# Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Luís do Maranhão

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Luís do Maranhão (Latin: Archidioecesis Sancti Ludovici in Maragnano) is a Latin archdiocese in Brazil.
Its cathedral is a World Heritage Site (Minor): Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora da Vitória Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora da Vitória. It is located in the city of São Luís do Maranhão.

## Properties

* Cathedral:
** Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of Victory, or Cathedral of Our Lady of Victory (Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora da Vitória)
* Churches
** Church of Pantaleão, a property in the Historic Center of São Luís

## History

* Established on 30 August 1677 as Diocese of São Luís do Maranhão, on territory split off from the Diocese of Olinda
* Lost territory pn 4 March 1720 to establish Diocese of Belém do Pará
* Lost territory on 10 February 1902 to establish Diocese of Piaui
* 2 December 1921: Promoted as Archdiocese of São Luís do Maranhão
* 10 February 1922: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of São Luís do Maranhão, having lost territory to establish the then Territorial Prelature of São José do Grajaú (now suffragan diocese of Grajau)
* Lost territory on 1939.07.22 to establish suffragan Diocese of Caxias do Maranhão and Territorial Prelature of Pinheiro (now a suffragan diocese)
* Lost territory on 1962.10.30 to establish suffragan Diocese of Viana
* Lost territory on 1968.06.22 to establish suffragan Diocese of Bacabal
* Lost territory on 1971.09.14 to establish suffragan Diocese of Brejo
* Lost territory on 1977.08.26 to establish suffragan Diocese of Coroatá
* It enjoyed a papal visit from Pope John Paul II in October 1991.

## Bishops

(all Roman Rite)

### Episcopal ordinaries
#### Suffragan Bishops of São Luís do Maranhão

* Fr. Antônio de Santa Maria (1677 – death 1677 not possessed)
* Gregório dos Anjos, ? CSJ (1677.08.30 – death 1689.05.11), previously Bishop of Malacca (Malaysia) (? – 1677.08.30 not possessed)
* Francisco de Lima, OCarm (1691.12.19 – 1695.08.22), later Bishop of Olinda (Brazil) (1695.08.22 – death 1704.04.29)
* Timóteo do Sacramento, OSB (1696.12.17 – retired 1700), previously Bishop of Tomé (São Tomé and Príncipe) (1693.01.02 – 1696.12.17)
* José Delgarte, OSST (1716.10.05 – death 1724.12.23)
* Manoel da Cruz Nogueira, OCist (1738.09.03 – 1745.12.15), later Bishop of Mariana (Brazil) (1745.12.15 – 1764.01.03)
* Francisco de São Tiago, OFM (1745.12.15 – death 1752.12.12)
* Antônio de São José, OSA (1756.07.19 – 1778.07.20) later Metropolitan Archbishop of São Salvador da Bahia (Brazil) (1778.07.20 – death 1779.08.09)
* Jacinto Carlos da Silveira (1779.03.01 – retired 1780.04.29)
* José do Menino Jesus, OCD (1780.09.18 – 1783.07.18), later Bishop of Viseu (Portugal) (1783.07.18 – death 1791.01.14)
* Antônio de Pádua e Belas, OFM (1783.07.18 – retired 1794.08.28)
* Joaquim Ferreira de Carvalho (1795.06.01 – death 1801.04.26)
* Luiz de Brito Homem (1802.05.24 – death 1813.12.10), previously Bishop of São Paulo de Loanda (Angola) (1791.12.17 – 1802.05.24)
* Joaquim de Nossa Senhora de Nazareth Oliveira e Abreu, OFM (1819.08.23 – 1824.05.03), previously Bishop-Prelate of Territorial Prelature of Mozambique (Mozambique) (1811.12.17 – 1819.08.23) and Titular Bishop of Leontopolis in Bithynia (1815.09.04 – 1819.08.23); later Bishop of Coimbra (Portugal) (1824.05.03 – death 1851.08.31)
* Marcos Antônio de Souza (1827.06.25 – death 1842.11.29)
* Carlos de São José e Souza, OCD (1844.01.22 – death 1850.04.03)
* Manoel Joaquim da Silveira (1851.09.05 – 1861.01.05), later Metropolitan Archbishop of São Salvador da Bahia (Brazil) (1861.01.05 – death 1874.06.23)
* Luiz da Conceição Saraiva, OSB (1861.07.22 – death 1876.04.26)
* Antônio Cândido Alvarenga (1877.09.21 – 1898.11.28), later Bishop of São Paulo (Brazil) (1898.11.28 – 1903.04.01)
* Apostolic Administrator Fr. Luis de Salles Pessoa (1898 – death 1898)
* Antônio Xisto Albano (1901.03.23 – 1905.12.14), emeritate as Titular Bishop of Bethsaida (1905.12.14 – death 1917.02.21)
* Bishop-elect Santino Maria da Silva Coutinho (1906.09.09 – 1906.12.06), later Metropolitan Archbishop of Belém do Pará (Brazil) (1906.12.06 – 1923.01.19), Metropolitan Archbishop of Maceió (Brazil) (1923.01.19 – 1939.01.10)
* Francisco de Paula Silva, CM (1907.04.18 – death 1918.06.04)
* Helvécio Gomes de Oliveira, SDB (1918.06.18 – 1921.12.02 see below), previously Bishop of Corumbá (Brazil) (1918.02.15 – 1918.06.18)

