Geography & Dioceses
Geografia · 487 articles · Principal contributors · All subjectsStates, Regions and Cities (Stati, Regioni e Città)
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Europe (EUROPA)
EUROPE. - One of the five continents of the earth. SUMMARY: I. Geography. - II. History. I. GEOGRAPHY. It is the smallest of the three… -
Făgăraș (FAGARAS)
FĂGĂRAȘ. - City of Transylvania, formerly the seat of a bishopric established in 1721 by Pope Clement IX, in place of the older one of Alba… -
Falkland Islands (FALKLAND, ISOLE)
FALKLAND ISLANDS. - An archipelago composed of two larger islands (West Falkland and East Falkland) and a few hundred islets, facing the… -
Fátima, Sanctuary of (FÂTIMA, SANTUARIO DI)
FÁTIMA, Sanctuary of. - In the diocese of Leiria, in the Serra d'Aire range, on a karst plateau, on terrain of the Tertiary era, stands the… -
Ferentum
FERENTUM. - Etruscan Ferento, among the deep ravines of the Acqua and Vezzarella ditches, was a prosperous city in the time of Augustus and… -
Fiji (FIGI)
FIJI. - Archipelago of 250 islands (80 inhabited) in the South Pacific; Viti Levu and Vanua Levu are of volcanic origin, the others coral.… -
Finland (FINLANDIA)
FINLAND. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - The territory of F., larger than Italy (331,759 sq. km.), has roughly the shape of a quadrilateral, enclosed… -
Fiume, Diocese of (FIUME, DIOCESANI DI)
FIUME, Diocese of. - City in Venezia Giulia immediately subject. It has united the abbatial title of S. Giacomo de Abbatia. It has an area… -
Fiume Maddalena, Apostolic Prefecture of (FIUME MADDALENA, PREFEITURA APOSTOLICA DI)
FIUME MADDALENA, APOSTOLIC PREFECTURE OF. - The mission is located in the northwestern regions of the Republic of Colombia and embraces the… -
Florence, Archdiocese Of (FIRENZE, ARCIDIORESI DI)
FLORENCE, ARCHDIOCESE OF. - In Tuscany, Metropolitan (a. 1420). Suffragan dioceses: Borgo S. Sepolcro, Colle Val d'Esa, Fiesole,… -
Formia
FORMIA. - Small town on the Gulf of Gaeta, on the Appian Way. Having remained neutral during the Latin War, it first obtained citizenship… -
Forum Iulium Carnicum
FORUM IULIUM CARNICUM. - Now Zuglio in Carnia. First a vicus, then a forum, then a colony, it stood on the road that led from Aquileia… -
Foz do Iguaçu (FOZ DO IGUASSÙ)
FOZ DO IGUAÇU. - Prelature in the State of Paraná in Brazil, suffragan of Curitiba, erected on 10 May 1926 by Pope Pius XI with the… -
Francia
FRANCE. - Region and State of western Europe, the only one that enjoys the benefit of a triple maritime frontage (Mediterranean, Atlantic,… -
Freetown and Bo (FREETOWN E BO)
FREETOWN and BO. DIOCESE. - Diocese of British West Africa, comprising the territory of the Colony of Sierra Leone on the Atlantic coast,… -
Galatia (GALAZIA)
GALATIA. - Region inhabited by the Galatians. From Galatia properly so called the name passed to the Roman province established at the… -
Gap
GAP. - City and diocese in southern France, capital of the department of Hautes-Alpes, on the river Luye, a suffragan of Aix. The diocese… -
Gaspé
GASPÉ. - City and diocese of Canada, capital of the district of the same name located on the northeastern side of lower Canada, between the… -
Georgia
GEORGIA. - Since 1936 one of the 16 federated Republics constituting the U.S.S.R. Having become independent in 1918, after 1921 it was… -
Germany (GERMANIA)
GERMANY. - G. (Deutschland) embraces the greater part of central Europe. SUMMARY: I. Geography. - II. Civil and religious history. - III.… -
Gherla of the Armenians and Romanians (GHERLA DEGLI ARMENI E DEI ROMENI)
GHERLA OF THE ARMENIANS AND ROMANIANS. - It is the Romanian name of a small town in Transylvania, called Szamos Uyvár in Hungarian and… -
Gibraltar (GIBILTERRA (GIBRALTAR))
GIBRALTAR. - A rocky peninsula that closes the Bay of Algeciras on the east, at the southern extremity of Spain, barring the entrance to… -
Gilbert and Ellice Islands (GILBERT ED ELLICE)
GILBERT AND ELLICE ISLANDS. - British colony (since 1915), comprising, besides the two archipelagos of the G. (16 islands, situated astride… -
Gnesna (Gniezno)
GNESNA (GNIEZNO). - A city in Poland elevated to an archdiocese and metropolis around the year 1000 by Otto III. First archbishop:… -
Goiás, Archdiocese of (GOIÁS, ARCIDIÓCESI DI)
