Mesarfelta was a Roman–Berber town in the province of Numidia. It was also a bishopric that is included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees.[1]
History
[edit]The historic Mesarfelta is believed to be what are now the ruins of El-Outaïa or those of Tolga, Henchir-El-Ksar,[1] or may be Qastilya in Algeria[2] (according to "Three North-African Topographical Notes (Islamic-Roman)").
The city is believed to have been constructed as a fortification by the Romans (with annexed "vicus"), in the second half of the first century near the Aures Mountains. It had an amphitheatre during Hadrians reign.[3]
A barrier called Fossatum Africae, which marked the frontier between the territory of the Roman Empire and other lands, ran through Mesarfelta.[4]
The city disappeared after the Muslim conquest in the second half of the 7th century.
Bishopric
[edit]The city of Mesarfelta was the seat of an ancient bishopric[5] There are two Mesarfelta bishops historically remembered both in the Council of Carthage (411).
Ancient bishops
[edit]- William Edward McManus 1967–1976
- Louis-Albert Vachon 1977–1981
- Basile Tapsoba 1981–1984
- Joseph Paul Pierre Morissette 1987–1990
- Michael Angelo Saltarelli[7] 1990–1995
- Antonio Menegazzo, M.C.C.I. 1995-2019
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 929
- ^ Stern, S.M. (September 1954). "Three North-African Topographical Notes (Islamic-Roman)". Arabica. 1 (3): 343–345. doi:10.1163/157005854X00357. JSTOR 4054839.
- ^ Bomgardner, David L. (2013-07-04). The Story of the Roman Amphitheatre. Routledge. ISBN 9781134707393.
- ^ Wacher, J. S. (2002). The Roman world. Routledge. p. 872. ISBN 0-415-26314-X.
- ^ Joseph Bingham, Origines Ecclesiasticae; Or the Antiquities of the Christian Church and Other Works: In Nine Volumes, Volume 3 p236.
- ^ "Mesarfelta (Titular See)". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. October 12, 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
- ^ Gabriele, Michael C. (October 14, 2009). "Bishop Saltarelli, 77; Son of Archdiocese". The Catholic Advocate. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
Bibliography
[edit]- J. Baradez (1949). Gemellae. Un camp d'Hadrien et une ville aux confins sahariens aujourd’hui ensevelis sous les sables. Revue Africaine v. 93 p. 1-24.
- P. Trousset (2002). Les limites sud de la réoccupation Byzantine. Antiquité Tardive v. 10, p. 143-150.
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