Roman Catholic Diocese of Segovia

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The Diocese of Segovia (Latin: Dioecesis Segobiensis) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church located in the city of Segovia in the ecclesiastical province of Valladolid in Spain.

Diocese of Segovia

Dioecesis Segobiensis

Diócesis de Segovia
Segovia Cathedral
Location
CountrySpain
Ecclesiastical provinceValladolid
MetropolitanValladolid
Statistics
Area6,949 km2 (2,683 sq mi)
Population
  • Total
  • Catholics
  • (as of 2010)
  • 164,854
  • 155,200 (94.1%)
Information
DenominationRoman Catholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established6th Century
CathedralCathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady in Segovia
Current leadership
PopeLeo XIV
BishopJesús Vidal Chamorro
Metropolitan ArchbishopLuis Javier Argüello García
Bishops emeritusÁngel Rubio Castro
César Augusto Franco Martínez
Map
Website
Website of the Diocese

History

The Diocese of Segovia (Latin: Dioecesis Segobiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church in western Spain, within the ecclesiastical province of Valladolid. Established in 527 from territory of the Diocese of Palencia, it was suppressed in 950 during a period of political and military upheaval, and later restored on 25 January 1110. On 27 February 1120 the see became a suffragan of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela. Its cathedral, the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin in Segovia, is dedicated on 17 July each year. The diocese follows the Roman Rite and is immediately subject to the Dicastery for Bishops.

Thirteenth century

In the mid-thirteenth century the Diocese of Segovia underwent a major reorganization of its finances and governance. Following the Fourth Lateran Council (11 November 1215), which had called for moral and administrative reform across Christendom, the diocese resisted efforts to regulate clerical life. Local clergy withheld tithes, concubinage was widespread, and disputes erupted between bishop and chapter over control of revenues, all while royal taxation for the Reconquista and the construction of a new cathedral placed additional strain on diocesan resources.

To address these problems, Cardinal Gil Torres, acting for Pope Innocent IV, intervened in the 1240s. He ordered surveys of diocesan possessions in Segovia, as he did elsewhere in Castile, with the aim of clearly defining the income of bishops, dignitaries, and canons. A provisional division of revenues was issued in October 1245, but it proved inadequate. A more complete survey was then carried out by the archdeacons of Segovia and Sepúlveda together with the abbot of Sotos Albos, and completed by 30 April 1247. On 1 June 1247 Bishop Bernardo and the chapter agreed on a definitive allocation of rents, and on 14 September Cardinal Gil confirmed the settlement.

The resulting manuscript record, preserved in British Library MS Egerton 910, is exceptionally detailed for the period. It lists 542 parishes across the diocese, catalogues episcopal estates valued at 2,700 maravedís, and records newly assigned rents of about 2,300 maravedís. The text further distinguishes prebends, portions of tithes, and funds reserved for liturgical expenses, fabric repairs, and almsgiving. Its figures reveal striking inequalities: the average parish rector received less than 17 maravedís annually, while the bishop controlled an income nearly 300 times greater. Dignitaries such as the dean, archdeacons, cantor, treasurer, and magister scholarum were granted fixed stipends ranging from 170 to 370 maravedís, with ordinary canons receiving 50.

In 1258 a set of episcopal-capitular statutes regulated the daily distribution of revenues and linked them to the performance of Mass and Vespers. They also assigned specific prebends to communal meals, vestments, and almsgiving, tying liturgical life to the diocese's economic base and ensuring that cathedral clergy benefited in proportion to their participation in worship and administration. On 25 January 1265 the cathedral chapter issued a formal declaration of resistance against any bishop who attempted to vary the ordinances of Cardinal Gil Torres. The document pledged the dean and canons to defend their rights collectively, to deny any new decimarius demanded by a bishop, and to require each new canon to swear an oath to uphold these statutes. This capitular ultimatum illustrates the enduring conflict between episcopal authority and the corporate privileges of the chapter, a theme that continued to shape diocesan life in Segovia through the later Middle Ages.

