Ruspe or Ruspae was a town 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 ...

Byzacena Byzacena (or Byzacium) ( grc, Βυζάκιον, ''Byzakion'') was a Late Roman province in the central part of Roman North Africa, which is now roughly Tunisia, split off from Africa Proconsularis. History At the end of the 3rd century AD, t ...

, in '' Africa propria''. It served as the episcopal see of Saint

Fulgentius of Ruspe Fabius Claudius Gordianus Fulgentius, also known as Fulgentius of Ruspe (462 or 467 – 1 January 527 or 533) was North African Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Ruspe, in modern-day Tunisia, during the 5th and 6th century. He has been ca ...

. It is now a

Roman Catholic 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 ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

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 archbis ...

Name

The name "Ruspe" is usually understood to be a

hellenization Hellenization (other British spelling Hellenisation) or Hellenism is the adoption of Greek culture, religion, language and identity by non-Greeks. In the ancient period, colonization often led to the Hellenization of indigenous peoples; in th ...

of a Phoenician name including the element "rush" ( xpu, 𐤓𐤔‬, ), meaning "head" or "headland". The ''

Tabula Peutingeriana ' (Latin for "The Peutinger Map"), also referred to as Peutinger's Tabula or Peutinger Table, is an illustrated ' (ancient Roman road map) showing the layout of the '' cursus publicus'', the road network of the Roman Empire. The map is a 13th-ce ...

'' notes the Byzacenan towns of

Ruspina Ruspina was a Phoenician, Carthaginian and Roman town near Monastir, Tunisia, situated in Roman times in '' Africa propria'', and mentioned by Pliny the Elder and Ptolemy. Name The Phoenician and Punic name () or () seems to mean " Angl ...

and Ruspe, the latter being to the south of the former.

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of import ...

's ''

Geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, a ...

'' usually mentions the same two towns in the same order,Henricus de Noris in Migne's Supplement to the Works of Augustine

Patrologia Latina The ''Patrologia Latina'' ( Latin for ''The Latin Patrology'') is an enormous collection of the writings of the Church Fathers and other ecclesiastical writers published by Jacques-Paul Migne between 1841 and 1855, with indices published between ...

, vol. 47, col. 297B although Stevenson's defective English translation gives "Ruspina" and "Rheuspena". The name "Ruspe", a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

feminine singular name, also appears in a list of dioceses that the

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa ( grc, Πατριαρχεῖον Ἀλεξανδρείας καὶ πάσης Ἀφρικῆς, Patriarcheîon Alexandreías kaì pásēs Aphrikês, The Patriarchate of Alexandria and ...

saw as dependent on itself at the beginning of the 8th century.

Henricus de Noris The "Citie of Henricus"—also known as Henricopolis, Henrico Town or Henrico—was a settlement in Virginia founded by Sir Thomas Dale in 1611 as an alternative to the swampy and dangerous area around the original English settlement at Jamestow ...

considered it equivalent to the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

Ruspa. "Ruspae", a

feminine plural name, was preferred by Alexander MacBean, William Smith,William Smith, ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography'' (1854)
/ref> Morcelli; Mesnage, and the ''

Annuario Pontificio The ''Annuario Pontificio'' ( Italian for ''Pontifical Yearbook'') is the annual directory of the Holy See of the Catholic Church. It lists the popes in chronological order and all officials of the Holy See's departments. It also provides name ...

''.

Geography

According to the ''

'', Ruspe was situated between

Acholla Acholla ( grc-gre, Ἀχόλλα, ''Akhólla'') also latinised as Achilla or Achulla, was a Roman- Berber city on the sea-coast in the ancient province of Africa Propria (Byzacena) in modern Tunisia. It was located little above the northern extr ...

and

Usilla Usilla or Usula was a town in the Roman province of Byzacena, now Inchilla in Tunisia. Ptolemy mentions the town, which appears also in the '' Tabula Peutingeriana'' and other geographical documents. These indicate that it was situated from Thysd ...

. It was near the promontory that Ptolemy called Brachodes, the Romans' ''Caput Vadorum'', later known as Capaudia orin

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

Qaboudia (cf.

Chebba Chebba (La Chebba, Ash Shabbah, aš-Šābbah, Sheba) is a small city in the Mahdia Governorate of Tunisia in North Africa on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.Jacobs, Daniel and Morris, Peter (2001) ''The rough guide to Tunisia'' Rough Guides, L ...

). Ruspe was commonly identified with the ruins known as Sbia or Henchir Sbia in present-day

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, four miles west of that cape.Sophrone Pétridès, "Ruspe"
in ''

Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

'' (New York 1912) An alternative site is that of the ruins known as Ksour Siad. In the mid-20th century, a new argument emerged in favour of Koudiat Rosfa, 30 kilometers north of

Sfax Sfax (; ar, صفاقس, Ṣafāqis ) is a city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD849 on the ruins of Berber Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterran ...