GOIÁS, Archdiocese of. - Archdiocese and city, capital of the state of the same name in the center of the Brazilian highlands. It has an… -
Gold Coast (Costa d'Oro) (COSTA D'ORO (GOLD COAST))
GOLD COAST (COSTA D'ORO). - A British Crown colony, consisting of a coastal strip along the northern edge of the Gulf of Guinea (Gold Coast… -
Gozo
GOZO. - Island, city and diocese in the Maltese islands. It has an area of 84 sq km, has 29,787 inhabitants, all Catholic; 14 parishes,… -
Great Britain (GRAN BRETAGNA)
GREAT BRITAIN. - This name is often applied, by an inappropriate extension, to indicate both the United Kingdom of Great Britain and… -
Greece (GRECIA)
GREECE. - The kingdom comprising the southern, more articulated part of the Balkan region, > GREECE - 1) State borders; 2) Borders of… -
Guadalupe (GUADALUPA)
GUADALUPE. - G. is the largest (1,509 sq km) of the Lesser Antilles. Together with the neighboring islands of Marie-Galante, Les Saintes,… -
Guam
GUAM. - The southernmost and largest (534 sq. km.) of the Mariana Islands, ceded in 1898 by Spain to the United States, which in 1922… -
Guatemala
GUATEMALA. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - It is the northernmost and most populous state of Central America, bounded by Mexico, Honduras and El… -
Guiana (GUIANE)
GUIANA. - The name G. is generally given to that vast (about 900,000 sq km) mountainous region of South America enclosed between the lower… -
Guinea
GUINEA. - Portuguese G. comprises a small continental strip entirely enclosed within the territory of French G., together with the adjacent… -
Hajdúdorog (HAJDUDOROGH)
HAJDÚDOROG. - A large village in the northeast of the Hungarian plain, where in 1873 the Ruthenian bishop of Mukachevo established an… -
Helsinki
HELSINKI. - Ancient Helsingfors, capital of the Republic of Finland, is the most populous city in the state (270,000 inhabitants), of whom… -
Hermopolis (El-Minja) (ERMOPOLI (EL-MINJA))
HERMOPOLIS (EL-MINJA). - Residential see of the Copts, with a Catholic bishop since 6 March 1896; today administered by the same patriarch.… -
Honduras
HONDURAS. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - Region of isthmian America, between Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, comprising a larger… -
Hong Kong
HONG KONG. - British colony consisting of some islands (the two largest, Hong Kong and Lantau) and a stretch of the opposite Chinese coast… -
Honolulu
HONOLULU. - Capital (300,000 inhabitants) of the Polynesian archipelago of Hawaii (some twenty islands, of which 8 are major; in all 17,000… -
Hradec Králové (Königgrätz)
HRADEC KRÁLOVÉ (KÖNIGGRÄTZ). - Diocese and city in Czechoslovakia, suffragan of Prague. The diocese has an area of 13,090 sq. km., with a… -
Huejutla
HUEJUTLA. - City and diocese in the State of Puebla (Mexico), erected on 24 Nov. 1922 by Pope Pius XI with the apostolic constitution Inter… -
Hungary (UNGHERIA)
HUNGARY. - An inland state of Danubian Europe, enclosed between Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, Romania, Yugoslavia and Austria. I.… -
Iceland (ISLANDA)
ICELAND. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - It is the largest European island after Great Britain (102,819 sq. km.; more than four times the size of… -
Illyricum (ILLIRICO (ILLYRICUM))
ILLYRICUM. - A coastal region east of the Adriatic, originally comprising Dalmatia and Albania, which under the Roman Empire gradually… -
Immaculate Conception of the B (IMMACOLATA CONCEZIONE DELLA B)
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE B. V. M. IN OLANCHIO. - Prelature nullius in Honduras in Central America. It has an area of 33,634 sq km with… -
India
INDIA. - This name refers both to the historical region of South Asia corresponding to the triangular peninsula, comprised between the… -
Indonesia
INDONESIA. - The Indonesian Archipelago, also called the East Indies (or Insulindia), links two continental masses, joining the oldest to… -
Iquique
IQUIQUE. - City and diocese of Chile, erected on 20 Dec. 1929 by Pope Pius XI with the apostolic constitution Ad gregem dominicum through… -
Iraq (IRĀQ)
IRAQ. - Arab state of western Asia, comprising the lower basins of the Tigris and Euphrates and part of the neighboring Syrian and Arabian… -
Ireland (IRLANDA)
