Roman Catholic Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón is located in north-eastern Spain, in the province of Huesca, part of the autonomous community of Aragón. The diocese forms part of the ecclesiastical province of Zaragoza (province), and is thus suffragan to the Archdiocese of Zaragoza.

The city of Barbastro is at the junction of the rivers Cinca and Vero. The diocese is bounded on the north by the Pyrenees, on the east and south by the Diocese of Lleida, and on the west by those of Huesca and Jaca.

The cathedral, the episcopal palace, the seminary, and the college of the Clerks Regular of the Pious Schools, or Piarists, are among the most noted buildings in Barbastro.

Besides the seminary for the education of young ecclesiastics, there are various communities in the diocese devoted to a contemplative life and the education of the young, including: the Piarists, the Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Poor Clares, and the Capuchin nuns have foundations in the capital, the Benedictines in the town of Pueyo, and the Discalced Carmelites in Graus and Salas-Altas. There are schools in all the towns of the diocese.

History

Diocese of Barbastro Latin Barbatius,Barbastro,France Barbazan or Italy Barbaccia,Barbazza-Barbazzi-Roda (1101 - 1149)

With the Ummayad invasion of Spain in the 8th century the Moor's northward push led to the fall of Lleida, in 716, whereupon the diocese of Lleida was removed to Roda de Isabena. By the 12th century, the Reconquest of Spain, pushed the borders back south again, such that Lleida was able to reassume control of its diocese, after 300 years, and Barbastro was strategically chosen to take over the episcopal see from Roda. In 1101, King Pedro I sent Barbastro's first bishop, Poncio, to Rome to obtain the pope's permission for the transfer, which was approved.

Diocese of Lleida (1149 - 16th century)

In 1149, the Moors in Lleida were vanquished by Count Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and the city regained its episcopal seat and diocesan control of lands.

Diocese of Barbastro (1571 - 1995)

Barbastro was annexed to the Diocese of Huesca in the sixteenth century, but in 1571 the Diocese of Barbastro was erected out of part of Huesca.

The Concordat of 1851 annexed it once more to Huesca, preserving its name and administration, but being administered by a vicar Apostolic.

By 1907 the diocese was composed of 154 parishes under the supervision of ten archpriests, or vicars. The population was about 240,000. The clergy numbered about 220, and there were 231 churches and 177 chapels.

In 1950 or 1951 it regained its full independence.

Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón (since 1995)

Since 1995 this diocese has been renamed Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón, becoming larger by the annexion of neighboring parishes. In that year, following the Ilerdensis et Barbastrensis de finum mutatione decree, 84 culturally Catalan parishes that had traditionally belonged to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lleida for over eight centuries, were segregated and transferred to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón. These were followed by a further 27 parishes in June 1998. The annexed parishes are in the Llitera and Baix Cinca Catalan-speaking Aragonese areas.^[1]

After the parish segregation a controversy began regarding the return of ancient works of art belonging to the segregated parishes and which were stored at the Lleida Diocesan Museum. Since there was no previous consultation, the decree and the ensuing controversies were perceived as anti-Catalan measures by many in Lleida and in the concerned parishes, and part of a strategy towards the cultural assimilation of the La Franja people into the Spanish-speaking mainstream congregation by cutting them off from their cultural roots.^[2]

Bishops of Roda (until 1101)

All the names are given in Spanish:

1. 887-922 : Adulfo — (since before 887 to 922)
2. 923-955 : Atón
3. 955-975 : Odisendo
4. 988-991 : Aimerico — (since before 988 to 991)
5. 996---?--- : Jacobo — (since before 996)
6. 1006-1015 : Aimerico II — (since before 1006 to 1015)
7. 1017-1019 : Borrell
8. 1023-1067 : Arnulfo
9. 1068-1075 : Salomón
10. 1075-1076 : Arnulfo II
11. 1076-1094 : Pedro Ramón Dalmacio
12. 1094-1096 : Lupo
13. 1097-1100 : Poncio

In 1101 the Diocese of Roda is transferred to Barbastro.

