Artvin is a city in north-eastern Turkey.
Before 1914
The Catholic Encyclopedia, informs that Artvin had 5 900 inhabitants in 1894, mostly Armenians and Turks.
There were nine Armenian Catholic churches, and four schools for boys and three schools for girls.
The diocese of Artvin had 12 000 Armenian Catholics, 25 mission priests, 30 Catholic churches and chapels, 22 primary schools with almost 900 pupils. The girls are taught by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Catholic Diocese
In 1850, pope Pius IX established the Armenian-Catholic Diocese of Artvin (Artuinensis Armenorum) for the United Armenians of southern Russia. It was subject to the Patriarch of Cilicia in Constantinople. Its first bishop was Timotheus Astorgi (1850-58), followed by Antonius Halagi (1859) and Joannes Baptista Zaccharian (1878).
In 1878, Russia annexed the territory and united the diocese with that of Tiraspol. Russia subsequently, prevented the appointment of a new bishop.
Post-1914
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