Περίληψη : The existence of the bishopric of Nicopolis and Colonea, dependant on the diocese of Neocaesarea, can be dated to 1855. Between 1887 and 1907, this new ecclesiastical authority was extracted from the diocese of Neocaesarea and promoted to diocese. The interesting fact about this particular diocese is that it expressed its request for separation from the diocese of Neocaesarea even though it was positioned very near its seat (Kotyora). Moreover, the newly founded province of Nicopolis and Colonea was extremely small in area and almost entirely surrounded by areas which remained within the territory of Neocaesarea. Γεωγραφική Θέση North Asia Minor, coast of the Black Sea Ιστορική Περιοχή Pontus, Paphlagonia 1. General historical background This is one of the most recent ecclesiastical administrations of the Pontic and more general Asia Minor area, as its establishment, initially as a bishopric dependant on the diocese of Neocaesarea, and its later promotion to independent archbishopric and still later to diocese, took place during the second half of the 19 th century. An important historical problem is raised by the reasons for the establishment of this ecclesiastical province, which brought about the division of a section from the central core of the Neocaesarea province; all the more so as the restricted area of the new province of Nicopolis and the geographic paradox of its presence at the centre of areas which remained within the territory of Neoceasarea have not an obvious explanation. 2. 15th 19th century The Nicopolis and Colonea province, as this was established during the 19 th century, included the area immediately neighbouring the town of Karahisar (this Pontic Karahisar, also known as Karahisar-i Şarki and Sebinkarahisar, bears no relation to Afyon Karahisar in Phrygia), which can be identified as part of the territory of the medieval ecclesiastical province of Colonea. The latter had become dormant well before the 15 th century and the history of the ecclesiastical subordination of the rather meagre Christian population that survived in the area is shady. There is no precise evidence on the issue of the ecclesiastical subordination of the Karahisar area until the second half of the 18 th century, but indirect evidence can give some indications in this direction. During the 15 th and 16 th centuries, i.e. the early phase of Ottoman rule in the area and, at the same time, the period of reestablishment of the ecclesiastical administration in Asia Minor, the only relevant information comes from the berats of 1483 and 1525 for the appointment of patriarchs, as well as from the surviving notitia of the early Ottoman era. The ecclesiastical authorities of the broader area noted in these sources are the dioceses of Trebizond, Amaseia and Sebasteia, according to the berats, and the diocese of Trebizond, Amaseia and Neocaesarea, according to the notitia. 1 In relation to the above dioceses, the diocese of Neocaesarea can be relatively safely considered dormant until 1610, at which time it as re-established after many years of nonexistence. 2 The case of the diocese of Sebasteia is also problematic in relation to its functioning during the 15 th and 16 th century. There is evidence to support that attempts were made to re-establish it between 1617 and 1629 after a long period of nonexistence, 3 through the appointment of the monks Serapheim and Joseph as metropolitans; we know with certainty, however, that this effort failed. There is no later evidence of the existence of an Orthodox ecclesiastical authority in Sebasteia, while the town and its territory came under the auspices of the Neocaesarea province. Sebasteia and its territory are known for the notable presence of an Armenian not Greek-Orthodox population, a fact which surely contributed to the difficulty in establishing the diocese. The recording of a diocese with Sebasteia as its seat in the patriarchal decrees and the attempts to re-establish it between 1617 and 1629 probably indicate intentions rather that the reality, the effort in other words of the patriarchate to preserve a diocese in this important urban Δημιουργήθηκε στις 9/2/2017 Σελίδα 1/5