Bishops of Barbastro-Roda (1101 - 1149)

In 1101 the Diocese of Roda is transferred to Barbastro. All the names are given in Spanish:

1. 1101-1104 : Poncio
2. 1104-1126 : St. Ramón — (named Ramón II in the Catholic Encyclopedia)
3. ---------1126 : Esteban
4. 1126-1134: Pedro Guillermo
   • 1134 : Ramiro, a prince of the royal house of Aragon — (Elected)
5. 1135-1143 : Gaufrido
6. 1143-1149 : Guillermo Pérez de Ravitats

In 1149 the episcopal see is moved to Lleida.

Bishops of Barbastro (1571 - 1995)

In 1571 the Diocese of Barbastro is erected out of part of the Diocese of Huesca.

1. 1573-1585 : Felipe de Urríes
2. 1585-1595 : Miguel Cercito Bereterra
3. 1596-1603 : Carlos Muñoz Serrano
4. 1604-1616 : Juan Moriz de Salazar
5. 1616-1622 : Jerónimo Bautista Lanuza
6. 1622-1625 : Pedro Apaolaza Ramírez
7. 1625-1639 : Alonso de Requesens y Fenollet
8. 1640-1643 : Bernardo Lacabra
9. 1643-1647 : Diego Chueca
10. 1647-1656 : Miguel de Escartín
11. 1656-1673 : Diego Francés de Urritigoyti y Lerma
12. 1673-1680 : Iñigo Roto
13. 1681-1695 : Francisco López Urraca
14. 1695-1696 : Jerónimo López
15. 1696-1699 : José Martínez del Villar
16. 1700-1708 : Francisco de Paula Garcés y Marcilla
17. 1708-1714 : Pedro de Padilla
18. 1714-1717 : Pedro Teodoro Granel
19. 1717-1739 : Carlos Alamán y Ferrer
20. 1739-1747 : Francisco Antonio Bustamante
21. 1748-1750 : Benito Marín
22. 1750-1755 : Juan Ladrón de Guevara
23. 1755-1766 : Diego Rivera
24. 1766-1772 : Felipe Perales
25. 1773-1789 : Juan Manuel Cornel
26. 1790-1813 : Agustín Iñigo Abad y Lasierra
27. 1815-1828 : Juan Nepomuceno de Lera y Cano
    • 1828-1896 : See administered by Capitular Vicars (Vicarios Capitulares).
    • 1896-1898 : Casimiro Piñera y Naredo — (Apostolic Administrator)
    • 1898-1905 : Juan Antonio Ruano y Martín — (Apostolic Administrator), born at Gijude del Barro, in the Diocese of Salamanca, 3 Nov., 1848, appointed titular bishop of Claudiopolis, and Administrator of Barbastro, 3 Nov., 1898 and transferred to Diocese of Lleida, 14 Dec., 1905.
    • 1907-1917 : Isidoro Badia y Sarradell — (Apostolic Administrator)
    • 1918-1926 : Emilio Jiménez Pérez — (Apostolic Administrator)
    • 1928-1935 : Nicanor Mutiloa e Irurita — (Apostolic Administrator)
    • ---------1936 : Florentino Asensio Barroso — (Apostolic Administrator)
    • 1946-1950 : Arturo Tabera Araoz — (Apostolic Administrator)
28. 1951-1954 : Pedro Cantero Cuadrado
29. 1954-1959 : Segundo García de la Sierra y Méndez
30. 1960-1970 : Jaime Flores Martín
31. 1970-1974 : Damián Iguacén Borau
32. 1974-1995 : Ambrosio Echevarria Arroita

Bishops of Barbastro-Monzón (since 1995)

1. 1995-1999 : Ambrosio Echevarria Arroita
2. 1999-2004 : Juan José Omella Omella
3. 2004-today : Alfonso Milián Sorribas

See also

• List of the Roman Catholic dioceses of Spain.

References

This article draws only from other Wikipedia articles and these three sources:

• (English) Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907 and 1910: "Barbastro" and "Lleida"
• (Spanish) IBERCRONOX: Obispado de Barbastro-Monzón

References

1. ^ Segregació del bisbat de Lleida
2. ^ Manifest sobre la unitat del Museu de Lleida Diocesà i Comarcal

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.