IRELAND. - Officially called, from the Gaelic, Eire. SUMMARY: I. Geography. - II. Civil and religious history. - III. Juridical status of… -
Irsina (formerly Montepeloso) (IRSINA (GIÀ MONTEPELOSO))
IRSINA (formerly Montepeloso). - In the province of Matera. The antiquity of the Church is not supported by any document. Through the… -
Isauria
ISAURIA. — It is the westernmost province of the patriarchate of Antioch, and in the ecclesiastical geography of the Byzantine era it… -
Isola di Capo Rizzuto
ISOLA DI CAPO RIZZUTO. - Suppressed diocese. The small town of I. on the Ionian Sea, a little south of Crotone, was an episcopal see from… -
Israel (ISRAELE)
ISRAEL. - Official name assumed by the independent Jewish State that replaced the British Mandate over Palestine in 1948. (prepr. Enc.… -
Italy (ITALIA)
ITALY. - The Italian region corresponds, within its natural boundaries, to that part of Europe which extends south of the Alpine arc, from… -
Izmir (SMIRNE)
IZMIR. - Ancient city of Asia Minor, in present-day Turkey. It is one of the seven Churches of Asia mentioned in the Apocalypse, where the… -
Jamaica (GIAMAICA (JAMAICA))
JAMAICA. - By area (11,525 sq km), the third of the Greater Antilles, situated S. of Cuba. Largely mountainous, it has a hot tropical… -
Japan (GIAPPONE)
JAPAN. - Japan (from the Chinese Jih pèn, locally pronounced Nippon, or Nihon) consists of > JAPAN - Map of the ecclesiastical… -
Jatai
JATAI. - Prelature nullius and city in the State of Goiás in Brazil. It has an area of 120,000 sq km with 120,000 Catholics; it has 4… -
Jesi
JESI. - City and diocese in the province of Ancona. It has 73,000 inhabitants, of whom 62,000 are Catholics; 27 parishes with 69 diocesan… -
Jordan (GIORDANIA)
JORDAN. - Recent designation indicating the kingdom of Transjordan. When on 25 May 1946 the emir 'Abdallāh took the title of king and on 27… -
Jurua (JURUÀ)
JURUA. - A "nullius" prelature in the State of Amazonas in Brazil. It has an area of 20,000 sq km with 78,000 inhabitants, of whom 75,000… -
Kenya
KENYA. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - British colony and protectorate in East Africa, south of Ethiopia. The territory (583,000 sq. km., of which 5,645… -
Korea (COREA)
KOREA. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - In Japanese Chōsen (freshness of the morning). A peninsula of eastern Asia that juts out between Manchuria and the… -
Labrador
LABRADOR. - A very vast peninsula (1.3 million sq km) of North America, enclosed between the Atlantic, Hudson Bay and the lower course of… -
Lansing
LANSING. - City and diocese in the State of Michigan (United States). It has an area of 8,713 square miles and comprises the counties of… -
Laodicea Combusta, Diocese of (LAODICEA (LAODICEA COMBUSTA) IN LICAONIA)
LAODICEA COMBUSTA, Diocese of. - A whole series of Christian inscriptions has been found there, important also for the hierarchy, among… -
Laodicea (Λαοδίκεια)
LAODICEA (Λαοδίκεια). - A city of Phrygia on the left bank of the Lycus (hence the distinguishing addition ἐπὶ or πρὸς τῷ Λύκῳ), a… -
Laon
LAON. - Ancient diocese and capital city of the department of Aisne and ancient capital of the Laonnois in northern France. Only the… -
L'Aquila, Archdiocese of (L'AQUILA, ARCIDIÓCESI DEL)
L'AQUILA, ARCHDIOCESE of. - Chief town of Abruzzo and provincial capital, with an area of 2,172 sq km and 115,000 inhabitants, all… -
Latvia (LETTONIA (LATVIA))
LATVIA. - Baltic republic, which proclaimed itself independent from the Russian Empire on 18 Nov. 1918 and was annexed, as a federated… -
Lazio
LAZIO. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - With this name, which originally applied to a small territory south of Rome, is today designated the southernmost… -
Lemkivčysna, Apostolic Administration of (LEMKIVČYSNA, AMMINISTRAZIONE APOSTOLICA DI)
LEMKIVČYSNA, APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATION OF. - This is a region in the northern Carpathians, inhabited by the eastern stock of the Lemkos.… -
Liberia
LIBERIA. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - It is the smallest (from 95,000 to 120,000 sq. km.) of the three independent states of Africa. It was founded in… -
Libya (LIBIA)
LIBYA. - Classical name originally given (5th century B.C.) to the entire African continent (insofar as only a small part of it was known)… -
