Roman Catholic Diocese of Tortosa
Encyclopedia
The Diocese
of Tortosa
is a Roman Catholic diocese in Catalonia
and Valencian Country
. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Tarragona
.
that, despite having no political representation, shares common historical, cultural and linguistic ties. This territory is known as Ilercavonia
in academic and scientific circles.
The territory of the historical Diocese of Tortosa was greatly reduced during General Franco's dictatorship
, following the Concordat of 1953
between the Francoist regime and the Vatican
. Under the pretext of adapting the dioceses to the civil provincial limits
the Consistorial Congregation, bending to the wishes of the dictator, broke up the traditional region of the Diocese of Tortosa:
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of Tortosa
Tortosa
-External links:* *** * * *...
is a Roman Catholic diocese in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
and Valencian Country
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Tarragona
Archdiocese of Tarragona
The Archdiocese of Tarragona is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory located in north-eastern Spain, in the province of Tarragona, part of the autonomous community of Catalonia...
.
History
The Diocese of Tortosa gives a certain foundation to an ancient historical regionHistorical region
Historical regions are delimitations of geographic areas for studying and analysing social development of period-specific cultures without any reference to contemporary political, economic or social organisations....
that, despite having no political representation, shares common historical, cultural and linguistic ties. This territory is known as Ilercavonia
Ilercavonia
Ilercavonia is an ancient comarca of Spain formerly populated by the ancient Iberian tribe known as Ilercavones. It is a greater comarca made up of smaller ones...
in academic and scientific circles.
The territory of the historical Diocese of Tortosa was greatly reduced during General Franco's dictatorship
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
, following the Concordat of 1953
Concordat of 1953
The Concordat of 1953 was the last classic concordat of the Roman Catholic Church. Concluded by Spain with the Vatican, and together with the Pact of Madrid, signed the same year, it was a significant effort to break Spain's international isolation after World War II .In return for the granting...
between the Francoist regime and the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. Under the pretext of adapting the dioceses to the civil provincial limits
Provinces of Spain
Spain and its autonomous communities are divided into fifty provinces .In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing. província.*Galician , sing. provincia.*Basque |Galicia]] — are not also the capitals of provinces...
the Consistorial Congregation, bending to the wishes of the dictator, broke up the traditional region of the Diocese of Tortosa:
- On the 2d September 1955, the Cesaraugustanae et aliarum decree of the Consistorial Congregation was published and the following year the parishes of Arenys de Lledó, Calaceit, Cretes and Lledó d'Algars in Matarranya, doing away with the traditional AragoneseAragonAragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
parishes of the Diocese of Tortosa. Meanwhile BetxíBetxíBetxí is a municipality in the comarca of Plana Baixa in the Valencian Community, Spain.-See also:*List of municipalities in Castellón*Roman Catholic Diocese of Teruel and Albarracín*Roman Catholic Diocese of Tortosa-External links :*...
, an enclave of the Diocese of Teruel, was briefly added (1956-1960) to the Diocese of Tortosa and MaialsMaialsMaials is a municipality in the comarca of the Segrià in Catalonia, Spain. It was formerly the centre of the Maials Barony .- Demography :-External links :***...
was transferred to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lleida.
- Following the De mutatione finium Dioecesium Valentinae-Segorbicensis-Dertotensis decree, of 31 May 1960, the parishes of NulesNulesNules is a town in eastern Spain, in the province of Castellón . Located 18 km to the south of the province's capital, at 13 m over sea level, it has 13,750 inhabitants , living in Nules Town, Nules Beach and Mascarell....
, Vila-realVila-realVila-real is a city in the province of Castellón, in the Valencian Community, Spain. Located 7 km to the south of the province's capital , at 42 m above sea level, it has 51,367 inhabitants , most of them living in the urban area that covers about 10.72% of its county's 55.4 km2 surface...
, Castelló de la Plana, LucenaLucena del CidLucena del Cid is a municipality in the comarca of Alcalatén, province of Castellon, Valencian Community, Spain....
and AlbocàsserAlbocàsserAlbocàsser is a municipality in Castellón, Valencia, Spain.It is located in the comarca of Alt Maestrat and has a population of 1439 inhabitants...
that had historically belonged to the Diocese of Tortosa were aggregated to the Diocese of Segorbe-CastellónDiocese of Segorbe-CastellónThe Diocese of Segorbe-Castellón is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory located in north-eastern Spain, in the province of Castellón, part of the autonomous community of Valencia...
along with the parish of Betxí. Francoist propaganda presented the changes as an occasion for rejoicing.
Bishops of Tortosa since 1512
- Juan de Enguera, O.P. † (1 Oct 1512 - 1513 )
- Luis Mercader Escolano, O. Cart. † (20 May 1513 - 9 Jun 1516 )
- Adriano de Florensz (Dedel) † (18 Aug 1516 - 9 Jan 1522)
- William Enkewort † (11 Mar 1523 - 1 Oct 1529 )
- Antonio Calcena, O.F.M. † (20 Jun 1537 - 1539 )
- Jerónimo Requeséns † (5 May 1542 - 21 Nov 1548 )
- Fernando de Loaces (Loazes), O.P. † (28 Apr 1553 - 26 Apr 1560 )
- Martín de Córdoba Mendoza, O.P. † (17 Jul 1560 - 4 Jun 1574 )
- Juan Izquierdo, O.P. † (7 Jun 1574 - 30 Sep 1585 )
- Juan Terés † (14 Apr 1586 - 17 Mar 1587 )
- Juan Bautista Cardona † (18 Mar 1587 - 30 Dec 1589 )
- Gaspar Punter † (6 Dec 1589 - 13 May 1600 )
- Pedro Manrique, O.S.A. † (12 Feb 1601 - 8 Apr 1611 )
- Isidoro Aliaga, O.P. † (13 Jun 1611 - 23 Mar 1612 )
- Alfonso Márquez de Prado † (14 May 1612 - 18 Jul 1616 )
- Luis Tena † (3 Aug 1616 Appointed - 26 Sep 1622 Died)
- Agustín Spínola Basadone † (5 Mar 1623 - 7 Sep 1626 )
- Justino Antolínez Burgos † (7 Jul 1627 - 9 Jul 1637 Died)
- Giovanni Battista Visco, O.F.M. † (16 Jul 1640 - 6 Oct 1653 )
- Gregorio Parcero de Castro, O.S.B. † (29 Nov 1655 - 17 Dec 1663 )
- Silvestre García Escalona † (6 Feb 1702 - 13 Jun 1714 )
- Juan Miguélez Mendaña † ( 1714 - 15 Dec 1717 )
- Bartolomé Camacho Madueño † (4 Mar 1720 - 1 Apr 1757 )
- Francisco Borrull Ramón † (26 Sep 1757 - 5 Aug 1768 )
- Luis García Mañero † (19 Nov 1759 - 26 Nov 1764 )
- Bernardo Velarde Velarde † (22 Apr 1765 - 1 Mar 1779 )
- Pedro Cortez y Larraz † (13 Dec 1779 - 1786 )
- Victoriano López Gonzalo † (24 Jul 1786 - 14 Dec 1789 )
- Antonio José Salinas Moreno, O.F.M. † (29 Mar 1790 - 11 Jun 1814 )
- Manuel Ros Medrano † (25 Sep 1814 Appointed - 23 Sep 1821 Died)
- Víctor Damián Sáez y Sánchez Mayor † (17 Mar 1824 - 3 Feb 1839 )
- Damián Gordo Sáez † (3 Jul 1848 - 24 Dec 1854 Died)
- Gil Estévez y Tomás † (25 Sep 1857 - 19 Jul 1858 )
- Miguel José Pratmans Llambés † (26 Sep 1859 - 1 Jan 1861 )
- José Raimundo Benito Villamitjana Vila † (23 Dec 1861 - 28 Feb 1879 )
- Francisco Aznar y Pueyo † (28 Feb 1879 - 29 Jun 1893 )
- Pedro Rocamora y García † (21 May 1894 - 20 Jan 1925 )
- Félix Bilbao y Ugarriza † (14 Dec 1925 - 18 Nov 1943 )
- Manuel Moll y Salord † (18 Nov 1943 - 5 Oct 1968 )
- Ricardo María Carles Gordó (6 Jun 1969 - 23 Mar 1990 )
- Lluís Martínez SistachLluís Martínez SistachLluís Cardinal Martínez Sistach is the current Archbishop of Barcelona.Martínez Sistach is the son of Juan Martínez Puig, a commercial representative, and María Sistach Masllorens, a housewife; they had three children, two girls and Lluís; they resided in the neighborhood of Guinardó, where his...
(17 May 1991 - 20 Feb 1997 ) - Javier Salinas Viñals (5 Sep 1997 - )
See also
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Lleida
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Segorbe-Castellón
- IlercavoniaIlercavoniaIlercavonia is an ancient comarca of Spain formerly populated by the ancient Iberian tribe known as Ilercavones. It is a greater comarca made up of smaller ones...
