Abla is a municipality, former bishopric and Latin Catholic titular see in Almería province, in Andalusia, southeast Spain.

History

It is considered to be the Abula mentioned by Ptolemy in his Geographia (II 6, 60) as located in the Iberian region of Bastetania. Another candidate for identification with ancient Abula is Ávila, which may instead have been the ancient Obila.

Ecclesiastical history

Abula is said to be one of the first cities in Hispania that were Christianized, specifically by Saint Secundus, one of the group of Seven Apostolic Men (siete varones apostólicos), Christian clerics ordained in Rome by Saints Peter and Paul and sent to evangelize Spain. Little is known of a second bishop of Abula, called Iulius, possibly his successor, living around 100 AD. No other incumbents were recorded.

Titular see

No longer a residential see, Abula is today listed by the Catholic Church as a Latin titular bishopric since the diocese was nominally restored in 1969. It has had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting episcopal (lowest) rank:

Demographics

From:INE Archiv