Diocese of BelaThe Diocese of Bela is a Roman Catholic titular diocese in Greece. HistoryBela was a medieval fortress town and bishopric in Epirus, northwestern Greece. Bela first appears in the mid-10th century, when the Byzantine Empire's Notitiae Episcopatuum mention the see of "Photice, that is Bela" (Φωτικῆς ἤτοι Βελᾶς), implying that the seat of the bishopric of Photice, a suffragan of the Metropolis of Naupaktos, had been moved to Bela. This move was temporary, since from the mid-11th century, Photice is again mentioned without further additions.[1] Its only recorded bishop during that time, Constantine, is known from a 10th-century episcopal seal.[2] From the early 13th century, however, Bela is attested as a separate bishopric, held by Manuel Makres.[3] It is possible that during the 13th century, Bela formed also a province (theme), but this is unclear.[3] It appears that by 1367, Bela and nearby Dryinopolis were no longer suffragans of Naupaktos, but of the Metropolis of Ioannina, as indeed is confirmed from the late 15th century on.[3] RestorationThe see, Eastern Orthodox throughout its existence, was nominally restored in 1933 as a Latin Catholic titular bishopric. It has had the following incumbents:[4]
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