Liguria
LIGURIA. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - It is, among the Italian regions, the least extensive (5411 sq. km.), but one of the most densely populated and… -
Lilybaeum (LILIBEO)
LILYBAEUM. - Ancient diocese of Sicily, today Marsala in the province of Trapani. The date at which Bishop Gregory lived is uncertain; he… -
Lisbon, Patriarchate of (LISBONA, PATRIARCATO DI)
LISBON, PATRIARCHATE OF. - In Portugal. It has an area of 15,000 sq km with 1,621,500 inhabitants, of whom 1,297,000 are Catholics. It has… -
Lisieux
LISIEUX. - Ancient diocese and shrine, district capital in Calvados, in northern France (Normandy). Noviomagus of the Romans, capital of… -
Lithuania (LITUANIA)
LITHUANIA. - Baltic republic, which proclaimed itself independent from the Russian Empire on 16 February 1918 and was annexed, as a… -
Lombardy (LOMBARDIA)
LOMBARDY. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - As a natural region, L. embraces the territory bounded by the crest of the central Alpine zone and by the… -
London (LONDRA)
LONDON. - Capitale della Gran Bretagna e metropoli dell'Impero, in posizione eccentrica rispetto all'isola, ricopre un'area di ca. 1800… -
Lorch
LORCH. — In the suburb of Enns, in Upper Austria, ancient Laureacum; around A.D. 190 a fort to protect the Roman bridge over the Enns and… -
Lourdes, Sanctuary of (LOURDES, SANTUARIO DI)
LOURDES, Sanctuary of. - It is the most famous of the many places honored, as is believed, by apparitions of the Most Holy Mary. To date no… -
Loyola, Sanctuary of (LOYOLA, SANTUARIO DI)
LOYOLA, Sanctuary of. - It is situated in a green valley in the province of Guipúzcoa and in the diocese of St. Sebastian, in Spain. Its… -
Lucania
LUCANIA. - Lucania essentially corresponds to the south-eastern slope of the Apennines of the same name, which sends its waters to the Gulf… -
Lund
LUND. - City and ancient diocese, formerly Danish territory, passed to Sweden in 1658; situated at the crossing of the main road that… -
Luxembourg (LUSSEMBURGO)
LUXEMBOURG. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - Small independent state of 2,586 sq. km., enclosed between the frontiers of France, Belgium and Germany. The… -
Maastricht
MAASTRICHT. - Ancient diocese in Holland, today in the diocese of Roermond. As the name indicates, the city owes its origin to a ferry or a… -
Macedonia
MACEDONIA. - A south-central region of the Balkan peninsula, until 1912 included in European Turkey and divided among Greece, Yugoslavia… -
Madauros (Mdaourou)
MADAUROS (Mdaourou) - Epitaph of the priest Liberatus, who died in exile at M. for the Catholic faith (first quarter of the 6th century).… -
Madauros (Mdaourouch)
MADAUROS (MDAOUROUCH). - In Algeria, from the end of the 1st century a Roman colony of veterans with the name Colonia Flavia Augusta… -
Malesé, Federation of (MALESE, FEDERAZIONE)
MALESÉ, FEDERATION OF. - Since 1 February 1948 it has replaced the Malayan Union, proclaimed on 1 April 1946 and formed from the same… -
Malta
MALTA. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - The Archipelago of M., which rises on an underwater platform joined to Sicily, from which it is 90 km. distant, is… -
Malvito
MALVITO. - An ancient diocese and a very ancient city of northern Calabria, elevated to episcopal see during the domination of the Lombard… -
Manchuria (MANCIURIA)
MANCHURIA. - It is the north-eastern part of the Chinese domain, bounded by the Amur, the Ussuri, Korea, the province of Hopei, and… -
Marajó (MARAJÒ)
MARAJÓ. - Prelature nullius in the State of Pará in Brazil. Residence of the prelature at Soure. It extends over 42,000 sq km, with a… -
Marche
MARCHE. - The Marche (or the Marca), so called from the border position that in the early Middle Ages the region had with respect to the… -
Mardin
MARDIN. - City located in south-eastern Turkey in the region called Tûr 'Abdîn, which is the seat of the following ecclesiastical… -
Marocco
MAROCCO. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - Morocco embraces the northwestern extremity of the African continent, between the Mediterranean, the Atlantic… -
Martirano
MARTIRANO. - Ancient diocese in the province of Catanzaro, in Calabria. The small town lies on the slopes of the Sila, in the valley of the… -
