Medjana

Medjana
Medjana
Commune and town
	Location of Medjana, Algeria within Bordj Bou Arréridj Province
	Medjana Location of Medjana within Algeria
	Coordinates: 36°08′N 4°40′E / 36.133°N 4.667°E
Country	Algeria
Province	Bordj Bou Arréridj Province
Population (1998)
• Total	16,112
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)

Medjana is a town and commune (municipality) in Bordj Bou Arréridj Province, Algeria. It is the (approximate) location the ancient city and bishopric of Vardimissa, which remains a Latin Catholic titular see.

According to the 1998 census it has a population of 16,112.^[1]

History

Vardimissa (also spelled B- as n Greek) was important enough in the Roman province of Mauretania Caesariensis to become one of its many suffragan dioceses, but like most, faded completely, probably at the 7th century advent of Islam.

Two of its bishops are historically documented :

Victor, participant at the Council of Carthage in 411, among the Catholic bishops confronted with Donatist heretical counterparts, without such for his see.^[2]
Burcus, intervening Catholic participant at the Council of Carthage in 484 called by king Huneric of the Vandal Kingdom, presumably exiled or executed afterward.^[3]

Titular see

The diocese was nominally restored in 1933 as Latin titular bishopric of Vardimissa (Latin = Curiate Italian) / Vardimissen(sis) (Latin adjective).

It is vacant, having had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank :

José Freire Falcão (1967.04.24 – 1967.08.19) as Coadjutor Bishop of Limoeiro do Norte (Brazil) (1967.04.24 – 1967.08.19); later Bishop of Limoeiro do Norte (1967.08.19 – 1971.11.25), Metropolitan Archbishop of Teresina (Brazil) (1971.11.25 – 1984.02.15), Metropolitan Archbishop of Brasília (Brazil) (1984.02.15 – retired 2004.01.28), Second Vice-President of Latin American Episcopal Council (1987 – 1991), created Cardinal-Priest of S. Luca a Via Prenestina (1988.06.28 – ...)
Bruno-Augustin Hippel, Pallotines (S.A.C.) (1968.10.02 – death 1970.11.07) as emeritate; previously Titular Bishop of Abora (1948.12.09 – 1951.01.11) as first and last Apostolic Vicar of Oudtshoorn (South Africa) (1948.12.09 – 1951.01.11), (see) promoted first Bishop of Oudtshoorn (1951.01.11 – retired 1968.10.02)
Alano Maria Pena, Dominican Order (O.P.) (1975.04.07 – 1978.05.26) as Auxiliary Bishop of Belém do Pará (Brazil) (1975.04.07 – 1976.07.14), Coadjutor Bishop-Prelate of Territorial Prelature of Marabá (Brazil) (1976.07.14 – 1976.11.10) and succeeding as last Bishop-Prelate of Marabá (1976.11.10 – 1979.10.16); later (see) promoted first Bishop of Marabá (Brazil) (1979.10.16 – 1985.07.11), Bishop of Itapeva (Brazil) (1985.07.11 – 1993.11.24), Bishop of Nova Friburgo (Brazil) (1993.11.24 – 2003.09.24), Metropolitan Archbishop of Niterói (Brazil) (2003.09.24 – retired 2011.11.30)
Alfredo Ernest Novak, Redemptorists (C.SS.R.) (born USA) (1979.04.19 – 1989.03.15) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of São Paulo (Brazil) (1979.04.19 – 1989.03.15); later Bishop of Paranaguá (Brazil) (1989.03.15 – retired 2006.08.02), died 2014
Jan Martyniak (1989.07.20 – 1991.01.16) as Auxiliary Bishop of Przemyśl of the Ukrainians (Poland) (1989.07.20 – 1991.01.16); next succeeded as last suffragan Eparch (Bishop) of Przemyśl of the Ukrainians (1991.01.16 – 1996.05.24), (see) promoted as first Metropolitan Archbishop of restyled Przemyśl–Warszawa of the Ukrainians (1996.05.24 – retired 2015.11.07)
Diómedes Espinal de León (2000.04.20 – 2006.05.24) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Santiago de los Caballeros (Dominican Republic) (2000.04.20 – 2006.05.24); next Bishop of Mao–Monte Cristi (Dominican Republic) (2006.05.24 – ...)
Mosè Marcia (2006.06.03 – 2011.04.21) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy) (2006.06.03 – 2011.04.21); later Bishop of Nuoro (Italy) (2011.04.21 – ...).

References

^ Statoids
^ Mansi, Sacrorum conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, vol. IV, coll. 120 e 269.
^ Notitia provinciarum et civitatem Africae, p. 45.

Sources and external links

GCatholic

Bibliography - ecclesiastical history

Pius Bonifacius Gams, Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae, Leipzig 1931, p. 469
Stefano Antonio Morcelli, Africa christiana, Volume I, Brescia 1816, p. 347
Auguste Audollent, lemma 'Bartimisiensis' in Dictionnaire d'Histoire et de Géographie ecclésiastiques, vol. VI, 1932, coll. 1042-1043

[1] Statoids

[2] Mansi, Sacrorum conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, vol. IV, coll. 120 e 269.

[3] Notitia provinciarum et civitatem Africae, p. 45.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Bordj Bou Arréridj Province
Capital:Bordj Bou Arréridj
Districts	Bordj Bou Arréridj Medjana Mansourah Ras El Oued Bordj Ghedir El Hamadia Bir Kasd Ali Bordj Zemmoura Djaâfra Aïn Taghrout
Communes	Aïn Taghrout Aïn Tesra Belimour Ben Daoud Bir Kasdali Bordj-Bou-Arreridj Bordj Ghédir Bordj Zemoura Colla Djaafra El Ach El Achir El Anseur El Hamadia El Main El M'hir Ghilassa Haraza Hasnaoua Khelil Ksour Mansoura Medjana Ouled Brahem Ouled Dahmane Ouled Sidi Brahim Rabta Ras El Oued Sidi Embarek Tafreg Taglait Tassamert Teniet En-Nasr Tixter

History

Titular see

See also

References

Sources and external links