Modern era

On 4 July 1857 the Diocese of Segovia became a suffragan of the newly created Archdiocese of Valladolid. In the mid-20th century the diocesan boundaries were adjusted several times. In 1953 the diocese gained territory from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Burgos. In 1954 it lost territory back to Burgos and exchanged territory with the Diocese of Ávila. On 2 September 1955 it gained territory from the Diocese of Osma and the Diocese of Sigüenza, while also ceding territory to the Archdiocese of Valladolid.

Papal visits

Pope John Paul II visited Segovia in November 1982.

Leadership

  • Gutierre Girón (1195 – 19 Jul 1195 Died)
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  • Fernando Sarracín (17 Apr 1301 – 17 Oct 1318 Died)
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  • Juan Sierra (3 Oct 1370 – 16 Feb 1374 Died)
  • Hugo de Lamanhania (Magialla) (21 Jul 1374 – 15 Oct 1388 Appointed, Bishop of Cavaillon)
  • Juan de Serrano (15 Oct 1388 – 22 Dec 1389 Appointed, Bishop of Sigüenza)
  • Lope de Barrientos (21 Feb 1438 – 19 Jul 1441 Appointed, Bishop of Ávila)
  • Juan de Cervantes (19 Jul 1441 – 25 Nov 1453 Died)
  • Luis de Acuña Osorio (1449–1456 Appointed, Bishop of Burgos)
  • Fernando López de Villaescusa (1457–1460)
  • Juan Arias de Ávila (1461 – 1497 Died)
  • Juan Arias de Villar (1498 – 1501 Died)
  • Juan Ruiz de Medina (1502 – 30 Jan 1507 Died)
  • Fadrique de Portugal Noreña (22 Dec 1508 – 1511 Resigned)
  • Diego Ribera de Toledo (29 Oct 1511 – 6 Feb 1543 Died)
  • Antonio Ramírez de Haro (6 Aug 1543 – 16 Sep 1549 Died)
  • Gaspar de Zúñiga y Avellaneda (27 Jun 1550 – 21 Oct 1558 Appointed, Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela)
  • Francisco de Santa María Benavides Velasco (21 Oct 1558 – 15 May 1560 Died)
  • Martín Pérez de Ayala (17 Jul 1560 – 6 Sep 1564 Appointed, Archbishop of Valencia)
  • Diego de Covarrubias y Leiva (25 Oct 1564 – 6 Sep 1577 Appointed, Archbishop (Personal Title) of Cuenca)
  • Gregorio Antonio Gallo de Andrade (11 Sep 1577 – 25 Sep 1579 Died)
  • Luis Tello Maldonado (27 May 1580 – 11 Jun 1581 Died)
  • Andrés Cabrera Bobadilla (8 Nov 1582 – 13 Oct 1586 Appointed, Archbishop of Zaragoza)
  • Francisco Ribera Obando (17 Dec 1586 – 15 Sep 1587 Died)
  • Andrés Pacheco (2 Dec 1587 – 13 Aug 1601 Appointed, Bishop of Cuenca)
  • Maximilian of Austria (27 Aug 1601 – 21 Apr 1603 Appointed, Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela)
  • Pedro Castro Nero (13 Aug 1603 – 12 Sep 1611 Appointed, Archbishop of Valencia)
  • Antonio Idiáquez Manrique (4 Feb 1613 – 17 Nov 1615 Died)
  • Juan Vigil de Quiñones y Labiada (18 Jul 1616 – 1 Sep 1617 Died)
  • Alfonso Márquez de Prado (9 Jul 1618 – 7 Nov 1621 Died)
  • Iñigo Brizuela Artiaga (6 May 1622 – 1624 Resigned)
  • Melchor Moscoso Sandoval (29 May 1624 – 1626 Resigned)
