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 TRIPOLI

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TRIPOLI

extent: Tripoli and Khoms in Tripolitana; Benghazi, Derna, and Tobriik in Cyrenaica. They have advanced inland only about six miles to Ain-Zara, near TripoU.

Tripolitana and Cyrenaica were under separate rehgious administrations, as well as being divided civilly. The former had seven bishoprics: Gigthi, now represented by the ruins of Henchir Jorf Bou- Grara, opposite the island of Girba; Girba, an island in Tunisia which has preserved its name; Leptis Magna, or Khoms; Oea, or Tripohs; Sabratha, at the ruins of this name, west of Tripoli; Sinnipsa, between Tripoli and Leptis Magna; Tacapae or Gabes in Tunisia. These seven sees were attached to the episcopate of Africa, of which the Bishop of Carthage was the recognized head. It is well known that these various ecclesiastical provinces of Africa had no metropolitan: in each of them the oldest bishop per- formed the offices of primate. Nevertheless, al- though it sent a special delegate to the national coun- cils of Carthage, Tripohtana had no primate; its bishops were under the jurisdiction of the Primate of the Byzacene. CjTenaica on the other hand was in- cluded in the Patriarchate of Alexandria, and formed two ecclesiastical provinces: (1) Libya Pentapolis, with Apollonia Sozusa a-s metropolitan see and eight suffra- gan bishoprics: Ptolomais, CijTene, Teucheira or Arsinoe, Berenice, Barca, Erythron, Olbia, and Dys- this; (2) Libya Secunda or Marmarica, with Darnis as metropolitan and seven suffragan sees, Paraeto- nium, Antipyrgos, Antiphra?, Zygris, Zagylis, Augila, and Marmarica(LeQuien,"Oriens Christ. ",11,617-37).

The jurisdiction of the present Prefecture Apostolic of Tripoli extends over both the vilayet of Tripoli and the sanjak of Benghazi, that is, over Tripolitana and Cyrenaica. It is known that almost immediately on their foundation the Franciscans went to Tripoli, but we have no information concerning this early mission. In 1630 Propaganda sent thither two Friars Minor from Venetia. Seven years later Urban VIII ap- pointed Father Francesco di Venezia missionary Apostolic, and in 1643 the mission was made a prefec- ture. Father Luigi da Ponte, prefect Apostolic, was slain by the natives in 1654; in 1691 all the mission- aries died of the plague, but others replaced them. Conflicts of jurisdiction soon arose between the Fran- ciscans dependent on Propaganda and the Fathers of Mercy or other religious long established in Tripoli for the ransom of captives. To end this. Propaganda in 1682 removed ail jurisdiction from priests not depend- ent on it. In 1704, through the generosity of Louis XIV and Clement XI, a church and hospital were built. In 1843 there remained only two rehgious with 1300 Catholics in all the regency, but their number was soon increased by Italian and Maltese immigra- tion. Accordingto the "MissionescathoHca;" (1907), 390, there were in the prefecture Apostolic prior to the Italo-Turkish war, 10 Franciscans, 5 parishes, and 5 churches without a resident priest. The Catholic stations are: Tripoli, with 4400 faithful, Khoms with 145, Benghazi with 310, Barca with 16, Derna with 44, Meschia with 600; in all nearly 6000 Catholics. The religious orders are: Franciscans with 5 convents and 21 religious; Marianites, 1 convent and 7 religious; Jo.sephites, 1 convent and 5 religious; Franciscan Sisters, 3 convents and 16 nuns; French Sisters of St. .loseph, 2 convents and 17 religious; the last- named have a school and ho.spital at Tripoli.

Very little is known regarding the history of the city of Tripoli, the ancient Oea, which has given its name to the whole country. Of Punic origin, it sub- seiiuently passed into tlie liands of the Romans, when it had a renowned school and illustrious teachers. Apuleius, the celelirated author of the "Golden Ass", taught there for some time. Two Roman roads con- nected the city willi Sabratha and Leptis Magna; one ran along the coast, the other took a more southerly di-

rection inland. Christianity was implanted there at an early date, for its bishop, Natalis, assisted at the Coun- cil of Carthage, Sept., 256; the Donatist Marinianus was at the conference of Carthage in 411; Cresconiua, banished in 455 by Genseric, returned to his diocese, assisted at the conference of Carthage in 484, and was again exiled. Thenceforth the city shared the lot of the province as related above. It was twice possessed by the Christians, from 1146 to 1160 by the Normans of Sicily, from 1510 to 1551 by the Spaniards and the Knights of Malta. It was also bombarded several times, notably by the French in 1685, 1693, and 1728. Before the Italian ex-jjedition Tripoli had about 60,000 inhabitants, including those of the neighbouring oasis. Of these, 4400 were Maltese and Itahans, 8000 Jews, and 45,000 Mussulmans. The sole artistic curiosity is the triumphal arch dating from the second century of our era.

