SAPPA, DIOCESI di. — In northern Albania, a suffragan see of Scutari. It was established in 1062 (?) by Alessandro II.
The first bishop of whom reliable information is available is Paolo, in 1376. In 1428 Martino V united the small diocese of Dagno (certainly in existence since 1361) with that of Sarda (in existence at least since 1199). Innocent VIII subsequently united, in 1491, the two dioceses of Sarda and Dagno with that of S., making it a suffragan see of Antivari. On 22 April 1887 it was transferred to the ecclesiastical province of Scutari. In 1643 Propaganda established an apostolic vicariate there and, by decree of 23 February 1644, transferred the archbishop of Antivari there; after him, the diocese was always governed by bishops. The most celebrated bishop of S. was Giorgio III Blanco (1623–35, 1644–47), who freed his homeland from the Turks. By decree of 24 June 1930, the residence was transferred from Nenshati to Laci. The diocese depends on the S. Congr. de Propaganda Fide and is currently without a pastor. Because of the present conditions in Albania, it is impossible to obtain exact statistical data.
In 1940, approximately 16,000 Catholics lived in an area of 1,270 sq km; they were assisted by 27 secular priests and 7 Franciscans.