AMIDA. - Present-day Diyarbakır, situated on the left bank of the Tigris, not far from Edessa. It was the capital of the Roman province of Mesopotamia. Christianity penetrated there early from nearby Edessa. Bishops of A. are known from the 4th century. From the 5th century onward the see was occupied by Nestorian and Monophysite bishops.
Bibliography
A. of the ARMENIANS
Since 1650 a Catholic bishop has resided at A. for the numerous Armenian diaspora. At A., however, the Monophysite Armenians predominate. Today it is a vacant, impeded and dispersed diocese.
A. of the CHALDEANS
Gian Simone VIII Sulâqâ (v.), the first patriarch of the Catholic Chaldeans (1553-55), had his patriarchal see at A., but he alone. From 1662 onward his successors were Nestorians. In 1672 the archbishop of A., by the name of Joseph, converted, and in 1681 Innocent XI proclaimed him patriarch of the Chaldeans, with residence at A., which remained the patriarchal see until 1828. It always had its own archbishop even during the period when it was the patriarchal see. Today as a Chaldean diocese it is destroyed. The Catholic Chaldeans resident in Turkey today number 6,465, cared for by 3 priests.
Bibliography3 works
Pietro Sfair
A. of the SYRIANS
It is an ancient Jacobite metropolis, which was also a patriarchal see. Timothy 'Abd al-Galil, consecrated in 1638 as bishop of A., later converted to Catholicism. In 1662 he made an act of submission to the first Syro-Catholic patriarch, but for a year already he had been bishop of Edessa. He therefore opens the series, which suffered several interruptions, of the Catholic bishops of A., which, by decree of the S. Congregation of Propaganda (13 Sept. 1888), was united to the patriarchal diocese of Mardin.
Pietro Sfair
AMIDA : v. AMITABHA.