SEGNIA (SENJ, ZENG), Diocese of. — In Croatia (Yugoslavia); united with the diocese of Modrussa; it is a suffragan of Zagreb.
It has an area of 10,513 sq. km. with a population of 370,000 inhabitants, of whom 250,000 are Catholics; it comprises 1,242 parishes, served by 88 diocesan priests and 13 regular clergy; it has 1 seminary, 4 male religious communities and 6 female (Ann. Pont. 1952, p. 373).
It is not known precisely when the diocese of Segnia was established. Until the middle of the 12th century the territory of the diocese (as well as that of Modrussa) was under the jurisdiction of the bishop of Veglia (Krk). From that time onwards there is an uninterrupted series of bishops of Segnia. The diocese of Modrussa or Corbavia (Krbava) was established in 1185 at the provincial council of Spalato. The original see, until 1460, was at Corbavia (now Urbina) and afterwards, because of the Turkish invasions, it was transferred to Modrussa. From 1567 the bishops of Segnia also administered the diocese of Modrussa until 1640, when Urban VIII united it with that of Segnia *per aequalitatem iurum* in the person of a single bishop, who still today bears the title of «episcopus Segniensis et Modrussensis seu Corbaviensis».
From 1461 to 1534 Otočac, a town in the territory of the diocese of Segnia, was also the seat of its own diocese. From 1924 the apostolic administration of Kastav (previously part of the diocese of Trieste), was entrusted to the bishop of Segnia. From 1787 until 1925 the city of Fiume (v.) was also part of the diocese of Modrussa; in 1952 the Holy See entrusted a part of the diocese of Fiume and the city itself to the bishop of Segnia. Until 1640 the bishops of Segnia and Modrussa were suffragans of the archbishop of Spalato; then until 1852 of that of Strigonia, and subsequently of that of Zagreb.
Among the bishops worthy of special mention are Simeon Kožičić, bishop of Modrussa (1500-36), an erudite orator at the Fifth Lateran Council (1512), and the heroic Antonio de Dominis, who together with his canons perished at the hands of the Turks in 1596 during the siege of Kilis. The city of Segnia, seat of the diocese, was a nest of the Uscocchi, famous for their centuries-old struggle against the Turks and later against the Republic of Venice. In Segnia the first Croatian printing press was also opened (1494). Throughout the territory of these dioceses the Mass is celebrated in the Roman rite, but in the Old Slavonic language (v. GLAGOLITIC, WRITING). This usage was confirmed by Innocent IV in 1248 in a letter to the bishop of Segnia, Philip, and later by other popes. During the repeated invasions and Turkish domination (16th and 17th centuries) a considerable number of Orthodox Christians, led by the Turks, settled in these dioceses. Attempts at union, especially under the government of Bishop Benzoni (1730-45), did not have lasting success.
From 1806 to 1919 and then from 1934 to 1940 Segnia had a major seminary. Today the seminarians attend the major seminary of Fiume. Compared to the pre-war situation (1941), the number of priests has more than halved, the religious sisters can no longer carry out their apostolate in the various institutes, some parishes no longer exist and even the number of faithful has noticeably decreased as a result of the errors of war.