Sapareva Banya Municipality

Sapareva Banya Сапарева баня
Town
Sapareva Banya with the geyser
Sapareva Banya Location of Sapareva Banya
Coordinates: 42°17′N 23°16′E / 42.283°N 23.267°E / 42.283; 23.267Coordinates: 42°17′N 23°16′E / 42.283°N 23.267°E / 42.283; 23.267
Country	Bulgaria
Province (Oblast)	Kyustendil
Municipality	Sapareva Banya
Government
• Mayor	Sasho Ivanov
Elevation	983 m (3,225 ft)
Population (13.09.2005)
• Total	4,425
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal Code	2650
Area code(s)	0707
License Plate	KH
Website	www.saparevabanya.bg

Sapareva Banya (Bulgarian: Сапарева баня, transliterated Sapareva banya) is a town in southwestern Bulgaria, part of Kyustendil Province. As Ancient Germania (in Dacia), a former bishopric, it is a Latin Catholic titular see.

It is located at the north foot of the Rila mountain 15 km east of Dupnitsa. The town is known for its hot mineral (103 °C (217 °F)) and clear mountain water, as well as the geyser in the town centre that sprang forth in 1957.

The former Roman town of (in Dacia) (having namesakes) or Germane once stood at the location of modern Sapareva Banya and in the 3rd century was an important town in Dacia province. It was the birthplace of the great Byzantine general Belisarius and was mentioned in the 6th century as Γερμανία, Γερμανός, Γέρμεννε. In an 11th-century charter of Byzantine Emperor Basil II (Porphyrogenitus/ the Young), it was listed as Γερμάνεια (Germaneia).

Germania in Dacia was important enough in the late Roman province of Dacia Mediterranea to become a suffragan bishopric of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Sardica in the provincial capital (now Sofia), in the sway of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, but the see faded (due to the Huns?). No historical resident Bishop of Germania is recorded.

The diocese was nominally restored in 1933 as Latin Titular bishopric of Germania in Dacia (Latin) / Germania di Dacia (Curiate Italian) / Germanien(sis) in Dacia (Latin adjective).