See of Sardis
Encyclopedia
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
in Sardis
Sardis
Sardis or Sardes was an ancient city at the location of modern Sart in Turkey's Manisa Province...
. It was one of the Seven Churches of the Apocalypse
Seven churches of Asia
The Seven Churches of Revelation, also known as The Seven Churches of the Apocalypse and The Seven Churches of Asia , are seven major churches of Early Christianity, as mentioned in the New Testament Book of Revelation and written to by Ignatius of Antioch...
, held by metropolitan bishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
s since the middle to late 1st century, with jurisdiction over the province of Lydia
Lydia
Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
(formed in 295). Since 1369 it was intermittently occupied by both Eastern Orthodox metropolitan bishops (until 1986) and Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
s consecrated in partibus infidelium and later titular
Titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular bishop", "titular metropolitan", or "titular archbishop"....
archbishops (until 1976).
History
After DiocletianDiocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
reorganized the region in 295, Sardis became the capital of the district of Lydia, the seat of the governor and metropolitan archbishop.
There is only one known epigraphic
Epigraphy
Epigraphy Epigraphy Epigraphy (from the , literally "on-writing", is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; that is, the science of identifying the graphemes and of classifying their use as to cultural context and date, elucidating their meaning and assessing what conclusions can be...
reference to the see of Sardis, published in the 5th or 6th century. A 1959 landslide revealed several ecclesiastical artifacts and a throne that archaeologists postulated may have been used by the bishops of Sardis. The first systemic investigation of the ruins of Sardis came in 1910 with an expedition from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. Excavations in 1912 revealed a small "Church M", containing coin
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
s which were dated to the 5th century and an apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
overhanging one of the earliest known Christian altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
s, near the north eastern corner of the Temple of Artemis
Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis , also known less precisely as the Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to a goddess Greeks identified as Artemis and was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was situated at Ephesus , and was completely rebuilt three times before its eventual destruction...
.
According to the Menologion, Clement, a disciple of Paul of Tarsus
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
and one of the Seventy (Philippians 4:3
Epistle to the Philippians
The Epistle of Paul to the Philippians, usually referred to simply as Philippians, is the eleventh book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was written by St. Paul to the church of Philippi, an early center of Christianity in Greece around 62 A.D. Other scholars argue for an...
), was the first bishop of Sardis. Little is known about the ancient episcopacy
Episcopal polity
Episcopal polity is a form of church governance that is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a bishop...
of Sardis, with the notable exception of Saint Melito
Melito of Sardis
Melito of Sardis was the bishop of Sardis near Smyrna in western Anatolia, and a great authority in Early Christianity: Jerome, speaking of the Old Testament canon established by Melito, quotes Tertullian to the effect that he was esteemed a prophet by many of the faithful...
, a contemporary of Marcus Aurelius from the 2nd century, whom some sources refer to as the second bishop of Sardis—citing the "improbability of seventy years in the episcopate"—making him the successor to the "angel of the church of Sardis
Seven churches of Asia
The Seven Churches of Revelation, also known as The Seven Churches of the Apocalypse and The Seven Churches of Asia , are seven major churches of Early Christianity, as mentioned in the New Testament Book of Revelation and written to by Ignatius of Antioch...
" referenced in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
(Rev. 3:1-3
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
), while other sources regard Melito himself as the "apostle" or "angel of the church of Sardis." In the Book of Revelation
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
, Saint John
John of Patmos
John of Patmos is the name given, in the Book of Revelation, as the author of the apocalyptic text that is traditionally cannonized in the New Testament...
writes a letter to the church of Sardis, reproaching it and its bishop.
The Council of Rimini
Council of Rimini
The Council of Rimini was an early Christian church synod held in Ariminum ....
desposed Bishop Hortasius of Sardis in 359 because he had been ordained without the saction of the bishops of Lydia. The See had 27 suffragan bishop
Suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...
s (including the bishop of Thyatira
Thyatira
Thyateira is the name of the modern Turkish city of Akhisar . The name comes from Koine Greek "Θυάτειρα" . The Turkish equivalent of Thyateira is Tepe Mezarligi. It lies in the far west of Turkey, south of Istanbul and almost due east of Athens...
and Philadelphia
Alasehir
Alaşehir, in Antiquity and the Middle Ages known as Philadelphia , i.e. " brotherly love" is a town and district of Manisa Province in the Aegean region of Turkey. It is situated in the valley of the Kuzuçay , at the foot of the Bozdağ...
) in the 7th century, and approximately that number until the end of the 10th century.
Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
s sacked Sardis in 716, but the city remained a part of a resurgent Roman (Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
) Empire until the aftermath of the battle of Manzikert
Battle of Manzikert
The Battle of Manzikert , was fought between the Byzantine Empire and Seljuq Turks led by Alp Arslan on August 26, 1071 near Manzikert...
in 1071. Euthymius, a Metropolitan Bishop of Sardis, was martyred in 824 in relation to iconoclasm.
East-West schism
In 1118, Byzantine general Philocales recaptured Sardis from the SeljukSeljuq dynasty
The Seljuq ; were a Turco-Persian Sunni Muslim dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to 14th centuries...
Sultanate of Rum
Sultanate of Rûm
The Sultanate of Rum , also known as the Anatolian Seljuk State , was a Turkic state centered in in Anatolia, with capitals first at İznik and then at Konya. Since the court of the sultanate was highly mobile, cities like Kayseri and Sivas also functioned at times as capitals...
. Andronikos, an Eastern Orthodox Bishop of Sardis circa 1283, made several attempts at East-West reunification
East-West Schism
The East–West Schism of 1054, sometimes known as the Great Schism, formally divided the State church of the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western branches, which later became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, respectively...
. Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
captured Sardis in 1306; the city was destroyed by Timur
Timur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
in 1402.
The Metropolitan of Sardis
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
, which had once ranked sixth in precedence in the Eastern church, continued to be appointed into the 13th century, long after Sardis had shrunk into a village which was no longer a regional locus of power. In 1369, Philadelphia
Alasehir
Alaşehir, in Antiquity and the Middle Ages known as Philadelphia , i.e. " brotherly love" is a town and district of Manisa Province in the Aegean region of Turkey. It is situated in the valley of the Kuzuçay , at the foot of the Bozdağ...
replaced Sardis as the site of the metropolitan bishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
, Sardis having been suppressed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, and Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
archbishops of Sardis began to be consecrated in partibus infidelium (in a diocese which had fallen into the power of infidels) until 1882, when they were instead called titular archbishops
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
.
Dionysius, the Metropolitan of Sardis in 1438, died during the Council of Florence
Council of Florence
The Council of Florence was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It began in 1431 in Basel, Switzerland, and became known as the Council of Ferrara after its transfer to Ferrara was decreed by Pope Eugene IV, to convene in 1438...
and thus was not made to sign its decree.
Metropolitan Bishops
Michel Le Quien
Michel Le Quien was a French historian and theologian. He studied at Plessis College, Paris, and at twenty entered the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, where he made his profession in 1682. Excepting occasional short absences he never left Paris...
in Oriens christianus in quatuor patriarchatus digestus, in quo exhibentur Ecclesiae patriarchae caeterique praesules totius Orientis (abbreviated Oriens Christ.), published posthumously in 1740.
- ClementClement of SardiceClement of Sardis is numbered among the Seventy Disciples. He was Bishop in Sardis. The Church remembers St. Clement on January 4 with the Seventy; April 22 with Ss. Nathaniel and Luke; and on September 10 with Ss. Apelles and Lucius.-External links:...
(Philippians 4.3Epistle to the PhilippiansThe Epistle of Paul to the Philippians, usually referred to simply as Philippians, is the eleventh book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was written by St. Paul to the church of Philippi, an early center of Christianity in Greece around 62 A.D. Other scholars argue for an...
) - Melito of SardisMelito of SardisMelito of Sardis was the bishop of Sardis near Smyrna in western Anatolia, and a great authority in Early Christianity: Jerome, speaking of the Old Testament canon established by Melito, quotes Tertullian to the effect that he was esteemed a prophet by many of the faithful...
, circa 180 - HieromartyrHieromartyrIn the Eastern Orthodox tradition, a hieromartyr is a martyr who was also one of the clergy . In like manner a priest-monk is often called a hieromonk....
Therapont of Sardis, circa 259 - Heortasius (or Hortasius) (deposed in 359 by the Council of Ariminum)
- Florentin (or Florentius), circa the 448 Synod of Constantinople
- Hieromartyr Euthymius, circa 787—December 26, 824
- John, successor of Euthymius
- Peter, circa 835
- Euthymios, 10th century
Eastern Orthodox Metropolitans
- Andronikos (Latinized AndronicusAndronicusAndronicus or Andronikos is a classical Greek name , from the Gr. words "andras", , i.e. man and "Nike" , i.e. victory. The name has the sense of "victorious, warrior"...
), circa 1283—1315, deposed for being an Arsenite - DionysiusDionysiusThe Graeco-Roman name Dionysius, deriving from the name of the Thracian god Dionysus, was exceedingly common, and many ancient people, famous and otherwise, bore it. It remains a common name today in the form Dennis . The modern Greek form of the name is Dionysios or Dionysis. The Spanish form of...
, circa the 1438 Council of FlorenceCouncil of FlorenceThe Council of Florence was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It began in 1431 in Basel, Switzerland, and became known as the Council of Ferrara after its transfer to Ferrara was decreed by Pope Eugene IV, to convene in 1438... - Germanos Troianos, circa 1923
- Maximos, 1946—1986
Titular Archbishops
- Carlo RossettiCarlo Rossettithumb|200 px|Carlo Rossetti after his return to Rome.Carlo Rossetti was an Italian Catholic Cardinal who went to London as a secret nuncio on behalf of Pope Urban VIII...
, circa 1641 - Invitti, circa 1726
- Binkentios Coressi (October 12, 1814 — March 7, 1835)
- Stabilini (1831–1834)
- Jean-Marie Mioland (April 2, 1849 — September 29, 1851)
- Pietro Gianelli (April 5, 1858 — March 15, 1875)
- Bernardino del Vago, circa 1879
- Vicenzo Vannutelli (January 23, 1880 — June 23, 1890)
- Salvatore Palmieri (December 14, 1891 — October 1, 1892)
- Giulio TontiGiulio TontiGiulio Tonti was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Religious from 1917 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1915.-Biography:...
(July 15, 1893 — October 1, 1894) - Benedetto LorenzelliBenedetto LorenzelliBenedetto Lorenzelli was am Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Studies from 1914 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1907.-Biography:...
(November 30, 1896 — November 14, 1904) - Giuseppe Aversa (May 25, 1906 — April 12, 1917)
- Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni PacelliPope Pius XIIThe Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
(April 20, 1917 — March 16, 1929) - Arthur HinsleyArthur HinsleyArthur Hinsley was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1935 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1937.-Biography:...
(January 9, 1930 — April 1, 1935)
- Antonino Arata (July 11, 1935 — August 25, 1948)
- Giovanni Urbani (November 27, 1948 — April 14, 1955)
- Giuseppe Maria Sensi (May 21, 1955 — May 24, 1976)