Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Athens

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Athens

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Athens

Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Greece

The Archdiocese of Athens (Latin: Archidioecesis Atheniensis or Athenarum) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Greece. Its cathedra is found within the neoclassic Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite, in the episcopal see of Athens.

Quick Facts Archdiocese of AthensArchidioecesis Atheniensis Ιερά Αρχιεπισκοπή Καθολικών Αθηνών, Location ...

History

The See of Athens is one of the oldest Christian bishoprics, dating back to Hierotheos the Thesmothete in the mid-1st century AD. In ca. 800, it was raised to a metropolitan see.

In 1205, the city was captured by the Crusaders, who had conquered Constantinople and dissolved the Byzantine Empire the year before. The city's incumbent Greek Orthodox bishop, Michael Choniates, retired to the island of Kea, and a Latin Catholic archbishop was installed in his place, with the French cleric Berard being elected to the post in 1206.[2][3]

The Crusaders largely maintained the ecclesiastical order they found, appointing Catholic bishops to replace the Orthodox prelates.[4] Thus, in a letter by Pope Innocent III to Berard in 1209, 11 suffragan sees are mentioned under Athens, identical to those under Byzantine rule, although most of them were de facto vacant: Negroponte (Egripontis), Thermopylae (Cermopilensis, seat in Bodonitsa), Davleia (Davaliensem), Aulon (Abelonensem), Oreoi (Zorconensis), Karystos (Caristiensem), Koroneia (Coroniacensem), Andros (Andrensem), Megara (Megarensem), Skyros (Squirensem), and Kea (Cheensem).[3][5] In the Provinciale Romanum, a list of the sees subordinate to the See of Rome, dating to some time before 1228, the number of suffragans is reduced to eight: Thermopylae, Daulia, Salona, Negroponte, Aulon, Oreoi, Megara, and Skyros.[3][6]

The Catholic see remained vacant for a period after the Catalan Company conquered the Duchy of Athens in 1311 due to the Catalans' conflict with the papacy, and a residential archbishop is not attested until around the mid-14th century.[7] Beginning with Dorotheus I ca. 1388, the Orthodox bishops of Athens, who had been continued to be appointed as titular holders since the Latin conquest, were allowed to resume residence in the city, but the Latin Archbishop retained his pre-eminent position until the conquest of the Duchy of Athens by the Ottoman Empire in 1456. The last Latin Archbishop, Nicholas Protimo, fled to Venetian-held Euboea, where he died in 1482. The Catholic see was held by titular archbishops thereafter.

On 23 July 1875, the see was restored as the modern Catholic Archdiocese of Athens, ministering to the Catholic inhabitants of the Greek capital and most of mainland Greece.

List of Archbishops of Athens

For the Orthodox archbishops, see List of archbishops of Athens.

Medieval metropolitan archbishops

More information Name, Appointed ...

Titular archbishops

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Modern metropolitan archbishops

More information Incumbent, Appointed ...

See also

Notes

  1. [1]
    "Rinunce e nomine".
  2. [2]
    Setton 1976, pp. 22–23, 407.
  3. [3]
    Koder & Hild 1976, p. 84.
  4. [4]
    Setton 1976, p. 406.
  5. [5]
    Setton 1976, p. 408.
  6. [6]
    Setton 1976, p. 409.
  7. [7]
    Koder & Hild 1976, p. 86.
  8. [8]
    Setton 1976, p. 462.
  9. [9]
    Setton 1976, p. 461 (note 128).
  10. [10]
    Setton 1976, pp. 461 (note 128), 463.
  11. [11]
    Setton 1976, p. 463.
  12. [12]
    Setton 1976, pp. 463–464 (esp. note 139).
  13. [13]
    Setton 1976, p. 464 (note 140).
  14. [14]
    "Archdiocese of Athens". gcatholic.org. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  15. [15]
    Eubel 1913, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, volume 1, pp. 114–115.
  16. [16]
    Eubel 1914, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, volume 2, p. 98.
  17. [17]
    "Athenae (Titular See)". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  18. [18]
    Eubel 1923, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, volume 3, p. 122.
  19. [19]
    Eubel 1935, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, volume 4, p. 99.
  20. [20]
    Eubel 1952, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, volume 5, p. 103.
  21. [21]
    Eubel 1958, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, volume 6, pp. 104–105.
  22. [22]
    "Archdiocese of Athēnai {Athens}". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 22 March 2015.

References

37.9791°N 23.7347°E / 37.9791; 23.7347
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