Geography & Dioceses
Geografia · 508 articles · Principal contributors · All subjects-
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… -
Santuario di Porto Venere (PORTO VENERE, SANTUARIO DI)
SANTUARIO DI PORTO VENERE. - On the extreme western edge of the Gulf of La Spezia, near the village of P. V., perched on the sea, stands… -
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… -
Sbiba
SBIBA. - Not far from Sufetula, the Sufes Colonia or Sufibus of the Itinerary of Antoninus, whose bishops are known: Privatus, who was at… -
Scala
SCALA. - Small town and ancient diocese in the province of Salerno. The diocese was created by Pope John XV in 987 as a suffragan of… -
Scete (Skete, Sketi, Σκήτη, Σκήτις [Σκήτειος], Σκιαβίς)
SCETE (Skete, Sketi, Σκήτη, Σκήτις [Σκήτειος], Σκιαβίς). - The harshest solitude of the ancient anchorites of Egypt, to the west of the… -
Schleswig-Holstein
SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN. - Formerly a duchy, ceded by Emperor Conrad II to Denmark in 1035 and governed with the title of Dukes by members of… -
Scotland (SCOZIA)
SCOTLAND. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - It is the northern part of Great Britain, but it preserves a marked individuality of its own, having long… -
Senlis
SENLIS. - Ancient diocese and city, seat of a subprefecture of the department of Oise in France, situated on the right bank of the river… -
Sepphoris (Heb. postbiblical Şippurî; Gr. Σεπφάς) (SEFFORIS (EBR. POSTBIBLICO ŞIPPURÎ; GR. ΣΕΦΦΆΣ))
SEPPHORIS (Heb. postbiblical Şippurî; Gr. Σεπφάς). - A city of Galilee, whose name is preserved in the present-day village of Şaffürijjeh,… -
Serbia
SERBIA. - Historical region of the Balkans, forming the core of the present-day unit of the same name included as a federal republic in the… -
Serdica (Sardica) (SARDICA (SERDICA))
SERDICA (Sardica). - Today Sofia. Its name derives from the Thracian tribe of the Serdi (Cassius Dio, LI, 25). In the arrangement given by… -
Seville, Archdiocese of (SIVIGLIA, ARCIDIODESI DI)
SEVILLE, ARCHDIOCESE of - Convent of St. Paul, founded in 1475. their support for the erection of the Seminary; indeed the second founded… -
Sicily (SICILIA)
SICILY. - By size (25,461 sq km), by number of inhabitants (4 million) and by economic importance, the principal island of the… -
Sierra Leone
SIERRA LEONE. - British possession in Guinea, enclosed between Liberia and French Guinea. It consists of a small colony (702 sq km, 124,000… -
Slovakia (Slovensko) (SLOVACCHIA (SLOVENSKO))
SLOVAKIA (SLOVENSKO). - Historical region of Central Europe, formerly part of Hungary (906-1918), then of Czechoslovakia (1918-39), then an… -
Slovenia
SLOVENIA. - It is the northernmost of the historical regions of the Yugoslav state, in which it occupies a place of its own, given the… -
Somalia
SOMALIA. - Somalia corresponds to the triangular projection of East Africa bounded by the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Ocean and the course of… -
Soriano al Cimino, Cemetery of (SORIANO AL CIMINO, CIMITERO DI)
SORIANO AL CIMINO, CEMETERY OF. - From the Etruscan Surrius vetus, destroyed by the Romans, derives the medieval Surrianum on the slopes of… -
South Tyrol (ALTO ADIGE)
SOUTH TYROL. - 1. GEOGRAPHY. - Name given (by E. Tolomei in 1906) to the basin of the river upstream of the Salorno gorge, which, in its… -
Spain (SPAGNA)
SPAIN. - The Spanish State embraces a little more than 8/10 of the territory and a little less than 8/10 of the population of the Iberian… -
Stockholm (STOCCOLMA)
STOCKHOLM. - Capital of the Kingdom of Sweden, S. (Stockholm in Swedish), on the western shore of the Baltic Sea, where the slow action of… -
St. Peregrine Laziosi in Alto Acre and Alto Purus, Prelature of (SAN PELLEGRINO LAZIOSI NEGLI ALTO ACRE E ALTO PURUS, PRELATURA DI)
ST. PEREGRINE LAZIOSI IN ALTO ACRE AND ALTO PURUS, PRELATURE OF. - Suffragan of Belém do Pará, in the territory of Acre (Amazon), in… -
