Diocese of Astorga


The Diocese of Astorga is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church whose seat is in the city of Astorga, in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain.
The diocese is a part of the ecclesiastical province of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oviedo since 1954. It traces its foundation to the 3rd century, making it one of the oldest in Spain.

History

The first bishop for whom there is any documentary evidence was Belisarius, who served during the reign of the Emperor Decius and faced the persecution waged under this ruler. The bishop was dismissed from his position, accused of having been a libellaticus, i.e., a Christian who had offered sacrifice to the Roman gods to avoid arrest. The bishop was re-instated after the intervention of the prominent African bishop, Cyprian, and Pope Stephen I. It was a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Braga
The next bishop, Sabinus, led the Christian community through the persecution of the Emperor Valerian. The Christians martyred during this period included the schoolboys saints, Justus and Pastor, as well as their aunt, Martha, who became the patron saint of the diocese. The diocese was represented at the Synod of Elvira, the first major assembly of the Church in Hispania.
During the waves of invasion of the peninsula by the Germanic tribes, one bishop was the noted Turibio. He documented the conversion of the Suebic King Resimund to Arianism, and worked to restore the churches destroyed by the Visigothic King Theodoric II. The bishop was able to travel to Rome, from which he brought back what is believed to be a relic of the True Cross, for which he founded the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana, where it is still preserved.

Present

The diocese maintains its own school of formation for its clergy, the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, which was founded on 1 November 1766, with the current structure being built in 1799.

Prelates

  • Pedro da Fonseca
  • Bernardino López de Carvajal y Sande
  • Juan Ruiz de Medina
  • Diego Meléndez de Valdés
  • Juan de Castilla
  • Diego Ramírez de Fuenleal
  • Francisco Desprats
  • Sancho Pérez Rodríguez de Acebes
  • Alvaro Osorio, O.P.
  • Esteban Almeida
  • Diego Alava Esquivel
  • Pedro Acuña Avellaneda
  • Diego Sarmiento Sotomayor
  • Francisco Sarmiento Mendoza
  • Alfonso Delgado
  • Antonio Torres
  • Alberto Aguayo, O.P.
  • Juan Zarzola
  • Pedro Rojas Henríques, O.S.A.
  • Antonio de Cáceres, O.P.
  • Alfonso Mesía de Tovar
  • Luis García Rodríguez
  • Diego Salcedo Benacos
  • Bernardo Atayde de Lima Perera
  • Nicolás Martinez, O.S.H.
  • Juan Vallejo
  • Nicolás Rodríguez Hermosino
  • Matías de Moratinos y Santos
  • Rodrigo de Mandia y Parga
  • Diego de Silva y Pacheco, O.S.B.
  • Francisco Aguado
  • Antonio de Brizuela y Salamanca
  • Antonio Sanjurjo Miranda, O.P.
  • José Aparicio y Navarro
  • Crisóstomo Vargas, O. Cist.
  • José Francisco Bermúdez Mandía
  • Pedro Cáceres Casado
  • Matías Escalzo Acedo
  • Francisco Javier Sánchez Cabezón
  • Juan Manuel Merino y Lumbreras
  • Antonio Andrés López Arroyo, O.F.M.
  • Manuel Abad y Lasierra, O.S.B.
  • Francisco Isidoro Gutiérrez Vigil
  • Manuel Vicente Martínez y Jiménez
  • Santiago Bencomo y Rodríguez
  • Guillermo Martínez Riaguas
  • Manuel Bernardo Morete Bodelón
  • Leonardo Santander y Villavicencio
  • Félix Torres Amat
  • Juan Nepomuceno Cascallana y Ordóñez
  • Benito Forcelledo Tuero
  • Fernando Argüelles Miranda
  • Mariano Brezmes y Arredondo
  • Juan Bautista Grau y Vallespinos
  • Vicente Alonso y Salgado, Sch. P.
  • Mariano Cidad y Olmos
  • Julián Miranda y Ristuer
  • Julián de Diego y García Alcolea
  • Antonio Senso Lázaro
  • Jesús Mérida Pérez
  • José Castelltort Subeyre
  • Marcelo González Martín
  • Antonio Briva Mirabent
  • Camilo Lorenzo Iglesias
  • Juan Antonio Menéndez Fernandez
  • Jesús Fernández González