Bilbeis ( ; Bohairic ') is an ancient fortress city on the eastern edge of the southern Nile delta in Egypt, the site of the ancient city and former bishopric of Phelbes''' and a Latin Catholic titular see.
The city is small in size but densely populated, with over 407,300 residents. It also houses the Egyptian Air Force Academy complex, which contains the town's largest public school in Al-Zafer.
Coptic tradition says that Bilbeis was one of the stopping places of Holy Family during the Flight into Egypt.
History
The city was important enough in the
Roman province of Augustamnica Secunda to become a bishopric.
Situated on a caravan and natural invasion route from the east, Bilbeis was conquered in 640 by the Arabs. Amr ibn al-As besieged and took the city defended by a Byzantine Empire general called al-Ardubun. According to a Muslim legend, Armanusa, the daughter of Al-Muqawqis lived in Bilbeis.
The city played a role in the machinations for control of the Fatimid : first in 1164, when Shirkuh was besieged in the city by the combined forces of Shawar and crusader king Amalric I of Jerusalem for three months; then again in 1168 when the city was assaulted again by Amalric's army, who took the city after three days on 4 November and indiscriminately killed the inhabitants.[ Crusades mmdtkw.org] (See Crusader invasion of Egypt.)
In 1798, its were rebuilt at the order of Napoleon.
Bilbays Air Base, an Egyptian Air Force base is nearby.
Places of worship
Mosques
The oldest mosque in Egypt, built in 640.[ Belbeis egypttourinfo.com ]
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Amir al-Gish Mosque
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The Great Mosque in Kesaria
Churches
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Coptic church of St. George
Ecclesiastical history
The bishopric, a
suffragan of the Metropolitan of provincial capital
Leontopolis, faded.
Titular see
The diocese of Phelbes was nominally restored in 1933 as a Latin Catholic titular bishopric.
It has had the following incumbents, all of the lowest (episcopal) rank:
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Enrico van Schingen, Jesuits (S.J.) (1936-12-17 – 1954-07-02)
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Antoine Henri van den Hurk, Capuchin Franciscans (O.F.M. Cap.) (1955-01-01 – 1961-01-03) as Apostolic Vicar of Medan (Indonesia) (1955-01-01 – 1961-01-03), promoted first Metropolitan Archbishop of Medan (1961-01-03 – 1976-05-24)
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Walmor Battú Wichrowski (1961-05-31 – 1971-05-27) & (1972-11-16 – 2001-10-31)
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Airton José dos Santos (2001-12-19 – 2004-08-04) as Auxiliary Bishop of Santo André (Brazil) (2001-12-19 – 2004-08-04), later Bishop of Mogi das Cruzes (Brazil) (2004-08-04 – 2012-02-15), Metropolitan Archbishop of Campinas (Brazil) (2012-02-15 – ... )
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Javier Augusto del Río Alba (2004-10-12 – 2006-07-11) as Auxiliary Bishop of Callao (Peru) (2004-10-12 – 2006-07-11), Coadjutor Archbishop of Arequipa (Peru) (2006-07-11 – 2006-10-20), succeeding as Metropolitan Archbishop of Arequipa (2006-10-20 – ... ), Second Vice-president of Episcopal Conference of Peru (January 2012 – ... )
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Janusz Wiesław Kaleta (2006-09-15 – 2011-02-05)
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Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet, Salesians (S.D.B.) (2011-12-10 – 2014-02-11) as Auxiliary Bishop of Montevideo (Uruguay) (2011-12-10 – 2014-02-11), succeeded as Metropolitan Archbishop of Montevideo (2014-02-11 – ... ), created Cardinal-Priest of S. Galla (2015-02-14 2015-05-17 – ... )
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Jorge Ángel Saldía Pedraza, Dominican Order (O.P.) (2014-03-25 – ... ), Auxiliary Bishop of La Paz (Bolivia)
Climate
Bilbeis is classified by Köppen-Geiger climate classification system as hot desert (BWh),
as the rest of Egypt.
See also
Sources
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Hamilton Gibb (2006). The Life of Saladin. Oxford University Press. .
External links
