Bela or Vela ( Greek: Βελά) was a medieval fortress town and bishopric in Epirus, northwestern Greece.
Bela is located near the site of the modern Vella Monastery, some 2 km south of Kalpaki. [1] The name is of Slavic origin. [1] The fortress survived until the mid-20th century, when it was documented by N. G. L. Hammond; however, the Second World War and its aftermath, as well as the operation of a quarry on the eastern side of the hill, have destroyed most of the remains described by Hammond. [2]
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. [3] Its only recorded bishop during that time, Constantine, is known from a 10th-century episcopal seal. [4]
From the early 13th century, however, Bela is attested as a separate bishopric, held by Manuel Makres. [1] It is possible that during the 13th century, Bela formed also a province ( theme), but this is unclear. [1] 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. [1]
In 1380, Bela was captured by the Ottoman Turks under Lala Şahin Pasha, [5] but in 1382 it came under the control of John Spata's son-in-law Marchesano. [2]
The see, Eastern Orthodox throughout its existence, was nominally restored in 1933 as a Latin Catholic titular bishopric. It has had the following incumbents: [6]
Bela or Vela ( Greek: Βελά) was a medieval fortress town and bishopric in Epirus, northwestern Greece.
Bela is located near the site of the modern Vella Monastery, some 2 km south of Kalpaki. [1] The name is of Slavic origin. [1] The fortress survived until the mid-20th century, when it was documented by N. G. L. Hammond; however, the Second World War and its aftermath, as well as the operation of a quarry on the eastern side of the hill, have destroyed most of the remains described by Hammond. [2]
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. [3] Its only recorded bishop during that time, Constantine, is known from a 10th-century episcopal seal. [4]
From the early 13th century, however, Bela is attested as a separate bishopric, held by Manuel Makres. [1] It is possible that during the 13th century, Bela formed also a province ( theme), but this is unclear. [1] 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. [1]
In 1380, Bela was captured by the Ottoman Turks under Lala Şahin Pasha, [5] but in 1382 it came under the control of John Spata's son-in-law Marchesano. [2]
The see, Eastern Orthodox throughout its existence, was nominally restored in 1933 as a Latin Catholic titular bishopric. It has had the following incumbents: [6]