Media (Assyro Mât Ma-da-a-a) (MEDIA (ASSIRO MÂT MA-DA-A-A))
MEDIA (Assyro Mât Ma-da-a-a). - The northwestern part of the Iranian plateau, between the Araxes, the Caspian, the central desert, the… -
Mexico (MESSICO)
MEXICO. - The southernmost and least extensive (1,964,000 sq. km.) of the three political units that divide the territory of North America,… -
Misenum (MISENO)
MISENUM. - Ancient diocese in Campania, from the Augustan age a station of the Roman fleet in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The known bishops are… -
Miskolc (Slovak Miškovec) (MISZKOLC (SLOVACCO MIŠHOVEC))
MISKOLC (Slovak Miškovec). - Apostolic administration (exarchate) of the parishes of Ruthenian faithful of the Byzantine-Slavic rite in… -
Modica
MODICA. - It is the ancient Mutyka in Sicily, currently in the diocese of Noto. Christianity penetrated it very early and is attested by a… -
Moldavia
MOLDAVIA. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - One of the 16 federated Republics of the U.S.S.R. (M.A.S.S.R.), which over an area of 33,700 km² today counts… -
Molise
MOLISE. - Historical region of central Italy, as a rule united with Abruzzo and corresponding, in the administrative sense, to the province… -
Monaco
MONACO. - Apart from the Vatican State, this is the smallest state in the world. It consists of a narrow coastal strip on the western… -
Mongolia
MONGOLIA. - I. THE COUNTRY. - A vast and hard-to-define region of Central Asia, comprised between southern Siberia, Zungaria, Sin Kiang,… -
Montecorvino
MONTECORVINO. - Ancient diocese in the province of Salerno, today a simple village called M. Rovella; it originated from a "monasterium S.… -
Montemarano
MONTEMARANO. - Ancient diocese in the province of Benevento, of which it was a suffragan; today a village at 824 m. in the province of… -
Montenegro
MONTENEGRO. - Today one of the six federated Republics in the Yugoslav State. I. GEOGRAPHY. - Montenegro (or Cernagora) is formed by the… -
Monterano
MONTERANO. - Ancient diocese (Manturia) west of Lake Bracciano below Monte Angiano. It appears only in 649, and L. Duchesne held that it… -
Monteverde
MONTEVERDE. - Ancient diocese in the province of Avellino, created in the year 1175 by Pope Alexander III. The settlement lies at 740 m.… -
Montserrat (Monserrato), Santa Maria di (MONSERRATO (MONTSERRAT), SANTA MARIA DI)
MONSERRATO (MONTSERRAT), SANTA MARIA of - Benedictine monastery and sanctuary of the Virgin, in Catalonia on the mountain which, because of… -
Mosca
MOSCOW. - The sacred city of old Russia, the capital of the R.S.F.S.R. and of the U.S.S.R., rises on seven hills, along the banks of the… -
Most Holy Conception of Araguaia, Prelature of (SANTISSIMA CONCEZIONE DI ARAGUAJA, PRELATURA DI)
MOST HOLY CONCEPTION OF ARAGUAIA, PRELATURE OF. - Suffragan of Belém do Pará, in the State of Pará, in Brazil. Formerly a Dominican… -
Mottola (Mutyla, Motula)
MOTTOLA (MUTYLA, MOTULA). - Ancient diocese, suffragan of Taranto, in the province of Lecce. After the ancient city of Mateola fell into… -
Mozambique (MOZAMBICO)
MOZAMBIQUE. - Portuguese colony in southern Africa (also called Portuguese East Africa), enclosed between the territories of Tanganyika,… -
Nablus (Arabic: Nābulus) (NAPLUSA (ARABO NABULUS))
NABLUS (Arabic: Nābulus). - City in Jordan, capital of Samaria, 67 km north of Jerusalem. It was founded by Titus in the year 72 on the… -
Naxos
NAXOS. - Greek island, whose bishopric was probably erected in the 5th century; its bishop George took part in the Sixth Ecumenical… -
Nepal
NEPAL. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - Nepal extends over the southern slope (central section) of the Himalayas, which separate it from Tibet. Among the… -
Netherlands (PAESI BASSI)
NETHERLANDS. - The N[etherlands] (Nederland), of which Holland (or Holland) is only the central-western part, correspond to the… -
New Zealand (NUOVA ZELANDA)
NEW ZEALAND. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - This name — given by S. Cook in 1769 to the lands already known to Tasman, discovered and christened Terra… -
Nicaragua
NICARAGUA. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - It is the largest state (148,000 sq. km.), but the least densely populated (1.2 million inhabitants; 7.8 per… -
