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Diocese of Sapë Dioecesis Sappensis Dioqeza e Sapës | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
| Location | |
| Country | Albania |
| Ecclesiastical province | Shkodër-Pult |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 2,544 km2 (982 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2014) 202,800 70,701 (34.9%) |
| Parishes | 32 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 1062 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta inSapë |
| Secular priests | 19 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Simon Kulli |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Angelo Massafra |
| Map | |
 Diocese of Sapë | |
TheDiocese of Sapë (Latin:Dioecesis Sappensis,Albanian:Dioqeza e Sapës) is aLatin Church ecclesiastical territory ordiocese of theCatholic Church in NorthernAlbania. It is asuffragan diocese in theecclesiastical province of themetropolitanArchdiocese of Shkodër-Pult.
The diocese is named after the town ofSapë (Sappa), which is located near the Drin, southeast of Lake Scutari. However, thecathedral of the diocese is Katedralja e Nënë Terezja, in the town ofVau-Dejës,Shkodër County. The former cathedral is Kisha e Shën Gjergjit, inNënshat in the same county.
The diocese is one of six Catholic jurisdictions in Albania.[1] It is located in the vicinity ofLake Scutari, at the river basin ofDrin.
As of 2014[update], it pastorally served 70,701 Catholics (34.9% of 202,800 total) on 2,544 km2 in 32 parishes with 19 priests (11 diocesan, 8 religious), 1 deacon, 60 lay religious (9 brothers, 51 sisters) and 2 seminarians.
The ecclesiastical students of this diocese are educated at the seminary of Scutari. The Diocese of Sappa also includes theFranciscan monastery at Troshan (Trosciani), where theMinorites have a "Collegium seraphicum" for their students of philosophy.[citation needed]
The bishopric was established in 1062, byPope Alexander II. During the 11th century, the diocese was located withinDioclea.
In 1491Pope Innocent VIII joined to it theBishopric of Sardë (Sardoniki), and the united sees weresuffragans of theArchbishopric of Antivari until the end of the eighteenth century. The See of Sardë comprised also theDiocese of Dagnum (Daynum, Dagno, Danj; Daynensis), founded as suffragan of Antivari during the second half of the fourteenth century and united with Sarda byPope Martin V in 1428. By theAlbanian Council in 1703, the Bishop of Sappa obtained some parishes previously belonging to theDiocese 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 includeGjergj Bardhi andLazër Vladanji later becameArchbishops of Bar.Pjetër Zarishi was a secretary to the Bishop of Sappa.[2]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Sappa".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.| Province of Shkodër–Pult |  | |
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| Province of Tiranë–Durrës | ||
| Churches | ||
| Albanian Byzantine | ||
| Saints | ||
| Blessed | ||
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| Former dioceses | ||
| See also | ||
42°00′27″N19°38′26″E / 42.0074°N 19.6406°E /42.0074; 19.6406
