The Diocese of Huesca (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, ''Oscensis'') is a

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

ecclesiastical territory or

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

located in north-eastern

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Huesca Huesca (; ) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon between 1096 and 1118. It is also the capital of the Spanish Huesca (province), ...

, part of the

autonomous community The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...

Aragón Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to south): Huesca, Zaragoza, a ...

. The Diocese of Huesca is a

suffragan diocese A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandr ...

in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

of the

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...

Archdiocese of Zaragoza. The diocese encompasses parts of the province of Huesca in north-eastern Spain, seven parishes in the Broto valley and three within the territorial limits of the Archdiocese of Saragossa, one parish being situated in the city of

Saragossa Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

itself. The Diocese of Huesca was created in or before the 6th century; after the

Moorish The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...

conquest of 713 its bishops moved to Aragon (the itinerant "Bishops of Aragon"). The episcopal seat was established in

Jaca Jaca (; in Aragonese language, Aragonese: ''Chaca'' or ''Xaca'') is a city of northeastern Spain in the province of Huesca (province), Huesca, located near the Pyrenees and the border with France. Jaca is an ancient fort on the Aragón (river), ...

during 1063-1096, then finally moved back to Huesca after king Pedro I of

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...

took the city from the

Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...

in November 1096.

History

Early history (c. 500 – 713)

The date of origin of the diocese cannot be definitely ascertained; the earliest evidence of its existence is the signature of Gabinius, Bishop of Huesca, to the decrees of the

Third Council of Toledo The Third Council of Toledo (589) marks the entry of Visigothic Spain into the Catholic Church, and is known for codifying the filioque clause into Western Christianity."Filioque." Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford dictionary of the Christian churc ...

, held in 589.

Isidore of Seville Isidore of Seville (; 4 April 636) was a Spania, Hispano-Roman scholar, theologian and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seville, archbishop of Seville. He is widely regarded, in the words of the 19th-century historian Charles Forbes René de Montal ...

, writing in the 7th century, mentions the presence of Elpidius, Bishop of Huesca, at an earlier council, but this is not considered authoritative. The year of the diocese being erected is given as 533. A synod held in the diocese in 598 ordered annual diocesan conferences and enacted various disciplinary measures.

Itinerant bishops of Aragon (713–1063)

The

invasion of 710 rapidly worked toward

; when the city was taken in 713 the bishop fled, and the diocese was directed from

by itinerant

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

s, sometimes called bishops of

, sometimes bishops of Huesca or Jaca, who lived either at

or in the neighbouring monasteries of San Juan de la Peña, San Pedro de Siresa, and San Adrián de Sasabe. Among the bishops of Aragon were: * . c. 920 : Iñigo * . c. 922 : Ferriolus * 933–947 : Fortuño * 971–978 : Aureolus * . c. 981 : Atón * 1011–1036 : Mancius * 1036–1057 : García * 1058–1075 :

Sancho The name Sancho () is an Iberian name of Basque origin (Santxo, Santzo, Santso, Antzo, Sans). Sancho stems from the Latin name Sanctius. Feminine forms of the name are Sancha, Sancia, and Sanchia (), and the common patronymic is Sánchez and ...

* 1076–1086 : García Ramírez * 1087–1097 : Peter

Jaca as seat of the bishops of Huesca (1063–1096)

A council held at Jaca in 1063 determined anew the boundaries of the Diocese of Huesca, which thereafter included the present dioceses of Huesca,

, and

Barbastro Barbastro (Latin: ''Barbastrum'' or ''Civitas Barbastrensis'', Aragonese: ''Balbastro'') is a city in the Somontano county, province of Huesca, Spain. The city (also known originally as Barbastra or Bergiduna) is at the junction of the rivers C ...

, as well as a part of the Diocese of Lérida. Jaca was then made the permanent seat of the

. At the same time Sancho II was appointed Bishop of Huesca, and hastened to request the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

Alexander II to confirm the decisions of the council. In the same year of 1063, however, King Sancho Ramirez of Aragon (1063-1094) had won back from the Moors the city of

, and had granted it to the Bishop of Roda. García Ramírez, the new Bishop of Huesca (1076–1086) and the king's brother, regarded this as an infringement of the rights of jurisdiction granted the Bishop of Jaca by the council of Jaca. He therefore renewed his petition to the new pope ( Gregory VII) to have the decisions of the council confirmed, which request the pope granted . As, however, Bishop Raimundo of Roda also obtained the confirmation of all his privileges from Gregory, a violent dispute arose between the Bishops of Huesca and Roda as to jurisdiction over the churches of Barbastro, Bielsa, Gistao, and Alquezar, which in 1080 was decided by the king in favour of the Bishop of Roda.