Nicobar Islands (NICOBARE)
NICOBAR ISLANDS. - A group of islands in the Bay of Bengal north of the island of Sumatra; twelve of them are inhabited by a population of… -
Nicopolis (NICOPOLI)
NICOPOLIS. - Latin bishopric in Bulgaria, with residence at Rustciuk (Ruse) on the Danube. It is directly subject to the Holy See.… -
Nigeria
NIGERIA. - It is the most important of the British possessions in West Africa. The territory comprises the entire lower basin of the Niger,… -
Norcia
NORCIA. - City and diocese in the province of Perugia (Umbria). It is made up of 8 municipalities, 3 of which are in the province of… -
Norway (NORVEGIA)
NORWAY. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - The territory of N. corresponds to the western part of the Scandinavian peninsula, from the North Cape to the… -
Nuzu (Genitive Nuzu) (NUZU (GENITIVO NUZI))
NUZU (Genitive Nuzu). - A locality in present-day 'Irāq (today Yorgan Tepe), about 13 km southwest of Kerkük (ancient Arrapba), which was… -
Oderzo (Opitergium)
ODERZO (Opitergium). - Ancient diocese of the patriarchate of Aquileia, today in the diocese of Ceneda, now called Vittorio Veneto. A city… -
Ohrid (Achrís; Slavic Ohrid; Albanian Ohri, Italian Ocrida) (ACRIDA (ACHRIS; SLAVO OHRID; ALBANESE OHRI, ITAL. OCRIDA))
OHRID (Achrís; Slavic Ohrid; Albanian Ohri, Italian Ocrida). - A bishopric city that succeeded the ancient Lychnidos; it begins to be… -
Orelansville (ORLÉANSVILLE)
ORELANSVILLE. - In Algeria, on the site of the ancient Castellum Tingitanum. The names of some of its bishops are known, such as Marinus in… -
Oropa, Sanctuary of (OROPA, SANTUARIO DI)
OROPA, Sanctuary of. - One of the major Marian shrines of Piedmont, 11.68 km. from Biella in the province of Vercelli, at 1180 m. above sea… -
Oslo
OSLO. - Called Christiania for three centuries, until 1925 (after King Christian IV), O. is the capital of Norway, situated on the Aker… -
Osnabrück
OSNABRÜCK. - City and diocese in Germany, suffragan of Cologne. Over an area of 45,797 sq km there is a population of 6,613,146… -
Otricoli
OTRICOLI. - Ancient diocese in Umbria, in the province of Terni, situated along the route of the Via Flaminia on a hill dominating the… -
Pakistan
PAKISTAN. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - A federal state established on 15 Aug. 1947, formally associated with the British Commonwealth. It comprises… -
Palazzolo Acreide
PALAZZOLO ACREIDE. - Akrai was a colony of Syracuse as early as the 7th century B.C.; it was situated 34 km west of Syracuse, where P.… -
Palestine (PALESTINA)
PALESTINE. - A region of the Near East, on the Mediterranean coast between Phoenicia and Egypt, which was conquered as the "Promised Land"… -
Panama
PANAMA. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - The Republic of P., the southernmost of the Central American ones, having broken away from Colombia in 1903,… -
Pará (PARAGUAY)
PARÁ. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - The less vast (407,000 sq. km.) of the two landlocked states of South America, enclosed between Brazil, Argentina… -
Paray-le-Monial, Sanctuary of (PARAY-LE-MONIAL, SANTUARIO DI)
PARAY-LE-MONIAL, SANCTUARY OF. - This town belongs to the diocese of Autun, an ancient Benedictine priory (10th century) and one of the… -
Pelusium (Heb. Sin, Septuagint [Ex. 30, 15] ΣΛΊΝ; Vulg. Pelusium, Coptic Peremlin) (PELUSIO (EBR. SIN, SETTANTA [EX. 30, 15] ΣΛΊΝ; VOLG. PELUSIUM, COPTO PEREMLIN))
PELUSIUM (Heb. Sin, Septuagint [Ex. 30, 15] ΣΛΊΝ; Vulg. Pelusium, Coptic Peremlin). - An ancient Egyptian city, situated on the easternmost… -
Perge (Πέργα, Perga)
PERGE (Πέργα, Perga). - City of Pamphylia, whose ruins survive near Murtana, between the rivers Cestros (Ak Su) and the Cataractos.… -
Persia
PERSIA. - From 1925 to 1950 P. was called Irân (from ĕrân = "nobles", that is, the Aryans); in the broad sense it comprises the entire… -
Peru (PERÙ)
PERU. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - It is the largest (1.25 million sq. km.), but not the most populous (8.2 million inhabitants; 7 per sq. km.), of… -
Phanar (Φανάρεσιον) (FANAR (ΦΑΝΆΡΕΣΙΟΝ))
PHANAR (Φανάρεσιον). - A quarter of Constantinople, on the Golden Horn. Here the Greek patriarch and many Greek families had their seat… -
Philadelphia (FILADELFIA)
