Diocese of Bela

The Diocese of Bela is a Roman Catholic titular diocese in Greece.

History

Bela was a medieval fortress town and bishopric in Epirus, northwestern Greece.

Bela first appears in the mid-10th century, when the Byzantine Empire's Notitiae Episcopatuum mention the see of "Photice, that is Bela" (Φωτικῆς ἤτοι Βελᾶς), implying that the seat of the bishopric of Photice, a suffragan of the Metropolis of Naupaktos, had been moved to Bela. This move was temporary, since from the mid-11th century, Photice is again mentioned without further additions.[1] Its only recorded bishop during that time, Constantine, is known from a 10th-century episcopal seal.[2]

From the early 13th century, however, Bela is attested as a separate bishopric, held by Manuel Makres.[3] It is possible that during the 13th century, Bela formed also a province (theme), but this is unclear.[3] It appears that by 1367, Bela and nearby Dryinopolis were no longer suffragans of Naupaktos, but of the Metropolis of Ioannina, as indeed is confirmed from the late 15th century on.[3]

Restoration

The see, Eastern Orthodox throughout its existence, was nominally restored in 1933 as a Latin Catholic titular bishopric. It has had the following incumbents:[4]

References

  1. ^ Soustal & Koder 1981, pp. 123, 236.
  2. ^ Nesbitt, John; Oikonomides, Nicolas, eds. (1994). Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Volume 2: South of the Balkans, the Islands, South of Asia Minor. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. pp. 15–16. ISBN 0-88402-226-9.
  3. ^ a b c Soustal & Koder 1981, p. 123.
  4. ^ "Titular Episcopal See of Bela". GCatholic.org. Retrieved 21 December 2018.

Sources