of a subdivision of some provinces (Dalmatia, Hispania, Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It c ...

'' of which Peltae belonged.

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

mentions Peltae among the smaller towns of Phrygia, and the ''

Notitiae 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 ...

'' name it among the episcopal cities of the

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 ...

of Phrygia Pacatiana Prima to be a

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 its capital

Laodicea in Phrygia The Diocese of Laodicea in Phrygia, is an important titular diocese, centered on the biblical city of Laodicea on the Lycus in modern Turkey. The Church at Laodicea was a centre of Christianity from a very early point. The New Testament indicate ...

's metropolitan Archbishopric. The district in which the town was situated derived from it the name of the Peltaean plain (Πελτηνόν or Πελτινὸν πεδίον).

Location

Peltae's site is not known, and several scholars have offered opinions as to its location. It is probable that it is located southwest of

Eumeneia Eumeneia or Eumenia () was a town of ancient Phrygia, situated on the river Glaucus, on the road from Dorylaeum to Apameia. It is said to have received its name from Attalus II, who named the town after his brother and predecessor, Eumenes II. A ...

Titular see

The diocese was nominally restored in 1933 as

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 ...

under the names of Peltae (Latin), adjective Pelten(us) / Pelte (Curiate Italian). It is vacant since decades, having only had the following incumbent(s), so far of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank : * Stephen Stanislaus Woznicki (1937.12.13 – 1950.03.28) as

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. ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

(USA) (1937.12.13 – 1950.03.28), later Bishop of

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of ...

(USA) (1950.03.28 – 1968.10.30), emeritate as Titular Bishop of Thiava (1968.10.30 – death 1968.12.10).

References

External links

GCatholic - data for all sections
{{Authority control Populated places in Phrygia Former populated places in Turkey Roman towns and cities in Turkey Populated places of the Byzantine Empire Catholic titular sees in Asia Lost ancient cities and towns