  • Mendo de Benavides (18 Jul 1633 – 19 Nov 1640 Appointed, Bishop of Cartagena (en España))
  • Pedro Tapia (7 Jan 1641 – 24 Apr 1645 Confirmed, Bishop of Sigüenza)
  • Pedro Neila (Neyla) (12 Jun 1645 – 1647 Died)
  • Francisco Araújo (13 Jan 1648 – 1656 Resigned)
  • Juan del Pozo Horta (28 Aug 1656 – 16 Aug 1660 Died)
  • Francisco de Zárate y Terán (21 Feb 1661 – 28 Jan 1664 Confirmed, Bishop of Cuenca)
  • Diego Escolano y Ledesma (17 Mar 1664 – 27 Feb 1668 Appointed, Archbishop of Granada)
  • Jerónimo Mascareñas (9 Apr 1668 – 26 Oct 1671 Died)
  • Matías de Moratinos y Santos (3 Oct 1672 – Sep 1682 Died)
  • Francisco Antonio Caballero (8 Mar 1683 – 1684 Died)
  • Andrés de Angulo (9 Apr 1685 – 1687 Died)
  • Fernando Guzmán (bishop) (29 Nov 1688 – 15 Aug 1694 Died)
  • Bartolomé de Ocampo y Mata (8 Nov 1694 – 1 Jun 1699 Appointed, Bishop of Plasencia)
  • Baltasar de Mendoza y Sandoval (5 Oct 1699 – 4 Nov 1727 Died)
  • Domingo Valentín Guerra Arteaga y Leiva (8 Mar 1728 – 29 May 1742 Died)
  • Diego García de Medrano (24 Sep 1742 – Mar 1752 Died)
  • Manuel Antonio de Murillo y Argáiz (17 Jul 1752 – 1 Jun 1765 Resigned)
  • Juan José Martínez Escalzo (5 Jun 1765 – 6 Dec 1773 Died)
  • Alonso Marcos de Llanes Argüelles (6 Jun 1774 – 15 Dec 1783 Appointed, Archbishop of Sevilla)
  • Juan Francisco Jiménez del Río (14 Feb 1785 – 18 Dec 1795 Appointed, Archbishop of Valencia)
  • José Antonio Sáenz Santamaría (24 Jul 1797 – 14 Jan 1813 Died)
  • Isidoro Pérez Celis (26 Sep 1814 – 20 Jan 1827 Died)
  • Isidoro Bonifacio López Pulido (21 May 1827 – 3 Dec 1827 Died)
  • Juan Nepomuceno de Lera y Cano (23 Jun 1828 – 23 Jan 1831 Died)
  • Joaquín Briz (24 Feb 1832 – 23 Jan 1837 Died)
  • Francisco de La Puente (3 Jul 1848 – 15 Nov 1854 Died)
  • Rodrigo Moreno Echevarría y Briones (25 Sep 1857 – 21 Dec 1875 Died)
  • Antonio García y Fernández (3 Apr 1876 – 5 Feb 1890 Died)
  • José Proceso Pozuelo y Herrero (26 Jun 1890 – 24 Mar 1898 Appointed, Bishop of Córdoba)
  • José Ramón Quesada y Gascón (24 Mar 1898 – 13 Sep 1900 Died)
  • José Cadena y Eleta (18 Apr 1901 – 14 Nov 1904 Appointed, Bishop of Vitoria)
  • Julián Miranda y Ristuer (14 Nov 1904 – 24 Jun 1913 Died)
  • Remigio Gandásegui y Gorrochátegui (28 May 1914 – 22 Apr 1920 Appointed, Archbishop of Valladolid)
  • Manuel de Castro y Alonso (9 Jul 1920 – 21 May 1928 Appointed, Archbishop of Burgos)
  • Luciano Pérez Platero (5 Feb 1929 – 9 Dec 1944 Appointed, Archbishop of Burgos)
  • Daniel Llorente y Federico (9 Dec 1944 – 11 Dec 1969 Retired)
  • Antonio Palenzuela Velázquez (11 Dec 1969 – 12 May 1995 Retired)
  • Luis Gutiérrez Martín (12 May 1995 – 3 Nov 2007 Retired)
  • Ángel Rubio Castro (3 Nov 2007 – 12 Nov 2014 Retired)
  • César Augusto Franco Martínez (12 Nov 2014 – 3 Dec 2024 Retired)
  • Jesús Vidal Chamorro (3 Dec 2024 – present)

See also

  • Roman Catholicism in Spain

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