AMIDA. - Modern-day Diarbekir, situated on the left bank of the Tigris, not far from Edessa. It was the capital of the Roman province of Mesopotamia. Christianity reached it 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.
A. degli ARMENI. - Since 1650, A. has been the residence of a Catholic bishop for the numerous Armenian diaspora. Monophysite Armenians, however, predominate in A. Today it is a vacant, impeded, and dispersed diocese.
A. dei CALDEI. - Sulâqâ (v.), the first patriarch of the Catholic Chaldeans (1553-55), had his patriarchal see in A.—but he alone did so. From 1662 onward, his successors were Nestorian. In 1672, the archbishop of A., named Joseph, converted, and in 1681 Innocent XI proclaimed him patriarch of the Chaldeans, with his residence in 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 residing in Turkey today number 6465 and are assisted by 3 priests.
A. dei SINI. - This is an ancient Jacobite metropolis, which was also a patriarchal see. Timoteo 'Abd al-Galil, consecrated in 1638 as bishop of A., later converted to Catholicism. In 1662 he submitted to the first Syrian Catholic patriarch, but for a year already he had been bishop of Edessa. He thus opens the series, which suffered several interruptions, of the Catholic bishops of A.; by decree of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda (13 Sept. 1888), A. was united to the patriarchal diocese of Mardin.
Pietro Sfair
AMIDA : V. AMITABHA.