# Roman Catholic 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 diocese:
* 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 km$^2$), 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 [es], 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.