St. Peter of Münster (SAN PIETRO DI MUENSTER)
SAN PIETRO DI MUENSTER - Abbey nullius and town in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. The Benedictine monastery (American-Cassinese… -
Strongoli
STRONGOLI. - It was one of the five tiny dioceses on the Ionian side of Calabria, established by the Byzantines around the middle of the… -
Sudan
SUDAN. - Region of central Africa, the western part of which depends politically on France (v. A.O.F.) and the eastern part of which… -
Sweden (SVEZIA)
SWEDEN. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - The largest (450,000 sq. km.) of the Scandinavian countries; the fourth in area among the European ones (v. map… -
Switzerland (SVIZZERA)
SWITZERLAND. - The smallest (41,295 sq km) of the states bordering Italy, contained in that strip of central Europe enclosed between the… -
Syria (SIRIA)
SYRIA. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - A historical region and (since 1946) an independent state of western Asia, bordering Turkey, 'Iraq, Transjordan,… -
Tadino (Gualdo)
TADINO (GUALDO). - Tadinum was a Roman city on the Flaminia, in Umbria, completely destroyed in the 10th century; from its ruins the… -
Tanagra
TANAGRA. - Ancient diocese in Boeotia (Greece), suffragan of Corinth. The only known bishop is Hesychius, as appears from a letter signed… -
Tanganica
TANGANICA. - Territory of southern Africa, which together with Ruanda and Urundi formed (from 1891) German East Africa; it was later… -
Tauriano
TAURIANO. - Ancient episcopal see of Calabria, aggregated to Mileto in 1086. It was a maritime city, between Medma and Palmi, near… -
Tefé, Prelature Nullius of (TEFÉ, PRELATURA NULLIUS DI)
TEFÉ, PRELATURE NULLIUS OF. - It is located in the western part of Amazonia. In 1718 the Carmelite Andrea da Costa began the mission of T.… -
Tempsa (Tempsa)
TEMPSA (TEMPSA). - Ancient diocese in Calabria. It was a colony of Magna Graecia, founded at the northern extremity of the Gulf of St.… -
Thailand (formerly Siam) (THAILANDIA (GIÀ SIAM))
THAILAND (formerly Siam). - State of southern Asia, comprising part of Indochina and of the Malay Peninsula between Burma, the Malay… -
The Hague (L'AIA)
THE HAGUE. - City of the Netherlands; royal and governmental residence. It is also called Gravenhage, "the count's enclosure," since in the… -
The Sanctuary of Monte Santo (IL SANTUARIO DI MONTESANTO)
THE SANCTUARY OF MONTESANTO. - A Marian sanctuary, whose foundation goes back to an apparition of 1539. Entrusted from 1566 to the… -
The Sanctuary of Saint Mary of Barbana (IL SANTUARIO DI S. MARIA DI BARBANA)
THE SANCTUARY OF S. MARIA DI BARBANA. - A Marian sanctuary situated on a small island of the Grado coastline. Its origins go back to the… -
Thrissur (TRICHUR)
THRISSUR. - Episcopal see of the Syro-Malabarese in India. Suffragan of Ernakulam, erected by the apostolic constitution Romani Pontifices… -
Thuburbo Minus
THUBURBO MINUS. - Ancient diocese in proconsular Africa, today Tebourba in Tunisia; it is now a titular see. In 411 Victor was bishop; but… -
Tibet
TIBET. - A vast and elevated plateau (5,000 m. on average), enclosed between the Himalayas and the Kuen Lun, entirely desert in the west,… -
Timgad
TIMGAD. - It is the ancient Thamugadi in Numidia, in present-day Algeria. The legate L. Munatius Gallus of the III Augustan Legion laid out… -
Tinos
TINOS. - Catholic bishopric of the island of the same name. Bishops of T. took part in the ecumenical councils V (553), VI (680), VII… -
Tirana
TIRANA. - Capital of the Albanian State, arisen around 1600 through the work of the Turks, situated to the E. of Durazzo and to the NE. of… -
Tiruvalla
TIRUVALLA. - Diocese of the Syro-Malankara, suffragan of Trivandrum in India. It was erected on 11 June 1932 by the apostolic constitution… -
Tonga
TONGA. - An oceanic archipelago to the NE of New Zealand. It consists of about 150 units with a total area of 697 sq km, about half of… -
Tongeren (in Flemish Tongeren) (TONGRES (IN FIAMMINGO TONGEREN))
TONGEREN (in Flemish Tongeren). - City and ancient diocese in Limburg (Belgium), on the banks of the river Icker, a tributary of the Meuse.… -
Torcello (Turricellum)
TORCELLO (Turricellum). - Ancient episcopal see, an island in the municipality of Venice, from which it is 10 km away, > (photo Caprioli,… -
Toul (Tullum Leucorum) (TOUL (TULLIUM, TULLUM LEUCORUM))
TOUL (Tullum Leucorum). - On the left bank of the Moselle, where the Rhine canal forms a port, it belonged to the ancient province of… -
Touring Club Italiano
TOURING CLUB ITALIANO. - An association whose purpose is the dissemination of knowledge of Italy among Italians and foreigners and the… -
Trebizond (Trapesunte, Trabzon) (TREBISONDA (TRAPEZUNTE, TRABZON))
TREBIZOND (TRAPESUNTE, TRABZON). - The Greek bishopric of T., later elevated to a metropolis, already existed at the time of the Council of… -
Treia
TREIA. - Ancient diocese in the province of Macerata. For its statistical data see SAN SEVERINO. Of Picene origin is the ancient Trea,… -
Tres Tabernae
TRES TABERNAE. - Ancient diocese and station on the ancient Via Appia, 3 miles from Rome, according to the Itinerary of Antoninus, and it… -
Trevi (TREVICO)
TREVI. - Village and ancient diocese in the province of Avellino. It was an episcopal see from the 10th century, a suffragan of Benevento;… -
Trevi nel Lazio
TREVI NEL LAZIO. - Ancient diocese, near the sources of the Aniene, today in the diocese of Subiaco. It was a Roman municipium under the… -
Tripoli, Lebanon (TRIPOLI DEL LIBANO)
TRIPOLI OF LEBANON - Seat of the dioceses of the same name: 1) of the Maronites (also called Tarabulus), existing since 1534. There are:… -
Trogir (Traù) (TRAÙ (TROGIR))
TROGIR (TRAÙ). - A small town in Dalmatia to the north-west of Split, on a small island between the mainland and the island of Bua (Čiovo).… -
Tübingen (TUBINGA)
TÜBINGEN. - City in Germany in Württemberg; famous for its university, which made it one of the principal beacons of the sciences from the… -
Tunisia
TUNISIA. - Arab state of North Africa, independent until 1881, then (Treaty of Bardo) a French protectorate, and since 1946 an associated… -
Turio
TURIO. - Ancient city of Magna Graecia in the Gulf of Taranto, founded by the survivors of Sybaris, a short distance from the ancient and… -
Turkey (TURCHIA)
TURKEY. - The Turkish Republic, proclaimed on 31 Oct. 1923, is the state that emerged from the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and from… -
Tuscany (TOSCANA)
TUSCANY. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - It is the largest of the historical regions of peninsular Italy (23,000 sq. km.). As such it comprises terrains… -
Tyropoeon
TYROPOEON. - Name given by Flavius Josephus (Antiq. Ind., V, 4, 1: ἡ τῶν τυροποιῶν φάραγξ "valley of the cheesemakers") to the valley that… -
Uganda
UGANDA. - British protectorate, comprising a territory of 243,382 sq km to the N. and W. of Lake Victoria, between Sudan, Kenya, Tanganyika… -
Ukraine (UCRAINA)
UKRAINE. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - One of the 16 federated Republics of which the U.S.S.R. consists, having entered the Union on 30 Dec. 1922… -
Umana
UMANA. - Today a rural parish in the province of Ancona (Marche) and an ancient diocese, from a very remote age. When the see of Recanati… -
Umbria
UMBRIA. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - It is the only region of peninsular Italy, corresponding in substance to the upper and middle basin of the Tiber,… -
Umbriatico
UMBRIATICO. - One of the five microscopic dioceses that formed the metropolis of S. Severina (v.), in Calabria. It was erected by the… -
Union of South Africa (UNIONE SUDAFRICANA)
UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - A Dominion (since 1910) forming part of the British Commonwealth and consisting of a federation of… -
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) (UNIONE DELLE REPUBBLICHE SOCIALISTE SOVIETICHE (U.R.S.S.))
UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS (U.S.S.R.). - The use of the abbreviation U.S.S.R. dates back to 30 Dec. 1926 (in Russian S.S.S.R., or,… -
Uruguay
URUGUAY. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - A South American state, enclosed between Brazil and Argentina and facing the estuary of the Rio de la Plata. It… -
Vallepietra, Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity of (VALLEPIETRA, SANTUARIO DELLA SANTISSIMA TRINITÀ DI)
VALLEPIETRA, SANCTUARY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY OF. - It lies in the valley of the Simbrivio, near the hill of the Tagliata which leans… -
Vatican (VATICANO)
VATICAN. - The State of Vatican City (S.C.V.) was created and defined on 11 February 1929 by the Lateran Treaty. Its name sums up its… -
Velehrad, Sanctuary of (VELEHRAD, SANTUARIO DI)
VELEHRAD, Sanctuary of. - In the diocese of Olomouc (v.) in Czechoslovakia, a place of pilgrimages and the seat of the international… -
Venafro
VENAFRO. - Ancient diocese and city in the province of Campobasso, situated on the slopes of Monte Croce. It was inhabited in very ancient… -
Venezuela
VENEZUELA. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - The northernmost of the Atlantic states of South America, the only one whose territory lies entirely north of… -
Venice, Patriarchate of (VENEZIA, PATRIARCATO DI)
VENICE, PATRIARCHATE OF. - Patriarchate and provincial capital city in the Veneto. The diocese has a population of 362,564 inhabitants, of… -
Verna, Sanctuary of (VERNA, SANTUARIO DELLA)
VERNA, Sanctuary of. - A detached mountain of the central Apennines (highest point, the Penna, 1284 m), in the province and diocese of… -
Verrazano, Giovanni
VERRAZANO, GIOVANNI. - Florentine navigator, b. around 1485 to a family originally from the Val di Greve; killed in an expedition in 1528.… -
Versailles
VERSAILLES. - City and diocese in the department of Seine-et-Oise in France. It has an area of 5,659 sq km with a population of 1,500,000… -
Vibona
VIBONA. - The ancient diocese of V., called "Hipponium" by the Latins, at the southern end of the Gulf of St. Euphemia, was destroyed by… -
Vico Equense
VICO EQUENSE. - Small town and ancient diocese in the province of Naples. It was an episcopal see from the 13th century to 1818, when it… -
Vienne
VIENNE. - Ancient archdiocese and current subprefecture of the Isère in France, whose title is today united with the archiepiscopal title… -
Vilna (Wilno), Archdiocese of (WILNA (VILNA, WILNO), ARCIDIÓCESI DI)
VILNA (WILNO), ARCHDIOCESE OF. - City and archdiocese in Poland. It has an area of 56,679 sq km, with a population of 2,325,000… -
Vivaldi, Ugolino and Vadino (VIVALDI, UGOLINO E VADINO)
VIVALDI, UGOLINO AND VADINO. - Genoese navigators who in 1291 undertook a voyage "quod aliquis usque nunc minime attemptavit" in order to… -
Volturara
VOLTURARA. - Ancient diocese and small town, today Volturara Irpina in the province of Salerno. It appears to have arisen after the Romans… -
Warsaw, Archdiocese of (VARSAVIA, ARCIDIODESE DI)
WARSAW, ARCHDIOCESE of - Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, archbishop of Gniezno and Warsaw, removed and interned by the communist Government of… -
Worms
WORMS. - City and ancient diocese in Germany. It is the Celtic "Borbetomagus," the Roman "Vormatia." There is no certain information about… -
Włocławek (Cujavia-Kalisz), Diocese of (WLADISLAVIA (WŁOCŁAWEK, CUJAVIA-KALISZ))
WŁOCŁAWEK (Cujavia-Kalisz), Diocese of. - City and diocese in Poland, with residence at Włocławek. It has an area of 11,500 sq km with a… -
Xanten (Ad Sanctos)
XANTEN (Ad Sanctos). - In the Rhineland (Germany). It stands on the site of the ancient "Colonia Traiana" founded by the emperor of the… -
Xingu, Prelature of (XINGÚ, PRELATURA NULLIUS DI)
XINGU, Prelature of. - In the State of Pará in Brazil. It has an area of 318,548 sq. km., with a population of 22,000 inhabitants, of whom… -
Yemen
YEMEN. - I. GEOGRAPHY. - A state of southwestern Arabia, between the Sa'ūdite province of 'Aṣīr and the British protectorate of Ḥaḍramūt.… -
Yerevan (ERIVAN)
YEREVAN. - City of the district of Kotajkh, about 10 km. from Eghmiadzia, toward the east, on the Zanga River, in a plain over 1000 m. high… -
York
YORK. - Ancient archdiocese and city in north-eastern England in the county of the same name. It is the Eburacum of the Romans, who were… -
Yugoslavia (JUGOSLAVIA)
YUGOSLAVIA. - A state of southern Europe comprising the central and northwestern parts of the Balkan region, with the addition of more or… -
Zanzibar
ZANZIBAR. - British protectorate comprising the island of the same name (1658 sq. km.) and the neighboring island of Pemba (984 sq. km.)… -
Zwolle
ZWOLLE. - Dutch city (in 1952 it had about 45,000 inhabitants, of whom more than half were Catholics), famous for the house that the…