Remesiana (Byzantine Greek: Ρεμεσιανισία) was an Ancient Rome city and former bishopric, which remains an Eastern Orthodox and also a Latin Catholic titular see, located around and under the modern city of Bela Palanka in Serbia.
Remesiana was declared an Archaeological Sites of Great Importance in 1987, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia.
History
Remesiana was built after the Roman conquest of
Moesia, in the area of the town
Aiadava. It was on the route of ancient
Via Militaris road between
Naissus and
Serdica in Dacia Mediterranea.
Districts
Byzantine Emperor
Justinian had the following strongholds in the district of Remesiana :
Brittura, Subaras, Lamponiana, Stronges, Dalmatas, Primiana, Phrerraria, Topera, Tomes, Cuas, Tzertzenutzas, Stens,
Aeadaba, Destreba, Pretzouries, Cumudeba, Deurias, Lutzolo, Rhepordenes, Spelonca, Scumbro, Briparo, Tulcoburgo, Longiana, Lupophantana,
Dardapara, Burdomina, Grinciapana, Graecus and Drasimarca.
Localities
Site of the Assembly
Austrian historian
Karl Patsch's opinion that the provincial assembly of
Moesia Superior sat at Remesiana, based upon the fact that some inscriptions were discovered, "inaugurated between 202 and 209 by
Ulpiana in honour of Septimius Severus and
Julia Domna,"
[CIL III 1685, 1686 and 1688 = 8257] is not correct. 's monument in
Bela Palanka]]
One can see in a recently discovered inscription of identical content[Vulich, Ancient Monuments of our country, Spomenik XCVIII, 1941–1948, 3, No. 4] that these inscriptions were inaugurated in 202. However, that year Septimius Severus returned from the east to Rome and probably passed through Remesiana and on that occasion the inscriptions were inaugurated.
Ecclesiastical History
Remesiana was import enough in the Late
Roman province of Dacia Mediterranea to become (circa 300 AD) one of the
of its capital's Metropolitan, the Archdiocese of Serdica, in the sway of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
It was suppressed circa 500 AD.
Only two residential Suffragan Bishops of Remesiana are historically documented :
-
Saint Nicetas of Remesiana (fl. ca. 335–414), friend of Paulinus of Nola, and to whom Gennadio di Marsiglia dedicated a brief biographical note in De Viris Illustribus, patron saint of Romania, canonized by both Catholic and Orthodox churches
-
Diogenianus, participant at the Second Council of Ephesus in 449.
Titular see
Remesiana is an Eastern Orthodox
titular see, within the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Remesiana is also a Roman Catholic titular see[ Remesiana Catholic Encyclopedia] since circa 1890, when the diocese as nominally restored as Latin titular bishopric of Remesiana (Latin = Curiate Italian) / Remesianen(sis) (Latin adjective).
It has had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank :
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Joseph-Marie Leray, Sacred Heart Missionaries (M.S.C.) (born France) (1897.07.27 – death 1929.10.17) as first Apostolic Vicar of Gilbert Islands (Kiribati) (1897.07.27 – 1927) and emeritate
-
Federico Melendro Gutiérrez (梅耿光), Jesuits (S.J.) (born Spain) (1930.02.14 – 1946.04.11) as only Apostolic Vicar of Anqing 安慶 (China) (1930.02.14 – 1946.04.11); later promoted first Metropolitan Archbishop of Anqing 安慶 (1946.04.11 – death 1978.10.25)
-
Francisco Javier Ochoa Ullate (陳明理), Augustinian Recollects (O.A.R.) (born Spain) (1947.12.11 – 1976.09.06) as emeritate; formerly only Apostolic Prefect of Guide 歸德 (China) (1929.01.08 – 1937.05.18), (see) promoted only Apostolic Vicar of Guide 歸德 (1937.05.18 – 1946.04.11) and Titular Bishop of Chusira (1937.05.18 – 1946.04.11), again (see) promoted first Bishop of Shangqiu 商邱 (China) (1946.04.11 – retired 1947.12.11)
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Jacques Louis Marie Joseph Fihey (1977.05.31 – 1989.04.22) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Marseille (France) (1977.05.31 – 1983.02.12); later Bishop of the Military Vicariate of the French Armed Forces (1983.02.12 – 1986.07.21), restyled Bishop of the Military Ordinariate of the French Armed Forces (1986.07.21 – 1989.04.22), finally Bishop of Coutances (France) (1989.04.22 – retired 2006.10.02), died 2017
-
Sylvester Donovan Ryan (1990.02.17 – 1992.01.28) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Los Angeles (California, USA) (1990.02.17 – 1992.01.28); later Bishop of Monterey (USA) (1992.01.28 – retired 2006.12.19)
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Nicola De Angelis, Sons of the Immaculate Conception (C.F.I.C.) (born Italy) (1992.04.27 – 2002.12.28) as Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto (Ontario, Canada) (1992.04.27 – 2002.12.28); later Bishop of Peterborough (Canada) (2002.12.28 – retired 2014.04.08)
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Francis Ronald Reiss (2003.07.07 – ...) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Detroit (USA) (2003.07.07 – 2015.11.11) and on emeritate.
See also
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Archaeological Sites of Great Importance (Serbia)
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List of Catholic dioceses in Serbia and Kosovo
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Tourism in Serbia
Sources and external links
- Bibliography
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Pius Bonifacius Gams, Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae, Leipzig 1931, p. 417
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Daniele Farlati-Jacopo Coleti, Illyricum Sacrum, vol. VIII, Venice 1817, pp. 77–84
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Michel Le Quien, Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus, Paris 1740, vol. II, coll. 305-306
