Euroea (Epirus)


Euroea or Euroia was a city in Epirus, in western Greece, during late antiquity. It was abandoned in the early 7th century due to Slavic invasions. During the 4th–8th centuries, it was a bishopric. Since the 18th century, it has also been a titular see of the Catholic Church.

History

, bishop of Euroea, lived under Theodosius I, and performed miracles, including providing a local settlement with an abundant watersources. A church dedicated to St. Donatus was erected, probably on the site of an ancient pagan temple. The town belonged to the Roman province of Epirus vetus.
Bishops of Euroea are attested at councils in the 5th and 6th centuries, and the city is mentioned by Hierocles. According to Procopius, Emperor Justinian I resettled the inhabitants of Euroea to an islet in a neighbouring lake and built there a strong city, commonly thought to be on the site of Ioannina.
As a result of the Slavic invasions, in 603 the Bishop of Euroea and the inhabitants, taking the relics of St. Donatus with them, fled to Kassiopi on Corfu. The original site of Euroea is unclear: Michel Le Quien identified it with modern Paramythia, others with the nearby ancient settlement of Photice. It is now tentatively located near the village of Glyky.

Bishopric

The first mention of the bishopric in one of the Notitiae Episcopatuum is in the so-called "iconoclast notitia", where it is listed as the second among the suffragans of the Metropolis of Nicopolis.
The known bishops are:
The Roman Catholic Church has established "Eurœa" as a titular see. Its incumbents are: