Archdiocese of Burgos

The Archdiocese of Burgos (Latin: Archidioecesis Burgensis) is Latin Metropolitan sees of the Catholic Church in Spain. Its ecclesiastical province includes four suffragan dioceses: Bilbao Osma–Soria Palencia Vitoria Extent and flock The archdiocese comprises since the Concordat of 1851 almost the entire Burgos province. Its area is approximately 8,694 square miles (22,520 km2), with a population in the early 20th century of 340,000, divided into 1220 parishes which form forty-seven vicariates. By 2006, the number of parishes had declined to 1001. In 2006, the Archdiocese of Burgos had 339,360 Catholics. This meant that 94% of the population was Catholic in the area. However, since the Catholic Church records people who have been baptized as members, and only with the rare occurrence of excommunication are people normally removed from the records, this figure probably includes many people who not only do not attend Catholic services but may have actually been baptized in and currently attending Protestant, Latter-day Saint or Muslim services. The diocese had 589 Catholics per priest, which although it was higher than the 439 Catholics per priest that there had been in 1978 it was much lower than the 655 Catholics per priest in the Diocese back in 1950. Geography The northern and eastern portion of the diocese is mountainous, thickly wooded, and traversed by rivers, among which is the Ebro, which rises in the mountains and serves as the eastern boundary for Miranda de Ebro. The Arlanza which crosses the diocese from east to west flows by Salas de los Infantes, near the famous monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos, and through the center of the well-known town of Lerma. The mountainous region is unproductive of cereals, but fruits grow in abundance, and fine pasture-lands sustain great herds of cows and sheep, which furnish excellent meat and milk. Delicate cheeses which take their name from the city and are famous throughout Spain, are made in this section. Minerals are abundant, especially sulphate of soda, common salt, iron, and hard coal. The southern part of the diocese, especially the valley and plains, is fertile and produces abundantly vegetables, cereals, and quite a quantity of wind. The climate, cold but healthy, is damp towards the north. Although this section has few industries, the transportation of its fruit and minerals is greatly facilitated by the numerous highways and by the railroad between Madrid and France which crosses the eastern side of the diocese from south to north. There are also some secondary railway lines for the operation of the mines. History Burgos has been since 800 AD an episcopal see of Spain, into which in the 1087 the territory of the suppressed Roman Catholic Diocese of Valpuesta (a suffragan of the primatial Metropolitan of Tarragona; later the titular see of Valliposita) was merged. In 1574 Pope Gregory XIII raised it to metropolitan rank, at the request of King Philip II of Spain. Councils in Burgos Some important councils have been held in Burgos. A national council took place there in 1078, although opinions differ as to date (the "Boletín de la Academia de la Historia de Madrid", 1906, XLIX, 337, says 1080). This was presided over by the papal delegate, Cardinal Roberto, and attended by King Alfonso VI of Castile. It was convoked for the purpose of introducing into Spain the Roman Rite form of liturgy with the Roman Breviary and Sacramentary, in place of the Mozarabic Rite then in use (which now survives only in Toledo). Another national council, presided over by Cardinal Boso (d. 1181), also papal delegate, settled questions of discipline and established diocesan rights and limits. The proceedings of this council remained unpublished until quite recently, when they were made known in the Boletín already mentioned (XLVIII) 395). In 1898, a provincial council was called by Archbishop (not Cardinal) Don Gregorio Aguirre, in which the obligations of the clergy and the faithful were most minutely set forth. (Archi)Episcopal incumbents Bishops of Burgos (1075–1574) 1075–1082 : Simeón (or Simón) 1082–1096 : Gómez 1097–1114 : García Aznárez 1114–1118 : Pascual 1119–1146 : Ramiro (intruso) 1147–1156 : Víctor 1156–1181 : Pedro Pérez 1181–1200 : Marino Maté 1200–1205 : Mateo I 1206–1211 : García Martínez de Contreras 1211–1212 : Juan Maté 1213–1238 : Mauricio 1240–1246 : Juan Domínguez de Medina, Died 1246–1257 : Aparicio 1257–1259 : Mateo II Rinal 1260–1267 : Martín González 1268–1269 : Juan de Villahoz, Died 1275–1280 : Gonzalo Pérez Gudiel, Appointed, Archbishop of Toledo; future Cardinal 1280–1299 : Fernando Covarrubias, Died 1300–1302 : Pedro Rodríguez, Appointed, Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina 1303–1313 : Pedro Rodríguez Quijada? 