, because of the discovery in 1947 of an inscription at Henchir Bou Tria that seems to identify that place with ancient Acholla. (Saumagne had earlier proposed to identify it with Ruspe.) A nearby headland is called Rass Bou Tria. This identification of Acholla gives grounds for considering Ptolemy mistaken in placing Acholla and Usilla north of Cape Brachodes and for identifying Ruspe as Koudiat Rosfa, which is seen as having preserved the ancient name in an

form. Excavations at Koudiat Rosfa have not confirmed the perhaps flattering description applied to the city by Fulgentius's biographer Ferrandus: "a noble town illustrious for its famous inhabitants" ( la, nobile oppidum clarissimis habitatoribus prorsus illustre).G. Ch. Picard, "Ruspe" in ''Enciclopedia dell'Arte Antica'' (Treccani 1965)
/ref>

Religion

The city was important enough in the

to become 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 jurisdiction ...

of its Metropolitan of Archdiocese of Hadrumetum, but was to fade. Bishops of Ruspe earlier than Saint Fulgentius (Italian: Fulgenzio di Ruspe) whose names are known are *Secundus, who was at the Conference of Carthage (411) that brought together Catholic and

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 ...

bishops – Morcelli assigns him instead to an otherwise unknown diocese of Ruspina – * Stephanus, one of the Catholic bishops whom the

Arian Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by G ...

Vandal The Vandals were a Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century. The Vandals migrated to the area bet ...

king

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 ...

summoned to Carthage in 484 and then exiled. The immediate successor of Fulgentius was Felicianus, his companion in exile, who participated in the

Council of Carthage (534) 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 Cypria ...

. *Iulianus attended the

Council of Carthage (646) 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 ...

, an anti-

Monothelitism Monothelitism, or monotheletism (from el, μονοθελητισμός, monothelētismós, doctrine of one will), is a theological doctrine in Christianity, that holds Christ as having only one will. The doctrine is thus contrary to dyothelit ...

council.J. Mesnage
''L'Afrique chrétienne''
(

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, 1912), pp. 140–141Stefano Antonio Morcelli
''Africa christiana''
Volume I, (

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Ise ...

, 1816), pp. 265–266

Titular see

No longer a residential bishopric, Ruspae (the spelling used in the ''

'') is today listed by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

as 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 archbis ...

.''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), p. 961La sede titolare
nel sito di www.gcatholic.org The bishops who have held this title are: * Vincenzo de Via (1757.12.19 – 1762.01.31) * Manuel Obellar, O.P. (1778.01.29 – 1789.09.07) * Grgo Ilijić, O.F.M. (1796.09.30 – 1799.06.01) * Edward Bede Slater, O.S.B. (1818.06.18 – 1832.07.15) * Romualdo Jimeno Ballesteros, O.P. (1839.08.02 – 1846.01.19) *

Antonio Maria Buhagiar Antonio Maria Buhagiar, Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, OFM Cap, born Spiridion Salvatore Constantino Buhagiar or Buhadgiar (19 November 1846 – 10 August 1891) was a prelate of the Catholic Church of Maltese heritage who led ecclesiastical juris ...

, O.F.M. Cap. (1884.08.08 – 1891.08.10) * Spiridion Poloméni (1892.02.27 – 1930.09.12) *

Joseph Louis Aldée Desmarais Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

(1931.01.30 – 1939.06.22) *

Thomas Tien-ken-sin Thomas Tien Ken-sin, SVD (; October 24, 1890 – July 24, 1967) was a Chinese Cardinal of the Catholic Church and chair of Fu Jen Catholic University. He served as Archbishop of Peking from 1946 until his death, and was elevated to the cardi ...

(田耕莘), S.V.D. (1939.07.11 – 1946.02.18), as

Apostolic Vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles * Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Chu ...

of Yanggu 陽穀 (China) (1939.07.11 – 1942.11.10) and then Apostolic Vicar of Qingdao 青島 (China) (1942.11.10 – 1946.04.11); previously Apostolic Prefect of Yanggu 陽穀 (China) (1934.02.23 – 1939.07.11); later

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

of S. Maria in Via (1946.02.22 – 1967.07.24), Metropolitan Archbishop of

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

北京 (PR China) (1946.04.11 – 1967.07.24), Apostolic Administrator of

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

臺北 (Taiwan) (1959.12.16 – 1966.02.15) * Joseph Carroll McCormick (1947.01.11 – 1960.06.25) * David Monas Maloney (1960.11.05 – 1967.12.02) * Horacio Arturo Gómez Dávila (1968.07.03 – 1974.09.15) * Enzo Ceccarelli Catraro, S.D.B. (1974.10.05 – 1998.11.15) *

Vlado Košić Vlado Košić (born 20 May 1959) is Croatian bishop, leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sisak. Early life and education Košić was born in small village of Družbinec near Varaždin on May 20, 1959 to Ivan Košić and Marta Dombaj. He fin ...

(1998.12.29 – 2009.12.05) * Rafael Biernaski (2010.02.10 – 2015.06.24) * Nuno Manuel dos Santos Almeida (21.11.2015) incumbent.

References

Sources and external links

GigaCatholic, with titular incumbent biography links
{{coord missing, Tunisia Catholic titular sees in Africa Former populated places in Tunisia Roman sites in Tunisia Phoenician colonies in Tunisia