Abonoteichos (Ancient Greek: Ἀβώνου τεῖχος, romanized: Abṓnou teîchos, demonym: Αβωνοτειχίτης, Abōnoteichítēs), later Ionopolis (Ιωνόπολις, Ionópolis; Turkish: İnebolu), was an ancient city in Asia Minor, on the site of modern İnebolu (in Asian Turkey), and remains a Latin Catholic titular see.
Abonoteichos was a town on the coast of Paphlagonia, memorable as the birthplace of the infamous fortuneteller Alexander Abonoteichites, founder of the cult of Glycon, of whom Lucian left an amusing account in the treatise bearing his name.[1] According to Lucian, Alexander petitioned the Roman emperor (probably Antoninus Pius) that the name of his native place should be changed from Abonoteichos to Ionopolis; and whether the emperor granted the request or not, we know that the town was called Ionopolis in later times.[2]
Not only does this name occur in Marcian of Heraclea[3] and Hierocles,[4] but on coins of the time of Antoninus and Lucius Verus we find the legend Ionopoliton (ΙΩΝΟΠΟΑΙΤΩΝ), as well as Abonoteichiton (ΑΒΩΝΟΤΕΙΧΙΤΩΝ). The modern Turkish name İnebolu is evidently a corruption of Ionopolis.[5][6][7][8]
It was the site of a 2nd-century AD temple of Apollo.[9]
It was important enough in the Roman provinceofPaphlagonia to become a suffragan bishopric of the Metropolitan of its capital Gangra,[10] but faded later. Michel LeQuien[11] mentions eight bishops between 325 and 878 [12] and Ionopolis is mentioned in the later “Notitiae episcopatuum.” [13]
The diocese was nominally revived as a Latin Catholic titular bishopric under the name Ionopolis, which was spelled Jonopolis in the Roman Curia (besides Italian Gionopoli) from 1929 to 1971.
It has been vacant for decades, having had the following incumbents, both of the lowest (episcopal) and intermediary (archiepiscopal) ranks :
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854). "Aboni-Teichos". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. Vol. 1. London: John Murray. p. 5.|
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41°58′26″N 33°45′58″E / 41.9740255°N 33.7660475°E / 41.9740255; 33.7660475
