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{{Short description|Ancient Roman city in Asia Minor}}
'''Motella''', '''Metello(u)polis''', or '''Pulcherianopolis''' was a city in the Roman province of [[Phrygia Pacatiana]], in [[Asia Minor]], probably on the site of the modern [[Yeşiloba, Bekilli|Yeşiloba]] (''Medele'').<ref>{{Cite DARE|30896}}</ref>

Inscriptions make known a [[Phrygia]]n town named Motella, which name is connected with the Phrygian feminine proper name Motalis and the Cilician masculine Motales, as also with Mutalli, or Mutallu, the name of an ancient [[Hittites|Hittite]] king of Northern [[Commagene]]. One of these inscriptions was found in the village of [[Medele]], which evidently preserves the ancient name. 

Motella seems to be the town which [[Hierocles (author of Synecdemus)|Hierocles]]<ref>[[Synecdemus]], 668, 6.</ref> calls Pulcherianopolis.

==Ecclesiastical history==

Motella may be supposed to have been raised to the rank of a bishopric by the [[Empress Pulcheria]] (414-53). Shortly before 553, perhaps in 535, the [[Emperor Justinian]] raised [[Diocese of Hierapolis|Hierapolis]] to [[Metropolitan bishop|metropolitan]] rank, and attached to it a certain number of [[suffragan see]]s previously dependent on Laodicea. Among these the ''[[Notitiae Episcopatuum]]'' mention, from the ninth to the twelfth or thirteenth century, this same Motella, which they call Metellopolis, and even once Metallopolis. 

An inscription informs us of Bishop Michael, in 556; and another, of Bishop Cyriacus, perhaps in 667. At the [[Second Council of Nicaea|Council of Nicaea]] in 787, the see was represented by Eudoxius, a priest and monk. Bishop Michael attended the two councils of [[Constantinople]] in [[Council of Constantinople (869)|869]] and [[Fourth Council of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox)|879]].

The bishopric of Metellopolis is included in the [[Catholic Church]]'s list of [[titular see]]s.<ref>''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, {{ISBN|978-88-209-9070-1}}), p. 929</ref> In 1660 [[Ignace Cotolendi]] (1630-62) was appointed titular bishop of Metellopolis (Medele) with jurisdiction over three provinces of northeastern China, Tartary, and Korea.<ref>Donald F. Lach and Edwin J. van Kley, ''Trade, Missions, Literature,'' Donald F. Lach, ''Asia in the Making of Europe'', Volume 3, Book 1, ''A Century of Advance'', Chicago and London, University of Chicago Press, 1993, p.231.</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/d3m07.html ''Catholic Hierarchy'' page]

{{Catholic|wstitle=Metellopolis}} The entry cites:
* [[Le Quien]], ''Oriens Christianus'', I, 826 (very incomplete); 
* [[William Mitchell Ramsay]], ''Cities and Bishoprics of Phrygia'', 109, 121, 141, 158, 541.

{{coord|38.2511215|N|29.307254|E|display=title|format=dms|source:http://dare.ht.lu.se/places/30896}}

{{Former settlements in Turkey}}

[[Category:Populated places in Phrygia]]
[[Category:Populated places of the Byzantine Empire]]
[[Category:Roman towns and cities in Turkey]]
[[Category:Catholic titular sees in Asia]]
[[Category:History of Denizli Province]]
[[Category:Defunct dioceses of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople]]


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