Musti (Tunisia)

Coordinates: 36°24′36″N 9°05′00″E / 36.4100°N 9.0833°E / 36.4100; 9.0833
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Musti ruins.

Musti or Mustis was an ancient city and bishopric in the

Catholic
titular see.

History

Musti was an important

Roman general Gaius Marius settled his veterans here and at a later time it was elevated to the rank of a municipium by Julius Caesar or by Marcus Aurelius. The ancient Roman town lost its appearance when the Byzantines transformed it into a stronghold during their struggles against the Vandals
.

Peutinger Table
.

The town has only been partially excavated, leaving a large area still to be researched, but nevertheless boasts remains of the

Three temples have been identified at Musti though others were known, One of the temples was converted to a bascillica in the 4th century [2]

Musti is mentioned by

Augustine.[4]

The Byzantines turned much of the Forum into a fortress during their battles with the Vandals.[5]

Sights

The triumphal arch located at the entrance of the site is still of unknown attribution. The eastern arch, which was in a very ruined state, was restored in 1967 by the National Institute of Art and Archaeology and the Historical Monuments Service. The nearby mausoleum of the Julii was also restored at this time. The entire restoration took 17 months to complete.

The entrance of the site opens onto a large paved yard which leads to an attractive gateway. This gate had a covered walkway on the left and on the right. To the sides are the shops of the moneychangers and some bas-reliefs of well-wishing

genies
.

Near the gate are the remains of three temples (to Ceres, Pluto and Apollo). Further on are ruins of a small 4th century Christian church, a basilica with three naves and a raised sacred area (the baptistery). It is adjoined by a large Byzantine fortification.

Recent archaeological research

In 2018, a joint Polish-Tunisian project was commenced by the

epigraphists documented over 130 Latin inscriptions from the Roman period; their total number at the site is estimated at more than 500. Sondages were also made, and the stratigraphy of the layers was established, reaching back to the pre-Roman period (6th–3rd century BC) when Mustis was inhabited by Numidian tribes.[8]

Ecclesiastical history

Roman Africa Proconsularae

It was a bishopric,

Africa Proconsularis
.

There also was another city and bishopric called

monothelites, was obviously of that province.[9]

Titular see

In 1912, the diocese was nominally restored as a Latin titular see, of the lowest (episcopal) rank with a single (archiepiscopal) exception. It has had the following incumbents:

  • Jean-Ephrem Bertreux, Society of Mary (S.M.) (1912.06.01 – 1919.01.04)
  • Julien-Louis-Edouard-Marie Gorju, White Fathers (M. Afr.) (1922.04.26 – 1942.01.14)
  • Eugenio Raffaele Faggiano, Passionists (C.P.) (1956.09.25 – 1960.05.02)
  • Vicente Alfredo Aducci (1960.05.28 – 1962.05.03)
  • Oscar Félix Villena (1962.07.26 – 1970.02.11)
  • Titular archbishop Juan José Aníbal Mena Porta (1970.06.16 – 1970.11.25)
  • Aldo Del Monte (1970.12.29 – 1972.01.15)
  • Gaetano Bonicelli (1975.07.10 – 1977.06.11) (later Archbishop)
  • Antonio Ambrosanio (1977.08.27 – 1988.01.04) (later Archbishop)
  • Francisco João Silota, M. Afr. (74) (1988.01.18 – 1990.11.19)
  • Giuseppe Pasotto,
    Apostolic Administrator of Caucasus

References

  1. ^ Walter E. Kaegi, Muslim Expansion and Byzantine Collapse in North Africa(Cambridge University Press, 2010 ) p 281.
  2. ^ a b c d Musti (El Krib) at romanartlover.com.
  3. ^ Ptol., IV, 3, 33
  4. ^ a b Sophrone Pétridès, The Catholic Encyclopedia 10, 1911
  5. ^ Walter E. Kaegi, Muslim Expansion and Byzantine Collapse in North Africa (Cambridge University Press, 4 Nov. 2010 ) p 281.
  6. ^ "Mustis". pcma.uw.edu.pl. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  7. S2CID 214526738
    .
  8. ^ "Hundreds of inscriptions revealing fascinating tale of ancient city uncovered in Tunisia". www.thefirstnews.com. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  9. ^ a b Pétridès, S. Musti, In The Catholic Encyclopedia. (Robert Appleton Company (New York City), 1911). Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  10. ^ J. Mesnage, L'Afrique chrétienne:Évêchés & ruines antiques (Paris 1912), pp. 118 and 424
  11. ), p. 935

Sources and external links

36°24′36″N 9°05′00″E / 36.4100°N 9.0833°E / 36.4100; 9.0833