Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Burgos


The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Burgos is one of Spain's Latin Metropolitan sees.
Its ecclesiastical province includes four suffragan bishoprics:
The archdiocese comprises since the Concordat of 1851 almost the entire Burgos province.
Its area is approximately, 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 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. 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.
Another national council, presided over by Cardinal Boso, 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.
In 1898, a provincial council was called by Archbishop 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)

  1. 1075–1082 : Simeón
  2. 1082–1096 : Gómez
  3. 1097–1114 : García Aznárez
  4. 1114–1118 : Pascual
  5. 1119–1146 : Ramiro
  6. 1147–1156 : Víctor
  7. 1156–1181 : Pedro Pérez
  8. 1181–1200 : Marino Maté
  9. 1200–1205 : Mateo I
  10. 1206–1211 : García Martínez de Contreras
  11. 1211–1212 : Juan Maté
  12. 1213–1238 : Mauricio
  13. 1240–1246 : Juan Domínguez de Medina, Died
  14. 1246–1257 : Aparicio
  15. 1257–1259 : Mateo II Rinal
  16. 1260–1267 : Martín González
  17. 1268–1269 : Juan de Villahoz, Died
  18. 1275–1280 : Gonzalo Pérez Gudiel, Appointed, Archbishop of Toledo; future Cardinal
  19. 1280–1299 : Fernando Covarrubias, Died
  20. 1300–1302 : Pedro Rodríguez, Appointed, Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina
  21. 1303–1313 : Pedro Rodríguez Quijada?
  22. 1313–1327 : Gonzalo Osorio Villalobos
  23. 1327–1348 : García de Torres Sotoscueva
  24. 1348–13.. : Pedro
  25. 1351–13.. : Lope de Fontecha
  26. 1352–13.. : Juan Sánchez de las Roelas
  27. 1361–13.. : Juan
  28. 1362–1365 : Fernando de Vargas
  29. 1366–1380 : Domingo de Arroyuelo
  30. 1381–1382 : Juan García Manrique
  31. 1382–1394 : Gonzalo Mena Roelas, Appointed, Archbishop of Sevilla
  32. 1394–1406 : Juan de Villacreces
  33. 1407–1413 : Juan Cabeza de Vaca.
  34. 1413–1414 : Alfonso de Illescas
  35. 1415–1435 : Pablo de Santa María
  36. 1435–1456 : Alfonso de Cartagena
  37. 1456–1495 : Luis de Acuña y Osorio
  38. 1495–1512 : Pascual Rebenga de Ampudia, Died —
  39. 1512–1514 : Jaime Serra i Cau, Appointed, Administrator of Calahorra y La Calzada
  40. 15..–1514 : Ortega Gomiel
  41. 1514–1524 : Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca, Died
  42. 1525–1527 : Antonio de Rojas Manrique, Died
  43. 1529–1537 : Íñigo López de Mendoza y Zúñiga, Died
  44. 1537–1550 : Juan Álvarez de Toledo, Appointed, Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela)
  45. 1550–1566 : Francisco Mendoza de Bobadilla, Died
  46. 1567–1574 : 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.
  1. 1574–1579 : Francisco Pacheco de Toledo, Died; see above
  2. 1580–1599 : Cristóbal Vela Tavera, Died
  3. 1600–1604 : Antonio Zapata y Cisneros, Resigned
  4. 1604–1612 : Alfonso Manrique, Died
  5. 1613–1629 : Fernando de Acevedo González, Died
  6. 1630–1631 : José González Díez, Died
  7. 1631–1640 : Fernando Andrade Sotomayor, Appointed Archbishop of Sigüenza
  8. 1640–1655 : Francisco de Manso Zuñiga y Sola, Died
  9. .....1657 : Juan Pérez Delgado
  10. 1658–1663 : Antonio Payno Osorio, Appointed, Archbishop of Seville
  11. 1663–1664 : Diego de Tejada y la Guardia
  12. 1665–1679 : Enrique de Peralta y Cárdenas
  13. 1680–1701 : Juan de Isla
  14. .....1702 : Francisco Antonio de Borja-Centelles y Ponce de Léon
  15. 1703–1704 : Fernando Manuel de Mejía
  16. 1705–1723 : Manuel Francisco Navarrete
  17. 1724–1728 : Lucas Conejero de Molina
  18. 1728–1741 : Manuel de Samaniego y Jaca
  19. 1741–1744 : Diego Felipe de Perea y Magdaleno
  20. 1744–1750 : Pedro de la Cuadra y Achica
  21. 1751–1757 : Juan Francisco Guillén Isso
  22. 1757–1761 : Onésimo de Salamanca y Zaldívar
  23. 1761–1764 : Francisco Díaz Santos del Bullón
  24. 1764–1791 : José Javier Rodríguez de Arellano
  25. 1791–1797 : Juan Antonio de los Tucros
  26. 1797–1801 : Ramón José de Arce
  27. * 1801 : Juan Antonio López Cabrejas
  28. 1802–1822 : Manuel Cid y Monroy
  29. 1824 : Rafael de Vélez, OFM Cap, Appointed, Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela
  30. 1825–1829 : Alonso Cañedo Vigil
  31. 1830–1832 : Joaquín López y Sicilia, Appointed, Archbishop of Valencia
  32. 1832–1840 : Ignacio Rives y Mayor
  33. * 1845–1847 : Severo Leonardo Andriani y Escofet
  34. 1847–1848 : Ramón Montero
  35. 1849–1857 : Cirilo Alameda y Brea, OFM Obs, Appointed, Archbishop of Toledo
  36. 1857–1867 : Fernando de la Puente y Primo de Rivera
  37. 1867–1882 : Anastasio Rodrigo Yusto
  38. 1883–1886 : Saturnino Fernández de Castro y de la Cotera
  39. 1886–1893 : Manuel Gómez Salazar y Lucio Villegas
  40. 1894–1909 : Gregorio Maria Aguirre y Garcia, OFM Disc
  41. 1909–1912 : Benito Murúa López
  42. 1913–1918 : José Cadena y Eleta
  43. 1919–1926 : Juan Benlloch i Vivó
  44. 1926–1927 : Pedro Segura y Sáenz, Appointed, Archbishop of Toledo
  45. 1928–1944 : Manuel de Castro Alonso
  46. 1944–1963 : Luciano Pérez Platero —
  47. 1964–1983 : Segundo García de la Sierra y Méndez
  48. 1983–1992 : Teodoro Cardenal Fernández
  49. 1992–2002 : Santiago Martínez Acebes
  50. 2002–2015 : Francisco Gil Hellín
  51. 2015–present: Fidel Herráez Vegas

    Auxiliary bishops

  52. 1568–1579 : Gonzalo Herrera Olivares, Died
  53. 1605–1610 : Alonso Orozco Enriquez de Armendáriz Castellanos y Toledo, Appointed, Bishop of Santiago de Cuba
  54. 1648–1669 : Pedro Luis Manso Zuñiga, Died

    Saints

, 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 Elen.
Saint Iñigo, 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.