Ruspe or Ruspae was a town in 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 ...

Byzacena Byzacena (or Byzacium) (, ''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, the Roman emperor Dioclet ...

, in '' Africa propria''. It served as the

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'' ...

of Saint

Fulgentius of Ruspe Fabius Claudius Gordianus Fulgentius, also known as Fulgentius of Ruspe (462 or 467 – 1 January 527 or 533), was a North African Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Ruspe in what is now Tunisia, during the 5th and 6th century. He is vene ...

. It is now a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

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 ...

Name

The name "Ruspe" is usually understood to be a

hellenization Hellenization or Hellenification is the adoption of Greek culture, religion, language, and identity by non-Greeks. In the ancient period, colonisation often led to the Hellenisation of indigenous people in the Hellenistic period, many of the ...

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

'' notes the Byzacenan towns of Ruspina and Ruspe, the latter being to the south of the former.

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

's ''

Geography Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

'' 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 betwe ...

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

Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

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 (), also known as the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, is an autocephaly, autocephalous patriarchate that is part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Its seat is in Alexandria, and it ...

saw as dependent on itself at the beginning of the 8th century. Henricus de Noris considered it equivalent to the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

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 nam ...

''.

Geography

According to the ''

'', Ruspe was situated between Acholla and Usilla. It was near the promontory that Ptolemy called Brachodes, the Romans' ''Caput Vadorum'', later known as Capaudia orin

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

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, Lo ...

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

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

, 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 Encyclopedi ...

'' (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 ( ; , ) is a major port city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD849 on the ruins of Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterranean port. Sfax has a ...

, 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" ().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 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 Metropolitan of Archdiocese of Hadrumetum, but was to fade. Bishops of Ruspe earlier than Saint Fulgentius (Italian:

Fulgenzio di Ruspe Fabius Claudius Gordianus Fulgentius, also known as Fulgentius of Ruspe (462 or 467 – 1 January 527 or 533), was a North African Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Ruspe in what is now Tunisia, during the 5th and 6th century. He is vene ...

) whose names are known are *Secundus, who was at the

Conference of Carthage (411) 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 Cypr ...

that brought together Catholic and

Donatist Donatism was a schism from the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Carthage from the fourth to the sixth centuries. Donatists argued that Christian clergy must be faultless for their ministry to be effective and their prayers and sacraments to ...

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

Arian Arianism (, ) is a Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is considered he ...

Vandal The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vandal ...

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 ma ...

summoned to Carthage in 484 and then

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

d. The immediate successor of Fulgentius was Felicianus, his companion in exile, who participated in the Council of Carthage (534). *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 was a theological doctrine in Christianity that was proposed in the 7th century, but was ultimately rejected by the sixth ecumenical council. It held Christ as having only one will and was thus contrary to dyoth ...

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

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

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

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

, 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 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 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 ...

.''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 Ilić, 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, O.F.M. Cap. (1884.08.08 – 1891.08.10) * Spiridion Poloméni (1892.02.27 – 1930.09.12) * Joseph Louis Aldée Desmarais (1931.01.30 – 1939.06.22) * Thomas Tien-ken-sin (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 Churc ...

of Yanggu 陽穀 (China) (1939.07.11 – 1942.11.10) and then Apostolic Vicar of

Qingdao Qingdao, Mandarin: , (Qingdao Mandarin: t͡ɕʰiŋ˧˩ tɒ˥) is a prefecture-level city in the eastern Shandong Province of China. Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, Qingdao was long an important fortress. In 1897, the city was ceded to G ...

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

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

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

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

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 a Croatian bishop and leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sisak. Early life and education Košić was born in the village of Družbinec near Varaždin on May 20, 1959, to Ivan Košić and Marta Dombaj. ...

(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 towns and cities in Tunisia Phoenician colonies in Tunisia