Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 14.djvu/507

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TARAFACi


451


TARASIUS


of the Principality of Tiiranto, and gave it to Boemund, his son. When the House of Anjou was divided, Taranto fell to Durazzo (1304-1403). In 1504 Ferdinand, Kiiip; of Naples, valiantly defended this extremity of his kingdom, livit had li> cede it to Gonsalvo di Cordova. In l.SOl it was (akeii by the French, who fortified the port; in 1S05 the Hussian fleet, allied with the British, remained there for several months. Taranto is the birthplace of the musician Paisiello.

According to the local legend, the Gospel was preached in Taranto by the same St. Peter who had consecrated St. Amasianus bishop. The city vene- rates also the martyr St. Orontius. The first bishop whose date is known is Innocentius (496). In the time of St. Gregory the Great, three bishops filled the episcopal chair: Andreas (590), Joannes (601), Honorius (603). It is uncertain whether St. Cataldua belongs to the sixth or the seventh century. Joannes (978) is the first who had the title of archbishop. It is well known that Taranto even under the Byzantines never adopted the Greek Rite. Stephanus perished in the battle of Nelfi (1041) fought by the Greeks and the Normans; Draco (1071) erected the cathedral; Fihppo (11.38) was deposed for supporting the anti- pope Anacletus II, and died in the monastery of Chiara\alle; Archliishop Angelo was employed in several embassies by Innocent III; Jacopo da Atri was slain (1370); Marino del Giudice (1371) was one of the cardinals condemned by Urban VI (1385). Cardinal Ludovico Bonito (1406) was one of the few who re- mained faithful to Gregory XII; Cardinal Giovanni d'Aragona (1478), was son of King Ferdinand of Naples; Giovanni Battista Petrucci suffered for the compUcity of his father in the conspiracy of the barons; Cardinal Battista Orsini died in 1503 in the Castle of Sant' Angelo; Cardinal Marcantonio Colonna (1560) introduced the Tridentine reforms and established the seminary; Girolamo Gambara (1569) was a distinguished nuncio; Lclio Brancaccio (1574) suffered considerable persecution on account of his efforts at reformation; Tommaso Caracciolo (1630), a Theatine, died in the odour of sanctity. The citj- of Taranto forms a single parish divided into four pittagerii, each of which contains a siib-pil- lagerio. It includes the Basilian Abbey of S. Maria di Talfano, where there are still some Albanians fol- lowing the Greek Rite. The suffragan sees are Castellaneta and Oria. The archdiocese contains 20 parishes, 214 secular and 47 regular priests; 5 religious houses of men, and 12 of nuns; and 220,.300 inhabitants.

Cappelleiti, he chiese d' Italia, XXI; de Vicentini, Storia di Tarantn (Taranto, 1S6,5).

U. Benigni.

Tarapac&, Vicariate Apostolic of (de Taha- PAcX), situated in Chile, bounded on the north by the canon of the Camarones and on the south by the IjOa River. It cf)mprises the civil province of the same name, has an area of 19,305 .square miles, and a population of 106,215 Catholics and 3821 non- CathoUcs. The diocese is divided into 11 parishes, and has 63 churches and chapels, and 30 secular and 14 regular priests. The male religious orders are represented by the Franciscans, Redeinptorists, and Salesians; they have 4 houses and 24 members. The female orders are Sisters of the Good Shepherd of Angers, of St. Joseph of Cluny, and the Salesian Sisters; they have 50 members and 5 houses. In Iquique the Salesian Fathers have a college for boys and the Salesian .Sisters one for girls, the latter having more than 2(X) pupils. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny have a school in Pica, and a hospital and a.sylura for children in Iquique. The Sisters of the Good Shepherd have a house of correction for women in Iquique. There are many societies and pious associations in the diocese, the principal being that of


Orden Social for men, the Centra Cristiano and the Society of St. Philomena for women in Iquique, and the Society of St. Andrew in Pica. There are 5 l)rlmary schools with 481 pupils. The State pays an amuiity to the vicar Ajiostolic, and to the employees of the vifiarage, the parish priests, and curates, and also contributes towards the construction of the churches. The vicariate was erected in 1882, when Chile took possession of the Province of Tarapacd, which had formerly belonged to Peru and to the l3io- cese of Arequipa. Five vicars apostolic have ruled the vicariate since its erection: Camilo Orttizar; Pldcido Labarca; Daniel Fuenzalida; Guillermo Juan Cdrter, titular Bishop of Anthedon; and Martin Riicker. The principal cities are: Iquique (45,000 inhabitants) and Pisaqua (5105 inhabitants). The pojjulation is composed mainly of miners and workers in the saltpetre beds, who are homeless and little given to the practice of their religion. To provide a remedy and alleviate this condition, missions are preached almost every year in the saltpetre works.

Catdlogo de tos Edesidsticos, etc. de Chile (Santiago, 1911); Anuario Estadislico de Chile (Santiago, 1910); Censa de la Repub- lim de Chile en 1007 (Santiago, 1908).

Cahlos S. Cotapos.

Tarasius, Saint, Patriarch of Constantinople, date of birth unknown; d. 25 February, 806. He was the son of the Patrician and Prefect of Constantinople, George, and his wife Eukratia, and entered the serv- ice of the State. In 784 when Paul IV Patriarch of Constantinople died Tarasius was an imperial secre- tary, and a champion of the veneration of images. It may be that before his death the patriarch had recommended Tarasius as his successor in the patri- archate to the Empress Irene who was regent for her son Constant ine VI (780-797). After the burial of Paul IV a great popular assembly was held before the Magnaura Palace to discuss the filling of the vacant see. The empress delivered an oration on the new ap- pointment to the patriarchate and the people pro- claimed Tarasius as the most worthy candidate. The empress agreed but said that Tarasius refused to ac- cept the position. Tarasius now made a speech him- self in which he declared he felt himself unworthy of the office, further that the elevation of a layman was very hazardous, and that the position of the Church of Constantinople had become a very difficult one, as it was separated from the Catholics of Western Europe and isolated from the other Oriental patriarchates; consequently he would only be willing to accept the position of patriarch on condition that Church unity be restored and that, in connexion with the pope, an oecumenical council be called. The majority of the populace apjiroved of these views and the imperial Court agreed to it. So on 25 December, 784, Tara- sius was consecrated patriarch. In 785 he sent the priest George as his legate to Hadrian I with a letter in which he announced liis aiipciiiitnirnt. In liis reply the pope expressed his disajjjiroval of the elevation of Tarasius directly from the laity to the dignity of a bishop contrary to canonical regulation, but allowed clemency to rule in view of the orthodoxy of the new patriarch's views, and recognized him as patriarch. After this by joint action with the pope and the im- perial Court Tarasius called the Second Coimcil of Nica-a, the Seventh (Ecumenical Council, which re- jected Iconoclasm (q. v.). Union with the Roman Church was restored.

After the synod the patriarch had a number of struggles not only with the Iconoclastic party of the capital but also with a parly of Orthodox monks. First, the latter upbraided him for restoring to office the bishops who had formerly ni.aintained Iconoclasm, but who had submitted to the decrees of the Council of 787. As, however, this was in accordance with the decrees of the council the accusation was allowed to drop. Another accusation was much more serious,