The Latin Archbishopric of Thebes is the see of Thebes in the period in which its incumbents belonged to the Latin or Western Church. This period began in 1204 with the installation in the see of a Catholic archbishop following the Fourth Crusade,[1] [2] while the Orthodox metropolitan bishop fled the city.
The Latin archbishop of Thebes was the senior-most of the Catholic clergy in the Duchy of Athens, which despite its name had its capital at Thebes. The archbishopric survived as a Latin residential see until 1456, when the duchy fell to the Ottoman Empire.
The see was later revived as a titular see, and has been vacant since 1965.[3]
Like other Latin sees in the Latin states of Greece, the names and dates of election of the incumbents during the first century of its existence are unknown, as they were rarely communicated to the papal court.Along with many of his counterparts from other Latin sees of Greece, the anonymous archbishop of Thebes participated in the Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215. In 1217–18 the archbishop was engaged in a dispute with the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople, Gervasius, who claimed direct jurisdiction over the monasteries in the duchy of Athens and intervened in the administration of the Thebean archdiocese.
| Name | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nicholas | ? – 31 July 1308 | Subsequently Latin Patriarch of Constantinople |
| Isnard Tacconi | 12 July 1308 – 4 August 1311 | Subsequently Latin Patriarch of Antioch |
| Stephen | 13 August 1311 – ? | |
| Isnard Tacconi | 29 May 1326 – ? | Second tenure, held in tandem with the Patriarchate of Antioch |
| Philip | 26 August 1342 – 17 June 1351 | Previously Bishop of Salona. Subsequently Bishop of Conza |
| Sirello Pietro di Ancona | 20 May 1351 – ? | |
| Paul | 15 May 1357 – 17 April 1366 | Subsequently Latin Patriarch of Constantinople |
| Simon Atumano | 17 April 1366 ca. 1380 | Notable humanist and scholar |
| Thomas of Negroponte | 9 July 1387 – ? | Supporter of the Avignon anti-popes |
| Stephen | ||
| Garcia | 1 June 1387 – ? | |
| Benedict | 18 May 1390 – ? | |
| Bernard | 11 May 1405 – ? | |
| Antony | ||
| Nicholas of Treviso | 4 April 1410 – 11 August 1410 | Subsequently Bishop of Nona |
| James | 16 March 1411 – ? | |
| John of Pontremoli | 23 February 1418 – ? | |
| Stephen | 23 December 1429 – ? | |
| Name | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5 September 1621 – 1634 | ||
| 14 December 1634 – 14 December 1648 | Secretary of the Congregation for Bishops | |
| Gianantonio Davia | 21 June 1690 – 10 March 1698 | Nuncio in Germany and Poland |
| 15 September 1698 – 15 December 1704 | ||
| 4 October 1706 – 12 April 1735 | Cardinal in the Roman Curia | |
| 21 June 1745 – 9 March 1755 | ||
| 16 February 1756 – 7 June 1793 | Cardinal in the Roman Curia | |
| Serafino Brancone | 12 February 1759 – 15 August 1774 | Benedictine, bishop emeritus of Gallipoli in Italy |
| Joaquín de Eleta | 18 December 1769 – 27 December 1786 | Franciscan |
| Lorenzo Litta | 23 September 1793 – 28 September 1801 | Nuncio in Poland and Russia |
| Giuseppe Morozzo Della Rocca | 29 March 1802 – 8 March 1816 | Nuncio and Secretary of the Congregation for Bishops |
| 2 October 1826 – 2 July 1832 | Nuncio in Austria | |
| 18 February 1839 – 22 January 1844 | Nuncio | |
| Gaetano Bedini | 15 March 1852 – 18 March 1861 | Nuncio and Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples |
| Mieczyslaw Halka Ledóchowski | 30 September 1861 – 8 January 1866 | Nuncio in Belgium |
| 23. September 1875 – ? | Bishop emeritus of Sansepolcro | |
| 4 November 1884 – 1890 | Bishop emeritus of Mantua | |
| 1 October 1890 – 14 March 1892 | ||
| Ladislaus Zaleski | 5 March 1892 – 4 December 1916 | Apostolic delegate of India |
| Giovanni Battista Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano | 6 December 1916 – 21 November 1921 | Secretary of the Roman Curia |
| 19 October 1922 – 1 February 1965 | Nuncio | |