Parishes 32 Area 2,544 km² Secular priests 19 | Established 1062 Country Albania Metropolitan archbishop Angelo Massafra | |
Population- Total- Catholics (as of 2014)202,80070,701 (34.9%) Cathedral Cathedral of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta in Sapë Ecclesiastical province Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Shkodër-Pult | ||
The Roman Catholic diocese of Sapë (Latin: Dioecesis Sappensis, Albanian: Dioqeza e Sapës) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Albania. It is a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Shkodër-Pult.
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The cathedral see of the diocese is Katedralja e Nënë Terezja, in the town of Vau-Dejës, Shkodër County; the former cathedral is Kisha e Shën Gjergjit, in Nënshat in the same county.
The diocese is one of six Catholic jurisdictions in Albania (including the Italo-Albanian sui iuris Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania). It is located in the vicinity of Lake Scutari, at the river basin of Drin.
The diocese is named after the town of Sapë (Sappa), which is located near the Drin, southeast of Lake Scutari.
Ecclesiastical history
The bishopric was established in 1062, by Pope Alexander II. During the 11th century, the diocese was located within Dioclea. In the 12th century the territory under jurisdiction of this diocese belonged to the Serbian Grand Principality and in period 13th century — mid 14th century it belonged to the Kingdom of Serbia succeeded by the Serbian Empire.
In 1491 Pope Innocent VIII joined to it the Bishopric of Sardë (Sardoniki), and the united sees were suffragans of the Archbishopric of Antivari until the end of the eighteenth century. The See of Sardë comprised also the Diocese of Dagnum (Daynum, Dagno, Danj; Daynensis), founded as suffragan of Antivari during the second half of the fourteenth century and united with Sarda by Pope Martin V in 1428. By the Albanian Council in 1703, the Bishop of Sappa obtained some parishes previously belonging to the Diocese of Pulati.
The exact number of bishops of Sappa is unknown. The first Bishop of Sappa mentioned is Peter in c. 1291. Notable bishops of Sappa include Gjergj Bardhi, and Lazër Vladanji later Archbishop of Bar. In the 19th century a secretary of the bishop of Sape was Pjetër Zarishi.
In the early 20th century the forty-first bishop of Sappa was Mgr. Jak Serreqi, suffragan of Scutari, who resided at the village of Nënshat (Nensciati). His diocese comprised about 22,000 inhabitants of various creeds, of whom 17,280 were Catholics. The ecclesiastical students of this diocese are educated at the seminary of Scutari. The Diocese of Sappa also includes the Franciscan monastery at Troshan (Trosciani), where the Minorites have a "Collegium seraphicum" for their students of philosophy.
Bishops
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