The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madrid was founded on 7 March 1885 by Pope Leo XIII

Pope Leo XIII

Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...

. Initially, the territory that now makes up the Archdiocese was part of the Archdiocese of Toledo

Archdiocese of Toledo

This is a list of Bishops and Archbishops of Toledo . They are also the Primates of Spain. It was, according to tradition established in the 1st century by St. James the Great and was elevated to an archdiocese in 313 after the Edict of Milan. The incumbent Archbishop also bears the title Primate...

. It was raised to the level of an Archdiocese on 25 March 1964 by Pope Paul VI

Pope Paul VI

Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...

. Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II

Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

 gave the Archdiocese Metropolitan status on 23 July 1991. The current Archbishop

Archbishop

An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...

 of Madrid

Madrid

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

 since 28 July 1994 is Antonio Rouco Varela.

List of Bishops and Archbishops of Madrid

• Narciso Martínez Izquierdo (1884–1886)
• Ciriaco María Sancha y Hervás
  Ciriaco María Sancha y Hervás
  Ciriaco María Sancha y Hervás was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Toledo, Primate of Spain and Patriarch of the West Indies....
  
   (1886–1892)
• Jose María Cos y Macho (1892–1901)
• Victoriano Guisasola y Menendez
  Victoriano Guisasola y Menéndez
  Victoriano Guisasola y Menendez J.C.D. was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and an Archbishop of Toledo and Primate of Spain....
  
   (1901–1905)
• José Maria Salvador y Barrera (1905–1916)
• Prudencio Melo y Alcalde (1916–1922)
• Leopoldo Eijo y Garay (1922–1963)
• Casimiro Morcillo González (1964–1971), first Archbishop of Madrid
• Vicente Enrique y Tarancón (1971–1983)
• Angel Suquía Goicoechea
  Ángel Suquía Goicoechea
  Angel Suquía Goicoechea was a Roman Catholic Cardinal who served as Archbishop of Madrid from 1983 until 1994....
  
   (1983–1994), first Metropolitan Archbishop of Madrid
• Antonio Rouco Varela (1994–present)