ANTARADUS. – A city on the northern Phoenician coast opposite Aradus (q.v.), of which it was the ancient colony; today it is *Tartús* with 3,500 inhabitants. Rebuilt by the Emperor Constantius under the name of “Constantia” (346), it was called *Tortosa* in the Middle Ages and was famous for its Marian shrine, a centre of pilgrimage from all Latin Christendom. It was the last Crusader stronghold in Syria and was captured by Al-Ashraf Khalil after a heroic defence by the Templars (3 Aug. 1291). The magnificent basilica became a mosque at the end of the 19th century.
It was the seat of a bishopric, united with Aradus in the 4th century, separated in the mid-5th century. Known bishops include: Cymatius (praised by St Athanasius for his orthodoxy), Alexander (at the Council of Chalcedon, 451), who is the first bishop clearly distinct from that of Aradus, and Theodorus (518). A. had at least six Latin bishops in the 13th century, the last of whom was (from 1274 to 1295[?]) Bartholomew, who took a very active, though not always edifying, part in the political events of his time. c. 1295 the see of A. or Tortosa was united with Famagusta in Cyprus. Today it is a titular see.