PHILADELPHIA. - Città della Lidia in Asia Minore, a nord-ovest del monte Tmolo (oggi Bosdağ) nella valle del Cogamia. Fondata da Attalo II… -
Piacenza
PIACENZA. - City and diocese, capital of the province of the same name. Out of a population of 350,000 inhabitants it counts 348,000… -
Piedmont (PIEMONTE)
PIEDMONT. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - It is the westernmost historic region of Italy (and therefore also includes its westernmost point, the Rocca… -
Poland (POLONIA)
POLAND. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - Poland, as constituted after the Second World War (1945), presents great differences from the state that existed… -
Polar Regions (TERRE POLARI)
POLAR REGIONS. - GEOGRAPHY - This designation refers to the complex of continental or insular territories that extend into the regions… -
Pompei (Beata Vergine Maria del Santo Rosario in Valle di P.), Prelature Nullius of (POMPEI (BEATA VERGINE MARIA DEL S. ROSARIO IN VALLE DI P.), PRELATURA NULLIUS DI)
POMPEI (Beata Vergine Maria del Santo Rosario in Valle di P.), Prelature Nullius of. - Valle di P. was a place inhabited by little more… -
Pompeii (POMPEI (GR. ΠΟΜΝΊΓΙΑ))
POMPEII. - Situated on the great coastal road from Naples toward southern Italy, it was founded by Oscan peoples of Campania near the lower… -
Populonia
POPULONIA. - Ancient Etruscan city (Pupluna) and ancient diocese on the promontory of Piombino near Porto Baratti; it was a Roman… -
Port-au-Prince (Porto Principe), Archdiocese of (PORTO PRINCIPE (PORT-AU-PRINCE), ARCIDIQUESI DI)
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Porto Principe), Archdiocese of. - Archdiocese and capital city of the Republic of Haiti in Central America. Its suffragan… -
Portugal (PORTOGALLO)
PORTUGAL. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - Portuguese territory represents the western edge of the Iberian plateau, which slopes down to the coast with… -
Pouso Alegre
POUSO ALEGRE. - City and diocese in the State of Minas Gerais in Brazil. It has a population of 530,000 inhabitants, of whom 525,000 are… -
Przemyśl Of The Ruthenians (PREMISLIA DEI RUTENI)
PRZEMYŚL OF THE RUTHENIANS. - With the united titles of Sanok and Sambor (in Ukrainian Peremysl-Sanok i Sambor; in Polish… -
Puerto Rico (PORTORICO)
PUERTO RICO. - Island of the West Indies, belonging to the group of the Greater Antilles, discovered by Christopher Columbus on 17 Sept.… -
Puerto Viejo, Prelature Nullius of (PORTO VECCHIO, PRELATURA NULLIUS DI)
PORTO VECCHIO, PRELATURE NULLIUS of - City and prelature nullius in the State of Amazonas in Brazil. It has an area of 270,000 sq km with a… -
Raetia (*Rhaetia et Vindelicia*) (REZIA (*RHAETIA ET VINDELICIA*))
RAETIA (Rhaetia et Vindelicia). - A Roman province from 15 B.C. until the middle of the 6th century. The boundaries of R. changed several… -
Ravello
RAVELLO. - Ancient diocese and small town in the province of Salerno. Some hold that R. was founded in the Gothic age, others that it was… -
Register of Araguaia, Prelature "Nullius" of (REGISTRO DO ARAGUAIA, PRELATURA « NULLIUS » DI)
REGISTER OF ARAGUAIA, Prelature "Nullius" of. - Suffragan of Cuiabá, in the State of Mato Grosso, in Brazil. It was erected on 12 May 1914… -
Rennes
RENNES. - City and archdiocese in France, capital of the prefecture of the department of Ille-et-Vilaine; the latter river divides the city… -
Reykjavik
REYKJAVIK. - Capital of Iceland; its name means "bay of smoke" because of the thermal springs whose thick vapors often darken the… -
Rezayeh of the Chaldeans (= Urmia) (REZAYEH DEI CALDEI (= URMIA))
REZAYEH OF THE CHALDEANS (= Urmia). - The episcopal see dates already from the 3rd century. The city was the seat of a Chaldean Catholic… -
Rhodes (RODI)
RHODES. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - The largest after Lesbos (1440 sq. km.), and the southernmost of the large Sporades, situated a short distance… -
Rhodesia (RODESIA)
RHODESIA. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - It is the name given to the large (1.1 million sq. km.) inner South African region comprised between the middle… -
Rieux
RIEUX. - Small town and ancient diocese in the department of Haute-Garonne in France. The diocese was created in 1337 by Pope John XXII as… -
Riez
