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Roman Catholic Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón

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The Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón (Latin: Dioecesis Barbastrensis-Montisonensis) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church located in north-eastern Spain, in the province of Huesca, part of the autonomous community of Aragón. The diocese forms part of the ecclesiastical province of Zaragoza (province), and is thus suffragan to the Archdiocese of Zaragoza.

Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón

Dioecesis Barbastrensis-Montisonensis

Diócesis de Barbastro-Monzón
Barbastro Cathedral Clock Tower
Location
Country Spain
Ecclesiastical provinceZaragoza
MetropolitanZaragoza
Statistics
Area8,321 km2 (3,213 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2012)
104,700
96,600 (92.3%)
Parishes242
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedName Changed: 15 June 1995
CathedralCathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady in Barbastro
Co-cathedralCo-Cathedral of Our Lady in Monzón
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopAngel Javier Perez Pueyo
Metropolitan ArchbishopVicente Jiménez Zamora
Map
Website
diocesisbarbastromonzon.org

The city of Barbastro is at the junction of the rivers Cinca and Vero. The diocese is bounded on the north by the Pyrenees, on the east and south by the Diocese of Lerida (Spanish: Lérida), and on the west by those of Huesca and Jaca.

The cathedral, the episcopal palace, the seminary, and the college of the Clerks Regular of the Pious Schools, or Piarists, are among the most noted buildings in Barbastro.

Besides the seminary for the education of young ecclesiastics, there are various communities in the diocese devoted to a contemplative life and the education of the young, including: the Piarists, the Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Poor Clares, and the Capuchin nuns have foundations in the capital, the Benedictines in the town of Pueyo, and the Discalced Carmelites in Graus and Salas Altas. There are schools in all the towns of the diocese.

History edit

Diocese of Barbastro-Roda (1101–1149) edit

With the Umayyad invasion of Spain in the 8th century the Moors' northward push led to the fall of Lerida, in 716, whereupon the Diocese of Lerida was removed to Roda de Isabena.

By the 12th century, the Reconquest of Spain, pushed the borders back south again, such that Lerida was able to reassume control of its diocese, after 300 years, and Barbastro (Latin: Barbatius, French: Barbazan, Italian: Barbaccia, Barbazza, Barbazzi) was strategically chosen to take over the episcopal see from Roda. In 1101, King Pedro I sent Barbastro's first bishop, Poncio, to Rome to obtain the Pope's permission for the transfer, which was approved.

Diocese of Lerida (1149 – 16th century) edit

In 1149, the Moors in Lerida were vanquished by Count Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and the city regained its episcopal seat and diocesan control of lands.

Diocese of Barbastro (1571–1995) edit

Barbastro was annexed to the Diocese of Huesca in the sixteenth century, but in 1571 the Diocese of Barbastro was erected out of part of Huesca. The Concordat of 1851 annexed it once more to Huesca, preserving its name and administration, but being administered by a vicar Apostolic.

By 1907, the diocese was composed of 154 parishes under the supervision of ten archpriests, or vicars. The population was about 240,000. The clergy numbered about 220, and there were 231 churches and 177 chapels.

In 1951, it regained its full independence. During the 20th-century there were two modifications of the extension of the bishopric, the first in 1955 and the second in 1995 and 1998, that is, in two phases:

  • Phase 1: On September 2, 1955, 21 Aragonese parishes which, due to historical transfers, had theretofore been under the administration Lerida and Urgel, were returned to Aragonese diocesan administration, under the Bishop of Barbastro.
  • Phase 2: Forty years later, on September 17, 1995, the Archpresbyterates of Western and Eastern Ribagorza, and Cinca Medio, were transferred to Aragonese administration.

On June 15, 1998, the remaining parishes in the counties of Bajo Cinca and La Litera were transferred. In that same act, the Church of Santa María del Romeral de Monzón became a Co-cathedral within the Diocese of Barbastro-Monzon.

 
Co-Cathedral of Our Lady in Monzón

At the end of this phased transfer process, the bishopric went from 30,000 faithful and 153 parishes to 100,000 and 264 parishes.

At present the diocese is composed of four Archpresbyterates, or Deaneries:

Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón (since 1995) edit

As of 1995, the Diocese of Barbastro was renamed 'Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón', in accordance with the Vatican decree, Ilerdensis et Barbastrensis de finum mutatione. It expanded to include an additional 84 parishes in Eastern Aragon which had been under the temporary administration of the Diocese of Lerida, and transferred back to Aragon under the administration of Barbastro-Monzón. In 1998, a further 27 parishes were returned to Aragonese administration.[1]

With the return of the Parishes to Aragon, property belonging to those places of Worship, including ancient parish registers, altar reliefs, statuary, vestments and other liturgical objects and works of art, which had been stored at the Episcopal See and Seminary of Lerida should have likewise been returned. However, this did not happen and Lerida appealed to Rome to keep the property. The Vatican tribunals declared the Aragonese parishes to be the rightful owners of their respective liturgical property and works of art and sentenced Lerida to return said property to its rightful owners and places of worship. Lerida publicly accepted the Vatican decision but then decided not to comply with it and at the behest of Catalan authorities instead pursued a civil litigation path in order to keep the artwork.

Following the Vatican Tribunal's ruling, Lerida embarked on building a diocesan museum exhibiting only some of the Aragonese works which they refused to return. Local partisan Catalan politics desiring promotion, territorial expansionism, and secession from the State incited anti-Catalan sentiment suggesting that the return of the Aragonese parishes to Aragonese administration was part of a strategy of cultural assimilation of the La Franja people into the Spanish-speaking mainstream congregation by cutting them off from their cultural roots.[2] The Catalan civil litigation process has been unsuccessful thus far, and as of 2019 is still ongoing, simply delaying the completion of the Vatican ruling, which has over the years seen the gradual and partial return of works of art to various Parishes, including the Royal Monastery of Sigena in 2017.[3]

Bishops of Roda (until 1101) edit

All the names are given in Spanish:

  • 887–922 : Adulfo — (since before 887 to 922)
  • 923–955 : Atón
  • 955–975 : Odisendo
  • 988–991 : Aimerico — (since before 988 to 991)
  • 996---?--- : Jacobo — (since before 996)
  • 1006–1015 : Aimerico II — (since before 1006 to 1015)
  • 1017–1019 : Borrell
  • 1023–1067 : Arnulfo
  • 1068–1075 : Salomón
  • 1075–1076 : Arnulfo II
  • 1076–1094 : Pedro Ramón Dalmacio
  • 1094–1096 : Lupo
  • 1097–1100 : Poncio

In 1101 the Diocese of Roda is transferred to Barbastro.

Bishops of Barbastro-Roda (1101–1149) edit

In 1101 the Diocese of Roda is transferred to Barbastro. All the names are given in Spanish:

In 1149 the episcopal see is moved to Lleida.

Bishops of Barbastro (1571–1995) edit

In 1571 the Diocese of Barbastro is erected out of part of the Diocese of Huesca.

Bishops of Barbastro-Monzón (since 1995) edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Segregació del bisbat de Lleida franjadeponent.cat. Accessed 5 March 2024.
  2. ^ Manifest sobre la unitat del Museu de Lleida Diocesà i Comarcal, franjadeponent.cat. Accessed 5 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Catalonia independence: Spain removes art work from Lleida". BBC News. 11 December 2017.

Sources edit

41°57′51″N 0°10′16″E / 41.9642°N 0.1711°E / 41.9642; 0.1711

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