MONTENES. - Name by which the small Donatist community in Rome was designated, because, according to St. Optatus (*De schismate Donatistarum*, II, 4: PL 11, 950-51), it originally had no building of its own and used to hold its meetings in a cave outside the walls. Petilian and other writers of the sect made much of the existence of this group to support the universality of their Church. Hence Optatus insists on the small number of its adherents and on the recent origin of this group, composed, if not entirely, at least predominantly, of immigrants.
They had received from Africa a bishop, Victor of Garba, who, according to Optatus himself, was succeeded by Boniface, Necpolius, Macrobius (living at the time of the first edition of Optatus’ work, and author of the *Passio Maximiani et Isaac*, composed, according to P. Monceaux, c. 366), then by Lucian and Claudius. These too, it is said, had been ordained by Donatist bishops in Africa. St. Augustine (*Contra litteras Petiliani*, II, 108, 247; *Contra Cresconium*, II, 37, 46; III, 34, 33; 63, 70; 65, 73) knows little more about the Montenses; in fact, he derives most of his information from Optatus himself, adding only two details: the other name, *Curtupitani* (or *Curtupitani*: *Epistola ad catholicos*, 3, 6) and the fact (though it may have been merely his own supposition, which is quite natural) that some ordinations may have taken place, not in Africa, but in Rome itself, by Donatist bishops brought there for that purpose (*De haeresibus*, 62, 3, 1). In any case, the small community must already have disappeared, or been in the process of disappearing, by the early fifth century.