Bishops' seat returns to Huesca (1096–present)

In November 1096, King Pedro I of

took back

from the

and restored the original see. Pope

Urban II Pope Urban II (; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening the Council of Clermon ...

decreed (May 11, 1098) that, instead of Jaca, Huesca should again be the seat of the bishop, as it had been until the year 713 . But Jaca itself had a separate existence under a vicar-general, independent of the Bishop of Huesca. It also retained its own cathedral chapter, which originally followed the Rule of St. Augustine, but in 1270 both this chapter and that of Huesca were secularized. The history of the Diocese of Huesca is from this time on closely associated with that of the present Diocese of Barbastro. The episcopal city of Huesca was long a centre for education and art. Ancient Osca was the seat of the famous school of

Sertorius Quintus Sertorius ( – 73 or 72 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who led a large-scale rebellion against the Roman Senate on the Iberian Peninsula. Defying the regime of Sulla, Sertorius became the independent ruler of Hispania for m ...

. After the failure of his plans at

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...

, king Pedro IV of

in 1354 established a university at Huesca, which was maintained by a tax laid on the city's food, and which pursued a steady if not a brilliant existence until it was eclipsed by the great college at

. In 1571, the Diocese of Barbastro was erected out of part of Huesca. From 1848 to 1851 the See of Huesca was vacant. The Concordat of 1851 formally annexed Barbastro once more to Huesca, but preserving its name and administration, being administered by a vicar Apostolic.

Population figures for the Diocese

In 1910 the Diocese of Huesca comprised 181 parishes and 15 subsidiary parishes, with 240 priests and 50 churches and chapels. It had a Catholic population of 87,659. In 1950 there were 110,000 Catholics in the diocese. There were 196 parishes in the diocese. By 1980 there were 76,500 Catholics in the diocese, and it had 197 parishes. The year 1990 saw 82,500 Catholics and 210 parishes in the diocese. By 2004 there were 78,000 Catholics and 200 parishes.

Bishops of Huesca

* c. 522–546 : Elpidius * c. 546–556 : Pompeianus * 557–576 : Vincent * 576–600 : Gabinius * --------------- : Ordulfus - (Mentioned between 633 and 638) * --------------- : Eusebius - (Mentioned in 653) * --------------- : Gadisclo - (Mentioned in 683) * --------------- : Audebertus - (Mentioned in 693) 713–1096 : ''

under

rule.'' * --------------- : Nitidius - (Late 8th century) * --------------- : Frontinianus - (Early 9th century) ''Among the bishops of Aragon were:'' * . c. 920 : Iñigo * . c. 922 : Ferriolus * 933–947 : Fortuño * 971–978 : Aureolus * . c. 981 : Atón * 1011–1036 : Mancius * 1036–1057 : García * 1058–1075 : Sancho * 1076–1086 : García Ramírez * 1087–1097 : Peter 1096 : ''Huesca conquered by king Peter I of

.'' # 1097–1099 : Pedro # 1099–1130 : Esteban # 1130–1134 : Arnaldo Dodón # 1134–1160 : Dodón # --------- 1162 : Martín # 1166–1185 : Esteban de San Martín # 1187–1201 : Ricardo # 1201–1236 : García de Gúdal # 1238–1252 :

Vidal de Canellas Vidal (, , , ) is a Catalan, Aragonese, and possibly also Romansh surname, which also appears in French, Italian, Portuguese and English, and as a given name. Vidal may refer to: Surname * Aleix Vidal (born 1989), Spanish footballer *Ale ...

# 1253–1269 : Domingo de Solá # 1269–1273 : García Pérez de Zuazo # 1273–1290 : Jaime Sarroca # 1290–1300 : Ademar # 1300–1313 : Martín López de Azlor # 1313–1324 : Martín Oscabio # 1324–1328 : Gastón de Moncada # 1328–1336 : Pedro de Urrea # 1337–1345 : Bernardo Oliver # 1345–1348 : Gonzalo Zapata # 1348–1357 : Pedro Glascario # 1357–1361 : Guillermo de Torrellás # 1362–1364 : Bernardo Folcaut # 1364–1368 :

Jimeno Sánchez de Ribabellosa Jimeno (also Gimeno, Ximeno, Chemene, Exemeno) is a given name derived from ''Ximen'',OMAECHEVARRIA, Ignacio, "Nombres propios y apellidos en el País Vasco y sus contornos". ''Homenaje a D. Julio de Urquijo'', volume II, pages 153-175. a variant of ...