Platfaih, The Bibliography of the Barbary States: Tripoli arid Cyrenaica (London. 1892); Waille, Bibliographic de la Tripoli- taine in Bulletin de correspondance africaine (1884); BeecHY, Expedition to Explore the Northern Coast of Africa from Tripoli Eastward (London, 1828) ; Della Cella, Viaggio da Tripoli di Barberia alle frontieri occidentali dell' Egitto (Genoa, 1819); Pacho, Relations d'un voyage dans la Mnrmnrigue et la Cyrenatque (Paris, 1827-29); de La Primaudaie. Le lillornl dela Tripolitaine (Paris, 1865); Charmes, La Tuni.iie el la Tnpolitaine (Paris, 1883); ToULOTTE, Geographic de rAfrique chreticnne, Byzacene el Tripolitaine (Montreuil, 1894), 245-63: Battaxdier in Etudea eeclesiastiques (Nov., 1911); Mathuisieulx, A trovers la Tripoli- taine (Paris, 1912); Idem, La Tripolitaine d'hier et de demain (Paris, 1912); Missiones catholics (Rome. 1907). 390; Barth, Wanderungen durch die Kiistenldnder des Mittelmeers (Berlin, 1849); Idem, Wanderungen durch das Punische und Kyrendische Kiistenland (Berlin, 1849); Maltzax, Reise in den Regenschaften Tunis und Tripoli (1870); Rohlfs, Dif Bcdeutung Tripolitaniens (Weimar, 1877); Mulleb, Notes to Ptolemy (Paris, 1900), 628.

S. Vailhe.

Tripolis (Tripolit.\n.a.), a Maronite and Melchite diocese, in Syria. The primitive name of the town is not known; Dhorme (Revue biblique, 1908, 508 sqq.) suggests that it is identical with Shi-ga-ta men- tioned in the El-Amarna letters between 1385 and 1:368 B. c. The name Tripohs is derived from the fact that the city formed three districts separated from each other by walls, inhabited by colonists from Ara- dus. Tyre, and Sidon, and governed by a common sen- ate. Almost nothing is known of its ancient history. Christianity was introduced there at an early date; mention may be made of a much frequented sanctu- ary there which was dedicated to the martyr St. Leontius, whose feast is observed on 18 June (Analecta bollandiana, XIX, 9-12). The see, which was in the Province of Tyre and the Patriarchate of Antioch, had a bishop, Helladicus, in 325; other bishops were: the Arian Theodosius; Commo(ius, who was present at the Council of Ephesus in 431; and Theodorus, at that of Chalcedon in 451 (Le Quien, "Oriens christ.", II, 821-24). AHvT an earthquake Tripolis was restored by Emperor Marcianus about the middle of the fifth century, to be captured by the Arabs in 638, when it became a powerful centre of the Shiite rehgion, resist- ing all attacks by the Byzantines. It then had a university and a hbrary of more than 100,000 vol- umes; the latter was burned on the arrival of the Cru- saders. As early as 1103 Raymond, Count of Saint- Gilles, being unable to capture the city, built on a neighbouring hill the stronghold which still exi.sts and compelled the inhabitants to pay him tribute. In 1109 the city was captured, made a countship, and given to Berfrand, Raymond's son, and to his descend- ants. The latter owned it until 1289, when it was taken from them by Sultan Qalaoun, who massa- cred the entire Christian population. Du Cange (Les families d'outre-mer, 811-13) and Eubel (Hierarchia catholica medii levi, I, 526; II, 281 ; III, 3:«)) give the list of its Latin residential and titular bishops. In 1517 the Turks finally captured Tripoh and still ret;uii iiiissessidti of it. " In 1697 the Maronite prince "\'ouiirs \v;isnKU-lyred there for the Faith, and in 1711 the Sheikh Canaan- Daher-Shhedid.