RIEZ. - Ancient diocese in the department of Basses-Alpes, in France. A Ligurian city, it was later the capital of the Reii, whence the… -
Rio Branco, Prelature of (RIO BRANCO, PRELATURA NULLIUS DI)
RIO BRANCO, Prelature of. - Suffragan of Belém do Pará, in the State of Pará (Brazil). It has an area of 260,000 sq km, with a population… -
Romagna
ROMAGNA. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - A historical region of northern Italy, corresponding to the southeastern sector of the Emilian compartment, more… -
Romania
ROMANIA. - It is the southernmost of the Danubian-Carpathian states, and the easternmost among the Neo-Latin ones; closed in between… -
Rome (ROMA)
ROME. - Metropolis of the Roman world, later capital of the Papal State and, from 3 February 1871, of the Italian State (law no. 33, art.… -
Russia
RUSSIA. - In its now long historical-political evolution this name has taken on quite different meanings. The general public uses it as a… -
Sagona (Sagna)
SAGONA (SAGNA). - Ancient diocese in Corsica (v.) formerly suffragan of Pisa, suppressed on 29 Nov. 1801 by Pius VII and united to the see… -
Saint-Denis
SAINT-DENIS: V. PARIGI; SUGERIO. SAINT-DENIS: V. RÉUNION. -
Saintes
SAINTES. - Ancient diocese and city, seat of the subprefecture of Charente-Maritime in France. It is the ancient "Mediolanum Santonum,"… -
Saint Gall (SAN GALLO)
SAINT GALL. - City and diocese of Switzerland, capital of the canton of the same name. The diocese also includes the two cantons of… -
Saint Leo (SAN LEONE)
SAINT LEO. - City in Calabria, formerly called Leonia, near Crotone, it was the seat of a tiny diocese, in the metropolitan see of S.… -
Saint-Omer
SAINT-OMER. - An ancient diocese and city, seat of a subprefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France, situated on the… -
Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux (SAINT PAUL-TROIS-CHÂTEAUX)
SAINT-PAUL-TROIS-CHÂTEAUX. - Ancient diocese and district capital town in the department of Drôme (France). It is the ancient capital of… -
Salins
Salins. - Today called Salins-les-Bains. A diploma of 523 from Sigismund, king of Burgundy, attests that it was a possession of the abbey… -
Salpi
SALPI. - Ancient diocese. The ancient "Elpie," "Salapia," "Salapinon," near present-day Trinitapoli (province of Foggia), was distinguished… -
San Fernando
SAN FERNANDO. - Diocese in the Philippines, suffragan of Manila, erected on 11 Dec. 1948, detaching from the archdiocese of Manila the… -
San Marino
SAN MARINO. - One of the smallest (60.57 sq km) and the oldest (at least since the 9th century) independent states in Europe. I. GEOGRAPHY.… -
San Severo
SAN SEVERO. - Diocese and city in the province of Foggia. It has an area of about 706 sq km with a population of 79,607 inhabitants, of… -
Santander
SANTANDER. - City and diocese of Spain on the Cantabrian coast; its territory includes the civil province of the same name, with the… -
São José de Grajaú, Prelature "Nullius" of (SAN GIUSEPPE DI GRAJAÚ, PRELATURA «NULLIUS» DI)
SÃO JOSÉ DE GRAJAÚ, PRELATURE "NULLIUS" OF. — Suffragan of St. Louis of Maranhão, in the State of Maranhão (Brazil). It was erected on 10… -
São José do Alto Tocantins, Prelature "Nullius" of (SAN GIUSEPPE DI ALTO TOCANTINS, PRELATURA «NULLIUS» DI)
SÃO JOSÉ DO ALTO TOCANTINS, PRELATURE "NULLIUS" OF. - Suffragan of Goiaz, in the state of the same name, in Brazil. Erected in 1924 and… -
Saponara
SAPONARA. - In the Agri Valley, an ancient diocese whose name was Grumentum. The diocese was vacant in 495 (Jaffé-Wattenbach, 678) when… -
Sardinia (SARDEGNA)
SARDINIA. - By area (24,089 sq. km., including the adjacent islands), it is the second island of the Mediterranean and the third of the… -
Šaštín (ŠAŠTIN)
ŠAŠTÍN. - Slovak national sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows. The village of S. lies in the western part of Slovakia, north of Bratislava,… -
Satu Mare (Sathmar, Satu(L)-Mare, Hungary) (SATU MARE (SATHMAR, SATU(L)-MARE, UNGH)
SATU MARE (Sathmar, Satu(L)-Mare, Hungary). - Also called Gran Varadino (Rom. Oradea Mare, Hung. Nagyvárad, Ger. Gross-Wardein). A Latin… -
Saxony (SASSONIA)
SAXONY. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - An ancient state of Germany; although it has no natural borders, it can be said to be bounded by the Elster and…