# 1369–1372 : Juan Martínez # 1372–1383 : Fernando Pérez Muñoz # 1383–1384 : Berenguer de Anglesola # 1384–1393 : Francisco Riquer y Bastero # 1393–1403 : Juan de Baufés # 1403–1410 : Juan de Tauste # 1410–1415 : Domingo Ram y Lanaja #* 1415–1421 : ''See vacant'' # 1421–1443 : Hugo de Urríes # 1443–1457 : Guillermo de Siscar # 1458–1465 : Guillermo Pons de Fenollet # 1470–1484 : Antonio de Espés # 1484–1526 : Juan de Aragón y de Navarra # --------- 1527 : Alonso de So de Castro y de Pinós # 1528–1529 : Diego de Cabrera # 1530–1532 :

Lorenzo Campeggio Lorenzo Campeggio (7 November 1474 – 19 July 1539) was an Italians, Italian cardinal and politician. He was the last cardinal protector of England. Life Campeggio was born in Milan to a noble family, the eldest of five sons. Campeggio initi ...

# 1532–1534 : Jerónimo Doria # 1534–1544 : Martín de Gurrea # 1545–1572 : Pedro Agustín # 1572–1574 : Diego de Arnedo # 1577–1584 : Pedro del Frago # 1584–1593 : Martín de Cleriguech # 1594–1607 : Diego de Monreal # 1608–1615 :

Berenguer de Bardaxí Berengar is a masculine name derived from Germanic roots meaning "bear" and "spear". The name appears frequently among certain noble families during the Middle Ages, especially the Unruochings and those related. Bérenger is the French form, while ...

# 1616–1628 : Juan Moriz de Salazar # 1628–1641 : Francisco Navarro de Eugui # 1641–1654 : Esteban de Esmir # 1644–1670 : Fernando de Sada Azcona # 1671–1674 : Bartolomé de Fontcalda # 1677–1685 : Ramón de Azlor y Berbegal # 1686–1707 : Pedro de Gregorio Antillón # 1708–1714 : Francisco Garcés de Marcilla # 1714–1734 : Pedro Gregorio de Padilla # 1735–1736 : Lucas de Cuartas y Oviedo # 1738–1742 : Plácido Bailés Padilla # 1743–1775 : Antonio Sánchez Sardinero # 1776–1789 : Pascual López Estaún # 1790–1792 :

Cayetano de la Peña Granada Cayetano is a Spanish and sometimes Sephardic Jewish name related to the Italian name Gaetano (English: ''Cajetan''), both from Latin ''Caietanus'', meaning "from Gaeta". It is a common given name in Spain, Mexico, Argentina and the Philippines. As ...

# 1793–1797 : Juan Armada Araujo # 1797–1809 :

Joaquín Sánchez de Cutanda Joaquín or Joaquin is a male given name, the Spanish language, Spanish version of Joachim (given name), Joachim. Given name * Joaquín (footballer, born 1956) (Joaquín Alonso González), Spanish football midfielder * Joaquín (footballer, bor ...

# 1815–1832 : Eduardo Sáenz de la Guardia # 1833–1845 :

Lorenzo Ramón Lahoz Lorenzo may refer to: People * Lorenzo (name) Places Peru * San Lorenzo Island (Peru), sometimes referred to as the island of Lorenzo United States * Lorenzo, Illinois * Lorenzo, Texas * San Lorenzo, California, formerly Lorenzo * Lorenzo State ...

#* 1848–1851 : ''See vacant'' # 1851–1861 : Pedro José de Zarandia # 1861–1870 : Basilio Gil Bueno # 1875–1886 : Honorio María de Onaindía # 1888–1895 : Vicente Alda Sancho # 1895–1918 : Mariano Supervía Lostalé, (or Mariano Supervía y Lostalé) # 1918–1922 : Zacarías Martínez Núñez # 1922–1934 : Mateo Colom Canals # 1935–1973 : Lino Rodrigo Ruesca #* 1965–1969 : Jaime Flores Martín - (Apostolic Administrator) #* -------- 1969 :

Damián Iguacén Borau Damián Iguacén Borau (12 February 1916 – 24 November 2020) was a Spanish bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. Life Iguacén Borau was born in Fuencalderas, Spain and ordained a priest on 7 June 1941. He was consecrated bishop of the Barba ...

- (Apostolic Administrator) #* 1969–1977 : Javier Osés Flamarique - (Apostolic Administrator) # 1977–2001 : Javier Osés Flamarique #* 2001–2003 : Juan José Omella Omella - (Apostolic Administrator) # 2003–2009 : Jesús Sanz Montes

References

Sources

* IBERCRONOX
Obispado de Huesca (Osca)
an

geocities.com. Accessed 5 March 2024. *
Official Diocese of Huesca website
{{authority control

Huesca Culture of Aragon