#### Archbishop of São Luís do Maranhão

* Helvécio Gomes de Oliveira, SDB (see above 1921.12.02 – 1922.02.10)

#### Metropolitan Archbishops of São Luís do Maranhão

* Octaviano Pereira de Albuquerque (1922.10.27 – 1935.12.16), previously Bishop of Piaui (Brazil) (1914.04.02 – 1922.10.27); later Archbishop-Bishop of Campos (Brazil) (1935.12.16 – death 1949.01.03)
* Carlos Carmelo de Vasconcelos Motta (1935.12.19 – 1944.08.13), previously Titular Bishop of Algiza (1932.07.29 – 1935.12.19) and Auxiliary Bishop of Diamantina (Brazil) (1932.07.29 – 1935.12.19); later Metropolitan Archbishop of São Paulo (Brazil) (1944.08.13 – 1964.04.18), created Cardinal-Priest of S. Pancrazio (1946.02.22 – 1982.09.18), also President of National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (1952 – 1958), Apostolic Administrator of Aparecida (Brazil) (1958.04.19 – 1964.04.18), succeeded as Metropolitan Archbishop of Aparecida (1964.04.18 – death 1982.09.18), also Apostolic Administrator of Lorena (Brazil) (1970 – 1971.11.03), Protopriest of Sacred College of Cardinals (1977.08.02 – 1982.09.18)
* Adalberto Accioli Sobral (1947.01.18 – death 1951.05.24), previously Bishop of Barra (Brazil) (1927.04.22 – 1934.01.13), Bishop of Pesqueira (Brazil) (1934.01.13 – 1947.01.18)
* José de Medeiros Delgado (1951.09.04 – 1963.05.10), previously Bishop of Caicó (Brazil) (1941.03.15 – 1951.09.04); later Metropolitan Archbishop of Fortaleza (Brazil) (1963.05.10 – retired 1973.03.26)
* João José da Mota e Albuquerque (1964.04.28 – retired 1984.03.20), previously Bishop of Afogados da Ingazeira (Brazil) (1957.01.04 – 1961.02.28), Bishop of Sobral (Brazil) (1961.02.28 – 1964.04.28)
* Paulo Eduardo Andrade Ponte (1984.03.20 – retired 2005.09.21), also Vice-President of National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (1987 – 1991); previously Bishop of Itapipoca (Brazil) (1971.06.25 – 1984.03.20)
* José Belisário da Silva, OFM (2005.09.21 – ...), also Vice-President of National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (2011.05.10 – 2015.04.20), Second Vice-President of Latin American Episcopal Council (2015.05.13 – ...); previously Bishop of Bacabal (Brazil) (1999.12.01 – 2005.09.21)

### Auxiliary bishops

* Otàvio Barbosa Aguiar (1954–1956), appointed Bishop of Campina Grande, Paraiba
* Antônio Batista Fragoso (1957–1964), appointed Bishop of Crateús, Ceara
* Manuel Edmilson da Cruz (1966–1974), appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Fortaleza, Ceara
* Xavier Gilles de Maupeou d’Ableiges (1995–1998), appointed Bishop of Viana, Maranhão
* Geraldo Dantas de Andrade, SCI (1998–2010)
* José Carlos Chacorowski, CM (2010–2013), appointed Bishop of Caraguatatuba, Sao Paulo
* Esmeraldo Barreto de Farias, Ist. del Prado (2015–2020), appointed Bishop of Araçuaí, Minas Gerais

### Another priest of this diocese who became bishop

* Benedito Araújo, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Guajará-Mirim, Rondonia in 2011

## Province

Its ecclesiastical province comprises the Metropolitan's own archdiocese and the following Suffragan dioceses:
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Bacabal
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Balsas
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Brejo
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Carolina
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Caxias do Maranhão
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Coroatá
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Grajaú
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Imperatriz
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Pinheiro
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Viana, Brazil
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Zé Doca

## Source and external links

* GCatholic.org with incumbent biography links
* Catholic Hierarchy
* Archdiocese website (Portuguese)
2°31′41″S 44°18′17″W﻿ / ﻿2.5280°S 44.3047°W﻿ / -2.5280; -44.3047