Bigadiç

Bigadiç is a municipality and district of Balıkesir Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,108 km2, and its population is 48,917 (2022). As former Ancient bishopric of Achyraus, it remains a Latin Catholic titular see.

Bigadiç has the largest Boron reserves of both Turkey and the world. Also, villages of Bigadiç have natural thermal water reserves which contains Selenium and Sulfur.

Etymology 
The oldest known name of Bigadiç is ancient Greek Achyraos (Αχυράους in Ancient Greek), Latin(ized) Achyraus, renamed during the Byzantine era Pegadia (Πηγάδια), which means "springs, wells", from which it evolved to Begadia, to Begados, and eventually to the Turkishized name Bugadıç. Some support the popular etymology that Boğadıç would mean "Bull meadow" (Boğa being the Turkish word for a bull).

Composition
There are 80 neighbourhoods in Bigadiç District:

 4 Eylül
 Abacı
 Adalı
 Akyar
 Alanköy
 Altınlar
 Aşağıçamlı
 Aşağıgöcek
 Babaköy
 Bademli
 Balatlı
 Başçeşme
 Beğendikler
 Bekirler
 Bozbük
 Çağış
 Cami
 Çamköy
 Çavuş
 Çayüstü
 Çekirdekli
 Çeribaşı
 Çıtak
 Çömlekçi
 Davutça
 Davutlar
 Dedeçınar
 Değirmenli
 Dere Çerkes
 Dikkonak
 Doğançam
 Dündarcık
 Durasılar
 Elyapan
 Emek
 Emirler
 Esenli
 Fethibey
 Güvemçetmi
 Hacıömerderesi
 Hamidiye
 Hisarköy
 İğciler
 İlyaslar
 Işıklar
 İskeleköy
 Kadıköy
 Kalafat
 Karabahçe
 Kargın
 Kayalıdere
 Kayırlar
 Kırca
 Kızılçukur
 Köseler
 Kozpınar
 Küçükyeniköy
 Kürsü
 Kuyu
 Mecidiye
 Meyvalı
 Okçular
 Okçularyeri
 Orta
 Osmanca
 Özgören
 Panayır
 Salmanlı
 Servi
 Topalak
 Tozağan
 Turfullar
 Yağcıbedir
 Yağcılar
 Yeniköy
 Yeşildere
 Yolbaşı
 Yörücekler
 Yukarıçamlı
 Yukarıgöçek

Ecclesiastical history 
Ancient Achyraus was situated in the Roman province of Hellespontus, in the civil Diocese of Pontus. Circa 400 it became a suffragan see of the provincial capital and metropolitan see Cyzicus, in the sway of Patriarchate of Constantinople.

It is held either identical with former episcopal see Adrianothera, or to have supplanted a neighbouring bishopric of that name, as the Byzantine imperial Notitia Episcopatuum still listed that name in the tenth century, thereafter only Achiraus from the 11th until the thirteenth century.

Four bishops of Adrianothera are known because of their participation in church councils :
 Patricius in the Council of Chalcedon in 451
 Cyprianus in the Second Council of Constantinople in 553
 Basilius in the Second Council of Nicaea in 787
 Gregorius in the 'Photian' Council of Constantinople (879) which restored its Patriarch Photius I.

Two 13th-century bishops of Achyraus are recorded under that title in the thirteenth century : Leo and Laurentius.

Although it was suppressed as a residential Byzantine see (circa 900?), one Tommaso (no other prelature) was appointed Latin Coadjutor Bishop of Achyraus (1505.06.06 – ?).

Titular see 
The diocese of Achyraus was nominally restored in 1933 by the Catholic Church as Latin titular bishopric of Achyraus (Latin) / Achirao (Curiate Italian) / Achyraën(sis) (Latin adjective).

It is vacant, having had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank and members of Latin congregations :
 Victor Bazin, Paris Foreign Missions Society (M.E.P.) (1953.05.07 – 1955.01.01) as last Apostolic Vicar of Rangoon (Burma = Myanmar) (1953.05.07 – 1955.01.01); next (see) promoted first Metropolitan Archbishop of Rangoon (Myanmar) (1955.01.01 – retired 1971.06.19), President of Myanmar Catholic Bishops’ Conference (1967 – 1969), died 1975
 Cesário Alexandre Minali, Capuchin Friars Minor (O.F.M. Cap.) (born Italy) (1955.03.01 – 1969.06.13), first as Bishop-Prelate of Territorial Prelature of Alto Solimões (Brazil) (1955.03.01 – 1958.04.09), then as Bishop-Prelate of Territorial Prelature of Carolina (Brazil) (1958.04.09 – death 1969.06.13)
 Augustín Van Aaken, Divine Word Missionaries (S.V.D.) (born Germany) (1972.07.25 – death 1990.08.11) as Bishop-Prelate of Territorial Prelature of Alto Paraná (Paraguay) (1972.07.25 – death 1990.04.19).

Notes and references

Sources and external links
 District governor's official website 
 GCatholic - (former &) titular see
 Turkish Statistical Institute's official website 
 Bibliography - ecclesiastical history
 Konrad Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, vol. 3, p. 217.
 Pius Bonifacius Gams, Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae, Leipzig 1931, p. 445
 Michel Lequien, Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus, Paris 1740, vol. I, coll. 771-772
 S. Pétridès, lemma 'Achyraus' in Dictionnaire d'Histoire et de Géographie ecclésiastiques, vol. I, Paris 1909, col. 333

 
Populated places in Balıkesir Province
Districts of Balıkesir Province
Metropolitan district municipalities in Turkey