Volitanus also known as Voli and Bolitana[1] was a Roman era civitas (town)[2] of Africa Proconsularis,[3] a suffragan metropolis of Carthage in Roman North Africa.[4]

Africa proconsularis SPQR.

Location

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The town of Voli is now in modern Tunisia, though the exact location of Voli is not known for certain[5] The village of Sidi Medien Zaghouan province (latitude 36°20'3.57", longitude 10°5'22.15") has been suggested due to similarity of names. The issue with Sidi Medien is that here the Roman Era town appears to have been a colonia, by the name of Vallitanus[6] (Vallis) while the name of Voli was probably Bolitana.

Bishopric

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The town was a seat of a Bishopric[7] in Africa Proconsularis and suffran to Cartagine, it remains a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church.

Augustine records that the Diocese of Carthage celebrated the feast day of the martyrs of Bolitana[8] on 17 October.[9][10]

The deacon Peregrinus of Bolitana civitas who was martyred under Diocletian after his conviction by the proconsul Caius Annius Anullinus He has a feast day of 23 April.

In 411 rival bishops Crispus (Catholic) and Quodvultdeus (Donatist) attended the Council of Carthage (411).[11] The Council found for Crispus. In 418, Bishop Muranus (Catholic) attended the Council of Carthage, and in 484 Bonifatius (Catholic).[12] attended the Council of Huneric, king of the Vandals.[13]

The current bishop is Emil Paul Tscherrig, who replaced Francisco Javier Martínez Fernández (20 Mar 1985 – 15 Mar 1996).

References

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  1. ^ Journal of the constitutions and the decrees of the Councils and the Supreme Pontiffs of the letter (Jean Hardouin, Claude Rigaud (París).)p692.
  2. ^ A. Harnack, The Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries, 2 volumes (Wipf and Stock Publishers, 9 Jan. 1997) p433.
  3. ^ Paolo Chiesa, Pellegrino martire "in city Bolitana" and Pellegrino di un'altra African agiografia ad Aquileia? Analecta Bollandiana: Revue critique d'hagiography, ISSN 0003-2468, Vol. 116, no. 1, 1998, pp. 25-56.
  4. ^ Sacrosancta Concilia Ad Regiam Editionem Exacta: Apparatus Primus, Volume 22 (Coleti Et Albrizzi, 1733).
  5. ^ A. Harnack, The Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries, 2 volumes (Wipf and Stock Publishers, 9 Jan. 1997) p433.
  6. ^ Vallitanus.
  7. ^ notit. num 28, coll. carth. d. 1, c. 128, not. 146.
  8. ^ Pierre-Marie Hombert, New research from Augustinian chronology (Institute of Augustinian Studies, 2000) p268.
  9. ^ Optatus ii:4.
  10. ^ A. Harnack, The Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries, 2 volumes (Wipf and Stock Publishers, 9 Jan. 1997) p.433.
  11. ^ Optati Afri Milevitani Episcopi de Schismate Donatistarum contra Parmenianum, (1700) p444.
  12. ^ Jean Hardouin, Claude Rigaud (París)Journal of the constitutions and the decrees of the Councils and the Supreme Pontiffs of the letter p57.
  13. ^ Jean Louis Maier, The Episcopate of Roman, Vandal and Byzantine Africa p116.