Hermopolis
Hermopolis[1] (Ancient Greek: Ἑρμούπολις Hermoúpolis "the City of Hermes", also Hermopolis Magna, Ἑρμοῦ πόλις μεγάλη Hermoû pólis megálẽ,[2] Ancient Egyptian: ḫmnw χaˈmaːnaw, Egyptological pronunciation: "Khemenu"; Coptic: Ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ Shmun, and thus Arabic: الأشمونين, romanized: al-Ashmunayn, lit. 'The Two Shmun') was a major city in antiquity, located near the boundary between Lower and Upper Egypt. Its name is derived from the Ogdoad, eight associated deities residing in Hermopolis.
This article is about Hermopolis Magna. For other cities called Hermopolis, see Hermopolis (disambiguation). For the Hermopolite nome, see Hare nome.Alternative name
A provincial capital since the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Hermopolis developed into a major city of Roman Egypt, and an early Christian center from the third century. It was abandoned after the Muslim conquest of Egypt but was restored as both a Latin Catholic (meanwhile suppressed) and a Coptic Orthodox titular see.
Its remains are located near the modern town of el-Ashmunein (from the Coptic name[3]) in Mallawi, Minya Governorate, Egypt.
A Christian tradition holds it to be the place where the Holy Family found refuge during its exile in Egypt.
Hermopolis Maior was a suffragan diocese of the provincial capital's Metropolitan Archdiocese of Antinoe, in the sway of the Patriarchate of Alexandria. Like most, it faded under Islam.
List of bishops of Hermopolis:
The city was a titular diocese in the Roman Catholic Church,[9] and still is (?) in the Coptic Orthodox Church.
The diocese was nominally restored in the 18th century as Latin Titular bishopric of Hermopolis Maior (Latin; 1925-1929 renamed Hermopolis Magna) / Ermopoli Maggiore (Curiate Italian)
Its territory was reassigned in 1849 to the Coptic Catholic Eparchy of Mina, as a restoration of Hermopolis (as its Latin title attests).
In 1949 the titular see was suppressed, having had the following incumbents, all of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank :