Suburbicarian

Suburbicarian is an adjective meaning relating to the suburbs of a city. In general usage, it can describe things situated in or characteristic of a city’s suburban fringe. The term derives from Latin suburbicarīnus, formed from suburbium (suburb, outskirts) and the suffix -arius.

In the context of the Catholic Church, suburbicarian denotes the group of dioceses surrounding Rome that are traditionally assigned to the College of Cardinals as cardinal-bishops. The See of Ostia, held by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, is the most senior among them, and five other suburbicarian sees round Rome—Albano, Frascati, Palestrina, Porto-Santa-Rufina, and Sabina-Poggio Mirteto—are associated with the other cardinal-bishops. These sees are historical possessions that grant cardinal-bishops precedence within the College, a rank above cardinal-priests and cardinal-deacons. The precise list and organization have evolved over centuries, but the general concept remains: suburbicarian sees are the dioceses around Rome linked to the higher order of cardinals.

Beyond ecclesiastical use, suburbicarian can describe anything pertaining to the suburbs of a city, though the term is most often encountered in discussions of Rome’s ancient and contemporary ecclesiastical structure.