Salmas, a Chaldean see, included in the ancient Archdiocese of Adhorbigan, or Adherbaidjan; we know several Nestorian bishops of the latter, from the fifth to the seventh centuries (Chabot, “Synodicon orientale”, 665), and in the Middle Ages (Le Quien, “Oriens christianus”, II, 1283), also some Jacobite bishops (Le Quien, op. cit., II, 1565). At a date which is not quite certain, but which goes back at least to the end of the eighteenth century (Guriel, “Elementa lingum chaldaicie”, Rome, 1860, p. 206), the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Adherbaidjan formed one with that of Salmas, and since then it has continued to exist. The diocese contains 8000 faithful, 10 priests, 13 parishes or stations, and 12 churches or chapels. The seminary is at Ourmiah; the Sisters of Charity direct the primary schools. The town and Province of Salmas in the Persian Adherbaidjan are rich in marble, orchards, and vineyards.
S. VAILHE