The bishopric of Écija stretched between the river Guadalquivir and the mountains north of Málaga and Cadiz, in a territory with fertile plains, abundant mountains, lakes, and forests. Its position in the centre of the old Roman province of Baetica made it a strategic junction of roads between the Guadalquivir valley and the Mediterranean coast. Unlike the bishopric of Cabra, in the bishopric of Écija we have a better understanding of the episcopal seat than the territory that it controlled. This detailed knowledge of large areas of the city is due to an intense research programme carried out for more than twenty years by our colleagues at the University of Seville. Thanks to these investigations, it has been possible to study the transformation of the forum of the old Roman colony into the largest urban cemetery of late antique Hispania, possibly linked to a martyrdom cult and also to the episcopium of the city. In contrast, we have a very poor knowledge of vast areas of this bishopric, which we hope to complete with future research. In spite of this, it has been possible to study archaeologically (as we will see in detail below) one of the few cases of private churches linked to large villae. Thanks to this find in La Roda de Andalucia, we can augment the information we have for these churches, which usually derives only from inscriptions or references in historical sources.

The City of Écija

In Late Antiquity, the city of Écija (Fig. 27a) remained the core of the province of Baetica. The available evidence shows that urban life in Écija did not decline. Recent archaeological excavations carried out in the city centre have revealed an intense urban transformation dating back to early imperial times and the construction of public spaces linked to it. The most prominent features of this stage of development are probably higher housing density and the consequent population pressures associated with it.

Literary sources have left us some sparse information regarding the history of this bishopric. It is missing from the proceedings of the Council of Elvira, so we cannot confirm that the city already had an episcopal status by this time.