1313–1327 : Gonzalo Osorio Villalobos 1327–1348 : García de Torres Sotoscueva 1348–13 . . : Pedro 1351–13 . . : Lope de Fontecha 1352–13 . . : Juan Sánchez de las Roelas 1361–13 . . : Juan 1362–1365 : Fernando de Vargas 1366–1380 : Domingo de Arroyuelo 1381–1382 : Juan García Manrique 1382–1394 : Gonzalo Mena Roelas, Appointed, Archbishop of Sevilla 1394–1406 : Juan de Villacreces 1407–1413 : Juan Cabeza de Vaca. 1413–1414 : Alfonso de Illescas 1415–1435 : Pablo de Santa María 1435–1456 : Alfonso de Cartagena 1456–1495 : Luis de Acuña y Osorio 1495–1512 : Pascual Rebenga de Ampudia, Died — (or 1496–1512) 1512–1514 : (Cardinal) Jaime Serra i Cau, Appointed, Administrator of Calahorra y La Calzada 15 . .–1514 : Ortega Gomiel 1514–1524 : Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca, Died 1525–1527 : Antonio de Rojas Manrique, Died 1529–1537 : Íñigo López de Mendoza y Zúñiga, Died (Cardinal in 1531) 1537–1550 : Juan Álvarez de Toledo, Appointed, Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela) (Cardinal in 1538) 1550–1566 : (Cardinal) Francisco Mendoza de Bobadilla, Died 1567–1574 : (Cardinal) Francisco Pacheco de Toledo; see below Archbishops of Burgos (from 1574) In 1574, the see of Burgos was raised to the status of an archbishopric by Pope Gregory XIII. 1574–1579 : (Cardinal) Francisco Pacheco de Toledo, Died; see above 1580–1599 : Cristóbal Vela Tavera, Died 1600–1604 : Antonio Zapata y Cisneros, Resigned (elevated to Cardinal in 1605) 1604–1612 : Alfonso Manrique, Died 1613–1629 : Fernando de Acevedo González, Died 1630–1631 : José González Díez, (José González de Villalobos) Died 1631–1640 : Fernando Andrade Sotomayor, Appointed Archbishop (Personal Title) of Sigüenza 1640–1655 : Francisco de Manso Zuñiga y Sola, Died . . . . .1657 : Juan Pérez Delgado 1658–1663 : Antonio Payno Osorio, Appointed, Archbishop of Seville 1663–1664 : Diego de Tejada y la Guardia 1665–1679 : Enrique de Peralta y Cárdenas 1680–1701 : Juan de Isla . . . . .1702 : (Cardinal) Francisco Antonio de Borja-Centelles y Ponce de Léon 1703–1704 : Fernando Manuel de Mejía 1705–1723 : Manuel Francisco Navarrete 1724–1728 : Lucas Conejero de Molina 1728–1741 : Manuel de Samaniego y Jaca 1741–1744 : Diego Felipe de Perea y Magdaleno 1744–1750 : Pedro de la Cuadra y Achica 1751–1757 : Juan Francisco Guillén Isso 1757–1761 : Onésimo de Salamanca y Zaldívar 1761–1764 : Francisco Díaz Santos del Bullón 1764–1791 : José Javier Rodríguez de Arellano 1791–1797 : Juan Antonio de los Tucros 1797–1801 : Ramón José de Arce 1801 : Juan Antonio López Cabrejas (electo) 1802–1822 : Manuel Cid y Monroy 1824 : Rafael de Vélez, OFM Cap, Appointed, Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela 1825–1829 : Alonso Cañedo Vigil 1830–1832 : Joaquín López y Sicilia, Appointed, Archbishop of Valencia 1832–1840 : Ignacio Rives y Mayor 1845–1847 : Severo Leonardo Andriani y Escofet (Administrador Apostólico) 1847–1848 : Ramón Montero 1849–1857 : Cirilo Alameda y Brea, OFM Obs, Appointed, Archbishop of Toledo (Cardinal in 1858) 1857–1867 : Fernando de la Puente y Primo de Rivera (Cardinal in 1862) 1867–1882 : Anastasio Rodrigo Yusto 1883–1886 : Saturnino Fernández de Castro y de la Cotera 1886–1893 : Manuel Gómez Salazar y Lucio Villegas 1894–1909 : Gregorio Maria Aguirre y Garcia, OFM Disc (Cardinal in 1907) 1909–1912 : Benito Murúa López 1913–1918 : José Cadena y Eleta 1919–1926 : Juan Benlloch i Vivó (Cardinal in 1921) 1926–1927 : Pedro Segura y Sáenz, Appointed, Archbishop of Toledo (Cardinal in 1927) 1928–1944 : Manuel de Castro Alonso 1944–1963 : Luciano Pérez Platero — (or 1945–1963) 1964–1983 : Segundo García de la Sierra y Méndez (o Segundo García de Sierra y Méndez) 1983–1992 : Teodoro Cardenal Fernández 1992–2002 : Santiago Martínez Acebes 2002–2015 : Francisco Gil Hellín 2015–2020 : Fidel Herráez Vegas As of 2020 : Mario Iceta Gavicagogeascoa Auxiliary bishops 1568–1579 : Gonzalo Herrera Olivares, Died 1605–1610 : Alonso Orozco Enriquez de Armendáriz Castellanos y Toledo, Appointed, Bishop of Santiago de Cuba 1648–1669 : Pedro Luis Manso Zuñiga, Died Saints Saint Julian, Bishop of Cuenca, called the Almoner because of his great charity to the poor, was born in Burgos; also Saint Amaro the Pilgrim, who has always had a special cult devoted to him in Burgos, though not found in the Roman Martyrology. Two local saints were the martyrs Centola and (H)Elen(s). Saint Iñigo (Enecus or Ignatius), abbot of Oña, while not born in Burgos, labored there for many years; also Saint Domingo de Silos, abbot and reformer of the famous monastery of Silos, and Saint John of Sahagún, a native of that town in the Province of León. Among its saints may also be mentioned the martyrs of Cardeña, religious of the convent of the same name, who in the tenth century were executed by the Arab soldiers of the Emir of Córdoba in one of their numerous invasions of Castile; and St. Casilda, daughter of a Moorish king of Toledo, converted near Burgos whither she had gone with her father's consent to drink the water of some medicinal springs. She built a hermitage and died a saintly death. See also Timeline of Burgos References