# Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Barquisimeto

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Barquisimeto (Latin: Archidioecesis Barquisimetensis) is a Latin Catholic Metropolitan archdiocese in northwestern Venezuela's Lara state.

## History

* Established on 7 March 1863 as Diocese of Barquisimeto, on territory split off from the then Diocese of Mérida (now Metropolitan)
* Suppressed on 14 August 1867, its territory reassigned to the new, short-lived Diocese of Coro y Barquisimeto (in fact a see transfer to Coro)
* Restored on 22 October 1869 as Diocese of Barquisimeto from that (suppressed) Diocese of Coro y Barquisimeto
* Lost territory on 12 October 1922 to establish the Diocese of Coro and on 7 June 1954 to establish the Diocese of Guanare, its own suffragan
* Promoted on 30 April 1966 as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Barquisimeto.
* Lost territory again to establish two more suffragans : on 7 October 1966 the Diocese of San Felipe and on 25 July 1922 the Diocese of Carora.

## Special churches

Its cathedral episcopal see is the very modern Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Barquisimeto. There is also a Minor Basilica : Basílica el Santo Cristo de la Gracia, also in Barquisimeto.

## Bishops

(all Roman rite)

### Episcopal ordinaries
#### Suffragan Bishops of Barquisimeto

* Victor José Díez Navarrete (22 October 1869 – death 1893), previously Bishop of Coro y Barquisimeto (Venezuela) (1868.06.22 – 1869.10.22)
* Gregorio Rodríguez y Obregón (21 May 1894 – death 1900)
* Aguedo Felipe Alvarado Liscano (15 August 1910 – death 26 September 1926)
* Enrique María Dubuc Moreno (26 September 1926 – 17 November 1947), previously Titular Bishop of Zaraï (25 May 1926 – 26 September 1926) & Coadjutor Bishop of Barquisimeto (25 May 1926 – 26 September 1926; emeritate as Titular Bishop of Maximiana in Numidia (17 November 1947– death 22 June 1962)
* Críspulo Benítez Fontúrvel (21 October 1949 – 30 April 1966 see below)

#### Metropolitan Archbishops of Barquisimeto

* Críspulo Benítez Fontúrvel (see above 30 April 1966 – 18 October 1982), also President of Episcopal Conference of Venezuela (1972 – 1978)
* Tulio Manuel Chirivella Varela (18 October 1982 previously Bishop of Margarita (Venezuela) (5 April 1974 – 18 October 1982)
* Antonio José López Castillo (22 December 2007 – 25 March 2020); previously Titular Bishop of Theuzi (26 February 1988 – 1 August 1992) & Auxiliary Bishop of Maracaibo (Venezuela) (26 February 1988 – 1 August 1992), Bishop of Barinas (Venezuela) (1 August 1992 – 27 December 2001), Metropolitan Archbishop of Calabozo (Venezuela) (27 December 2001– 22 December 2007)

### Coadjutor bishop

* Enrique María Dubuc Moreno (1926)

### Auxiliary bishops

* Marcial Augusto Ramírez Ponce (1967–1970), appointed Bishop of La Guaira
* Eduardo Herrera Riera (1970–1994), appointed Bishop of Carora
* José Luis Azuaje Ayala (1999–2006), appointed Bishop of El Vigia-San Carlos del Zulia

### Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

* Manuel Felipe Díaz Sánchez, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Cumaná in 1997

## Province

Its ecclesiastical province comprises the Metropolitan's own archbishopric and the following Suffragan sees:
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Acarigua–Araure
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Carora
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Guanare
* Roman Catholic Diocese of San Felipe, Venezuela