The Catholic diocese of Sufetula was an ancient bishopric in the city of Sufetula, on the site of modern

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

Sbeitla Sbeitla or Sufetula ( ber, Sbitla or Seftula, ar, سبيطلة ') is a small town in west-central Tunisia. Nearby are the Byzantine ruins of Sufetula, containing the best preserved Byzantine forum temples in Tunisia. It was the entry point of the ...

, 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 ...

Background

Peutinger Table. Sufetula, also known as Speitla, Sbeitla and Sufetula, is an archaeological site in

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

with well preserved ruins from the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Medite ...

. Roman era Sufetula was a

civitas In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (; plural ), according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the , or citizens, united by law (). It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities () o ...

(town) and border post on the limes Africana in the

Roman province of Africa Africa Proconsularis was a Roman province on the northern African coast that was established in 146 BC following the defeat of Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day Tunisia, the northeast of Algeria, ...

during the

. The town was flourishing by 79 AD and lasted to 647, when the town was sacked by

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...

– Berber raiders.

Ancient Bishopric

Sufetula was also the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

of an ancient Christian

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

. The bishopric was founded during the

and survived through 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 Kingdom and Orthodox

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...

, only ceasing to function with the

Muslim conquest of the Maghreb The Muslim conquest of the Maghreb ( ar, الْفَتْحُ الإسلَامِيُّ لِلْمَغرِب) continued the century of rapid Muslim conquests following the death of Muhammad in 632 and into the Byzantine-controlled territories of ...

Ancient churches

Ruins of Sufetula show that the town had at least six churches. *The church of Bellator *The chapel of Jucundus *The

Basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

of Vitalis *The church of Servus *The Basilica of Saints

Gervasius and Protasius Saints Gervasius and Protasius (also Saints Gervase and Protase, Gervasis and Prothasis and in French ''Gervais and Protais'') are venerated as Christian martyrs, probably of the 2nd century. They are the patron saints of Milan and of haymakers a ...

and

Tryphon of Campsada Saint Tryphon of Campsada (; also spelled ''Trypho'', ''Trifon'', ''Triphon'') was a 3rd-century Christian saint. He is venerated by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches as a great martyr and holy unmercenary. Saint Tryphon was for ...

*a sixth century Basilica *The chapel of Bishop Honorius, outside the city. *Byzantine Chapel, largely unexcavated Among these several appear to have been cathedra. The so-called Church of Servus is believed to have been the Donatist

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

of Sufetula, while the church of Bellator was the Catholic, and later Orthodox, cathedral. The Basilica of Vitalis may have been the Arian Cathedral and dates from the 5th century. The remains at Sufetula are important as they indicate that the various sects within Christianity built and kept their own places of worship, not being taken over by successive regimes.

Known bishops

*Privatianus *Jucundus (Catholic) *Titianus (

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 ...

, ) *Amicacius (Catholic) early 5th century *Bellator (Catholic) early 5th century, built church that bears his name; an associate of Jucundus. *Paesidius (

) before 484, was sent into exile by 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 ...

before the general purge of bishops *Honorius (6th century) associated with the siege of SufetulaJ. Patout Burns, Robin M. Jensen, ''Christianity in Roman Africa: The Development of Its Practices and Beliefs'' (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 30 Nov. 2014) p.155.

Titular see

The diocese was nominally revived 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 ...

of the lowest (episcopal) rank in 1914. It has had the following incumbents, mostly missionary members of congregations: *

João Irineu Joffily João is the Portuguese equivalent of the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in the sections below. Kings * ...

(1914.08.18 – 1916.05.04), later Archbishop * Flaminio Belotti ( zh, s=包海容, hp=Bao Hairong), Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (P.I.M.E.; 14 June 1917 – 23 November 1945) * Louis Joseph Cabana,

White Fathers , image = Cardinal Lavigerie.jpg , caption = Charles Lavigerie , abbreviation = M.Afr. , nickname = White Fathers , formation = , founder = Archbishop Charles-Martial Allem ...

(M. Afr.) (1947.01.09 – 1953.03.25) (later Archbishop) * Joseph-Marie-Eugène Bretault, M. Afr. (1954.06.27 – 1955.09.14) * Arnold Boghaert,

Redemptorists The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brothe ...

(C.SS.R.) (1956.11.09 – 1957.06.04) * Camille Vandekerckhove,

Lazarists , logo = , image = Vincentians.png , abbreviation = CM , nickname = Vincentians, Paules, Lazarites, Lazarists, Lazarians , established = , founder = Vincent de Paul , fou ...

(C.M.) (1957.12.24 – 1959.11.10) * Thomas Patrick Collins,

Maryknoll Fathers Maryknoll is a name shared by a number of related Catholic organizations, including the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (also known as the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America or the Maryknoll Society), the Maryknoll Sisters, and the Mary ...

(M.M.) (1960.11.15 – 1973.12.07)

Source and external links

GigaCatholic, with incumbent biography links

References

{{Authority control Catholic titular sees in Africa Roman sites in Tunisia