centre of north east Asia Minor, which, however, was not successful. This leaves the dioceses of Amaseia and Trebizond as possible ecclesiastical authorities of the Karahisar area from the 15 th to the 18 th century. As we are informed by a document from the archives of the Trebizond şariat court, the appointment of bishop Kyrillos in 1628 was made known to some of the kadis of the area, including those of Karahisar and Bayburt, a detail which shows that the sphere of jurisdiction of the metropolitan of Trebizond possibly included these areas. This hypothesis is supported by information from the same period (1633) concerning the appointment of a bishop in Bayburt by the metropolitan of Trebizond. 4 The combination of these facts show that Karahisar was included in the apparent external perimeter of the area of influence of the metropolitan of Trebizond, and the latter could appoint bishops, in contrast to the narrow core of the province which was under his immediate control (Trebizond and the areas of Trikomia, Maçka and Sourmaina (Sürmene). This external perimeter of the Trebizond province included, up to the first half of the 17 th century, the areas of Torul, Of, Karahisar, Bayburt, Erzıncan, Kemah, Kelkit, and even Erzurum, but its cohesion and the influence of the metropolitan of Trebizond were disrupted by the elevation of the bishopric of Kanin to autonomous archbishopric. 5 The apparently plausible connection of the area of Karahisar with the ecclesiastical authority of Trebizond must have been interrupted during the 17 th century; since then there an absolute lack of information until the second half of the 18 th century. We learn that the common practice of the establishment of patriarchal exarchies had also extended to the Karahisar area. This regime characterised the area for an undetermined period of time until 1775, when it was subordinated, possibly for the first time, to the Neocaesarea province. In a relevant decision by patriarch Sophronios II, published in April 1775, the exarchical villages of Sebinkarahisar and the districts of Chapsamana and the so-called villages of Meletios were ceded to the diocese of Neocaesarea in order for its metropolitan to gain financial relief. 6 It becomes obvious that financial difficulties led the patriarchate to its decision to make use of some exarchies in order to support the diocese of Neocaesarea. This provision also served a practical purpose; in this way, the metropolitans would be in a position to fulfil their financial obligations towards the patriarchate. The incorporation to the Neocaesarea province, a particularly extensive region which included most of the Pontic area, is an important moment in the ecclesiastical history of the Karahisar area, and is a logical development, since the latter was very close to the territorial core of the aforementioned ecclesiastical authority. This incorporation was, however, short-lived; by the mid-19 th century, the Karahisar area became an ecclesiastical authority in its own right, first as a bishopric and later as the diocese of Nicopolis and Colonea. 3. Mid-19th century 1923 The existence of the bishopric of Nicopolis and Colonea, dependant on the diocese of Neocaesarea, can be dated to 1855. However, this ecclesiastical authority was soon extracted from the diocese of Neocaesarea and promoted to diocese between 1887 and 1907. 7 In accordance with the common practice of the era, the name of this new ecclesiastical authority occurred through a revival of an ancient place-name that referred back to the remote history of the initial constitution of the Christian church during late antiquity. Thus, the newly established ecclesiastical authority referred back to the ancient and medieval town of Colonea, identified with the village of Koğilasar, near Karahisar, as well as with the nearby Roman town of Nicopolis that at that time survived only in ruins. 8 The seat of this new ecclesiastical authority remained in Karahisar, which was the only important urban centre in the region. The establishment of this new province also revived the medieval ecclesiastical administration of Colonea, whose area of control can be identified with that of the Byzantine theme with the same name. The new province of Nicopolis and Colonea, however, included a considerably smaller area, as it was confined to the town and kaza of Karahisar. A first attempt to interpret the extraction of the Nicopolis province can but lead to the connection with a general trend for the division of old ecclesiastical provinces and the establishment of new ones which was taking place in the wole Asia Minor area at the time. The reasons for this development were the constant increase of the Christian Orthodox population, but also changes in the Ottoman system of provincial administration, in the framework of the new legislation, the ecclesiastical leaders were appointed the role of the higher representatives of the Christians in the respective administration units; the higher the ecclesiastical authority that represented the Δημιουργήθηκε στις 9/2/2017 Σελίδα 2/5
local communities at provincial councils (at sancak and kaza level), the more effective their representation. 9 The inconsistency of the boundaries of ecclesiastical provinces compared to those of the Ottoman provincial authorities, led to problems of representation for many communities, a situation which fuelled the request for division. The establishment of the province of Nicopolis is particularly problematic in relation to the reasons for its division from the province of Neocaesarea. The latter was particularly extensive, as it included the largest part of Pontus and Paphlagonia; thus, it was probably natural for requests for division to be voiced. The paradox is that the request for division was not voiced in the remotest and more peripheral areas of the province, but in the central core of its Pontic area, very near the seat of the metropolitan of Neocaesarea in Kotyora (Urdu). Moreover, the newly-established province of Nicopolis and Colonea was extremely confined territorially, and in its totality almost surrounded by districts which remained under the auspices of the metropolitan of Neocaesarea. Apart from the general parameters set down by the political framework of the era, the request for the establishment of a special ecclesiastical authority for Karahisar, may have also stemmed from the particular aspirations, sense of difference and lack of conformity with the established networks of communal dominance of the immigrants from the provinces of Trebizond and Chaldia, who had settled in the Karahisar area during the 19 th century and had greatly strengthened its Christian population. 10 Moreover, the promotion of the bishopric of Nicopolis to diocese can also be connected to the activity of its bishop Ieremias (1864-1878), during whose term it occurred. 11 The aforementioned bishop contributed greatly to the strengthening of the presence of the Greek-Orthodox element in the province, through the attraction of immigrants, the construction of a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity, as well as the establishment of schools and of a new Orthodox quarter. 12 Although the geographical extent of the province was limited and basically included only the immediate area (kaza) of Karahisar, the Greek-Orthodox population of the rural area was relatively robust, particularly after the arrival of immigrants from other Pontic areas during the 19 th century. A surviving account concerning the number of Greek-Orthodox communities in the province mentions 97, 13 while a probably exaggerated account places the total Greek-Orthodox population at 67.585 inhabitants for 1912 (by comparison, the same account for the immense diocese of Neocaesarea suggests a total population of 77.907!). 14 Generally, the province of Colonea s demographic strength lay in its rural areas. In the town of Karahisar itself, the Greek-Orthodox element was considerably inferior in numerical strength not only in comparison with the Muslims but also with the Armenians, against who they were also economically inferior. Despite the actions of the metropolitan Ieremias and the settlement of Greek-speaking Pontic population from the rural districts, who strengthened the existing Turkish-speaking Orthodox community, the general lagging picture of the town s Greek-Orthodox element remained unaltered. 15 1. Ζαχαριάδου, Ελ., Δέκα Τουρκικά Έγγραφα για την Μεγάλη Εκκλησία (1483-1567) (Athens 1996), pp. 114-115 Darrouzès, J.,.Notitiae Episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae( Paris 1981), pp. 419-21. 2. Αποστολόπουλος, Δ.Γ. - Μιχαηλάρης, Π.Δ., Η Νομική Συναγωγή του Δοσιθέου. Μια πηγή και ένα τεκμήριο (Athens 1987), pp. 246-247. 3. Αποστολόπουλος, Δ.Γ. - Μιχαηλάρης, Π.Δ., Η Νομική Συναγωγή του Δοσιθέου. Μια πηγή και ένα τεκμήριο (Athens 1987), pp. 248, 392. 4. Jennings, R., The Society and Economy of Maçuka in the Ottoman Judicial Registers of Trabzon, 1560-1640, in Bryer, A.A.M. Lowry, H. (eds.), Continuity and Change in Late Byzantine and Early Ottoman Society (Birmingham Washington DC 1986), p. 137 Bryer, A.A.M. The Three Cyrils, in Bryer, A.A.M. Lowry, H. (eds.), Continuity and Change in Late Byzantine and Early Ottoman Society (Birmingham Washington DC 1986), pp. 155-157. 5. Bryer, A.A.M., The Three Cyrils, στο Bryer, A.A.M. Lowry, H. (eds.), Continuity and Change in Late Byzantine and Early Ottoman Society (Birmingham Washington DC 1986), pp. 155-157. 6. Παΐζη-Αποστολοπούλου, Μ., Ο Θεσμός της Πατριαρχικής Εξαρχίας (Athens 1995), p. 226. Δημιουργήθηκε στις 9/2/2017 Σελίδα 3/5
