Aïn El Kebira

Aïn El Kebira is a city located 27 km north far from Sétif. As Ancient Satafis it was a bishopric, which remains a Catholic titular see.
Ain El Kebira is a daïra in the Algerian regional classification.

History

The Romans of Djémila used it for entering their dead. Ancient city Satafis was important enough under Roman rule to become a suffragan bishopric in the Roman province of Mauretania Sitifensis.
Inscriptions testify to Christian community cristiana since the early 4th century, including the tomb of local priest Securus.
Four historically documented bishops are attributed to this see :

An inscription in 324 names Avianus Crescens
Catholic Adeodatus and his Donatist heretical counterpart Urbanus attended the Council of Carthage held in 411 on that very schism.
Festus intervened at the synod called in the same Carthage by king Huneric of the Vandal Kingdom in 484, after which he was exiled, like most Catholic bishops.

It faded like most in Roman Africa, presumably at the 7th century advent of Islam.
The modern city was created in the French colonial time under the name of Périgotville.
Its present name "Ain El Kebira" means "the big fountain" in Arabic.

Titular see

The diocese was nominally restored in 1933 as titular bishopric of Satafis / Satafen in Mauretania Sitifensi.
It has had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Episcopal rank :

Antonio Teutonico on emeritate as former Bishop of Aversa
Franjo Komarica as Auxiliary Bishop of Banja Luka ; succeeded as Bishop of Banja Luka, also President of Episcopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Norberto Eugenio Conrado Martina, Friars Minor as Military Ordinary of Argentina
Sergio Alfredo Fenoy as Auxiliary Bishop of Rosario ; later Bishop of San Miguel
Peter Anthony Libasci as Auxiliary Bishop of Rockville Centre ; later Bishop of Manchester
Rutilo Felipe Pozos Lorenzini as Auxiliary Bishop of Puebla de los Ángeles .