Tamada was an ancient Roman–Berber civitas in the province of Mauretania Caesariensis. The town lasted through the Byzantine Empire, Vandal Kingdom and Roman Empire into late antiquity, until at least the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb in the 7th century.
The town was also the seat of an ancient Catholic Church diocese. The bishopric survives today as a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church.
Location The stone ruins of four Tamda edifices are located around four kilometers east of the city of Souagui. Excavations in 1927 made it possible to find on the site of Ain Tamda the ruins of a Christian monastery and a church, which date from the 4th century.Seston William. Le monastère d'Aïn-Tamda et les origines de l'architecture monastique en Afrique du Nord. In: Mélanges d'archéologie et d'histoire vol.51, (1934). pp. 79-113. Aïn-Tamda is the site of the Roman town of Tamada.J. Mesnage, L'Afrique chrétienne, (Paris, 1912), pp.502–503.Tamada at gcatholic.org.
Bishopric The ancient town of Tamada was the cathedra of a Roman Catholic Church episcopal see of Mauretania Caesariensis.Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, ), "Sedi titolari", pp. 819-1013Pius Bonifacius Gams, Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae, (Leipzig, 1931), p. 468.
The only known Catholic bishop of the diocese was Romano, who took part in the synod assembled in Carthage in 484 by the Arian King, Huneric of the Vandal Kingdom, after which Romano was exiled.
A Donatist, bishop Tanudaidensis, has been attributed by Morcelli to Tamada,Stefano Antonio Morcelli, Africa christiana, Volume I, (Brescia, 1816), pp. 301–302. but according to Mesnage, he was from the diocese of Tanudaia.J. Mesnage, L'Afrique chrétienne, (Paris, 1912), pp. 502–503.
Today Tamada survives as a titular bishopric and the current archbishop, personal title, is Francis Leo (NOT: Aldo Giordano, apostolic nuncio in Venezuela. He replaced Santos Abril y Castelló in 2012.
See also Mauretania Caesariensis
References