7. Κονόρτας, Π., Οθωμανικές Θεωρήσεις για το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο. Βεράτια για τους προκαθήμενους της Μεγάλης Εκκλησίας (17ος αρχές 20ού αιώνα) (Athens 1998), p. 281. 8. Ιωαννίδης, Σ., Ιστορία και Στατιστική της Τραπεζούντας και της γύρω περιοχής και στοιχεία για την εκεί ελληνική γλώσσα (Thessaloniki 1988) [Constantinople 1870], pp. 159-161. 9. Αναγνωστοπούλου, Σ., Μικρά Ασία, 19ος αιώνας 1919. Οι ελληνορθόδοξες κοινότητες από το Μιλλέτ των Ρωμιών στο Ελληνικό Έθνος (Athens 1997), pp. 318-325. 10. Ιωαννίδης, Σ., Ιστορία και Στατιστική της Τραπεζούντας και της γύρω περιοχής και στοιχεία για την εκεί ελληνική γλώσσα (Thessaloniki 1988) [Constantinople 1870], pp. 160-161. 11. In all probability after 1880, since Ioannidis in his book mentions it as a bishopric in the jurisdiction of the diocese of Neocaesarea. Ιωαννίδης, Σ., Ιστορία και Στατιστική της Τραπεζούντας και της γύρω περιοχής και στοιχεία για την εκεί ελληνική γλώσσα (Thessaloniki 1988) [Constaninople 1870], p. 160. 12. Ζουμπουλίδης, Σ., «Η Επαρχία Κολωνίας», Ξενοφάνης 7 (1910), p. 277. The main place of Greek-Orthodox cult was the Byzantine church of Virgin Mary, known locally in Turkish as Meryem Ana. 13. Ιορδανίδης, Κ.Σ., «Οι εγκαταλειφθέντες το 1922 εν Τουρκία ελληνικοί οικισμοί», Αρχείον Πόντου, pp. 121-122. 14. Σοφιανός, Α.Γ., «Πίνακες στατιστικοί εμφαίνοντες την Μικρασιατικήν Ελληνικήν Εκπαίδευσιν εις τας 23 επαρχίας του Οικουμενικού Θρόνου», Αρχείον Πόντου 13 (1948), p. 254. 15. Ιωαννίδης, Σ., Ιστορία και Στατιστική της Τραπεζούντας και της γύρω περιοχής και στοιχεία για την εκεί ελληνική γλώσσα (Thessaloniki 1988) [Constantinople 1870], p. 160. Βιβλιογραφία : Αναγνωστοπούλου Σ., Μικρά Ασία, 19ος αι.-1919. Οι Eλληνορθόδοξες Κοινότητες. Aπό το Μιλλέτ των Ρωμιών στο Ελληνικό Έθνος, Ελληνικά Γράμματα, Αθήνα 1997 Αποστολόπουλος Δ., Μιχαηλάρης Π., Η Νομική Συναγωγή του Δοσιθέου, μία Πηγή και ένα Τεκμήριο, Αθήνα 1987 Ζαχαριάδου Ελισάβετ, Δέκα Τουρκικά Έγγραφα για τη Μεγάλη Εκκλησία (1483-1567), Ινστιτούτο Βυζαντινών Ερευνών/Εθνικό Ίδρυμα Ερευνών, Αθήνα 1996 Ιορδανίδης Κ., "Οι εγκαταλειφθέντες το 1922 εν Τουρκία ελληνικοί οικισμοί", Αρχείον Πόντου, 34, 1977 1978, 88-131 Κονόρτας Π., Οθωμανικές Θεωρήσεις για το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο. Βεράτια για τους προκαθήμενους της Μεγάλης Εκκλησίας (17ος-αρχές 20ού αιώνα), Αλεξάνδρεια, Αθήνα 1998 Bryer A.A.M., "Appendix: The Three Cyrils", Bryer, A.A.M. Lowry, H.W. (επιμ.), Continuity and Change in Late Byzantine and Early Ottoman Society, Birmingham Washington D.C. 1986, 155-158 Jennings R.C., "The Society and Economy of Maçuka in the Ottoman Judicial Registers of Trabzon, 1560-1640", Bryer, A.A.M. Lowry, H.W. (επιμ.), Continuity and Change in Late Byzantine and Early Δημιουργήθηκε στις 9/2/2017 Σελίδα 4/5
Ottoman Society, Birmingham Washington D.C. 1986, 129-154 Ιωαννίδης Σ., Ιστορία και Στατιστική Τραπεζούντος και της περί ταύτην Χώρας, ως και τα περί της ενταύθα Ελληνικής Γλώσσης, Κωνσταντινούπολη 1870 Παΐζη-Αποστολοπούλου Μ., Ο θεσμός της πατριαρχικής εξαρχίας, 14ος 19ος αιώνας, Αθήνα 1995 Ζουμπουλίδης Σ., "Η Επαρχία Κολωνίας", Ξενοφάνης, 7, 1910, 273-278 Γλωσσάριo : berat A sultanic decree that bestowed an office or a set of privileges on an individual or a group of people. They were given not only to all state officials, but also to the members of the high clergy, including patriarchs and metropolitans. exarchy An ecclesiastical province that does not belong to the nearest diocese, but is administrated either directly by the Patriarchate or by a patriarchal monastery. kadi Office that combinbed judicial, notarial and administrative duties. The kadi, who held court at the kaza's seat, registered all legal acts and documents in the court's codices (sicil). The kadi passed judgement based on the saria (the holy law of Islam), taking also into consideration the kanun (sultanic law) and the customary law (örf). Resort to his court had all the subjects of the Empire. The kadi had also administrative duties, which he performed in collaboration with the officials of the kaza., and he had to supervise tax collection. kaza The basic grade of the Ottoman provincial administration. It included the surrounding region of a city or a town. During the late Ottoman Period it is identified with the kaymakamlık. sancak (liva) Medium sized unit of provincial administration of the Ottoman state, throughout its history. A subdivision of the early Ottoman eyalet (or beylerbeylik) and the later Ottoman vilayet. In the late Ottoman Period it was known also as mutasarrıflık. taktikon 1. Adm.: A major source for the organization and development of Byzantine administration. In the Middle Byzantine period the taktika, as presedance lists ( τακτικά πρωτοκαθεδρίας or τακτικά της καθέδρας or κλητορολόγια or κλητοροθέσια) catalogued the officials who participated to the formal ceremonies of the imperial palace. Four precedence list are still preserved: Uspenskij, Philotheos', Benescevic, de l' Escurial. 2. Mil.: A "Taktika" is a famous manual for strategic and tactical military operations by land and by sea. Author in the early 10th century. at Leo F. The text preserved in a compendium and complete the form and influenced the drafting of such handbooks as downstream strategic. 3. Eccl.: The taktiko, known also as Notitia episcopatuum or syntagmation, in the administration of the Church is a classification list of ecclesiastical authorities according to hierarchy. Δημιουργήθηκε στις 9/2/2017 Σελίδα 5/5