Jerónimo de Loayza y González, O.P. (1498 – October 25, 1575), was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

Dominican

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...

and missionary, who was selected as the first

Archbishop of Lima The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lima () is part of the Catholic Church in Peru which enjoys full communion with the Holy See. The Archdiocese was founded as the ''Diocese of Lima'' on 14 May 1541. The diocese was raised to the level of a metr ...

. ''(in Latin)'' He established the first hospital, initiated construction of the early cathedrals, and also established schools to educate the sons of both the Spanish rulers and Inca elite families. He supported the founding of the

University of San Marcos The National University of San Marcos (, UNMSM) is a public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. In the Americas, it is the first officially established ( privilege by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor) and the oldest continu ...

in Lima.

Life

Loayza was born in Trujillo in the

Province of Cáceres The province of Cáceres (; ; ; ) is a province of western Spain, and makes up the northern half of the autonomous community of Extremadura. Its capital is the city of Cáceres. Other cities in the province include Plasencia, Coria, Navalm ...

. He entered the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

as a teenager, and after his

religious profession In the Catholic Church, a religious profession is the solemn admission of men or women into consecrated life by means of the pronouncement of religious vows, typically the evangelical counsels. Usage The 1983 Code of Canon Law defines the ter ...

, pursued his studies at

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

and at the Monastery of San Pablo in

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cord ...

. His superiors sent Loayza to the missions of

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

in 1529, where he worked in Cartagena serving both the Spanish colonists and the native Americans of the city. In recognition of the reputation he had gained in this, he was appointed the first

Bishop of Cartagena The Diocese of Cartagena () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the city of Cartagena in the ecclesiastical province of Granada in Spain.Emperor Charles V Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) fr ...

, which was approved by

Pope Paul III Pope Paul III (; ; born Alessandro Farnese; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era follo ...

. He returned to Spain where he was consecrated for this office on 29 June 29, 1538 by

Luis Cabeza de Vaca Luis Cabeza de Vaca ( November 22, 1550) served as Bishop of Palencia, (1537–1550), Bishop of Salamanca (1530–1537), and Bishop of Islas Canarias (1523–1530). ''(in Latin)''Bishop of Salamanca The Diocese of Salamanca () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church located in the city of Salamanca in the ecclesiastical province of Valladolid in Spain."Archdiocese of Lima"
''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with Rome. The website, not officially sanctioned by the Church, is run as a private pro ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016"Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lima"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016 At that time, the only resident bishop in South America was the

Bishop of Cuzco The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cusco () is a Latin Metropolitan archdiocese with see in the city and old Inca imperial capital of Cusco, in Peru.

in Peru, based in the former capital of the

Inca Empire The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

. With the growing influence under the Spanish Empire of the city of Las Reyes, as the city was then called,

established a new

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 ...

with its seat there on May 13, 1541. Loayza was appointed the first Bishop of Lima, with the diocese soon being raised to the status of an

archdiocese In 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 provinces were administratively associated ...

on 12 February 12, 1546. As the head of an

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 ...

, Loayza was vigorous in his efforts at establishing the mission of the Catholic Church in the New World, continuing to show the spirit of concern for the welfare of the indigenous population he had demonstrated in Cartagena. In line with this, he requested that the pope issue a decree recognizing the humanity of the native peoples of the Americas and clarifying their proper treatment by the Spanish Empire. He also established the Hospital de Santa Ana de los Naturales, predecessor of the current Hospital Nacional Arzobispo Loayza. The bishop established his residence at the hospital in order to supervise the treatment of its patients, and instructed the staff to provide the patients being discharged with food and money so that they could return securely to their home towns. In 1551, Loayza held the first Provincial Council of bishops of the region. In that same year he had construction begun of the

Cathedral of Lima The Basilica Cathedral of Lima, commonly known as the Metropolitan Cathedral of Lima, and formerly the Iglesia Metropolitana de los Reyes, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Lima, Peru. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Lima. Its construction b ...

. Another Council was held in 1567 which issued significant documents, not just in Church matters, but analyzing the unjust treatment of the native population. To further education, Loayza founded schools at which the sons of the colonial elite studied together the sons of the native chiefs. He further supported the establishment of the

, the oldest university in the Americas, by members of his Order, under the leadership of Fray Thomas de San Martin, O.P. Loayza was, notably, the

consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches ...

Domingo de Santo Tomás Fray Domingo de Santo Tomás, O.P. (1499 – December 1570) was a Spanish Dominican missionary, bishop, and grammarian in the Viceroyalty of Peru. He compiled the first Quechua language grammar and dictionary, both published in 1560. His ...

, Bishop of La Plata o Charcas;

Antonio Avendaño y Paz Antonio Avendaño y Paz, Order of Friars Minor, O.F.M. or Bishop Antonio de San Miguel Avendaño y Paz (1520 – 7 November 1590) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Quito (1588–1590) and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Concepci� ...

, Bishop of Concepción; Martín de Calatayud,

Bishop of Santa Marta The Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Marta () is a diocese located in the city of Santa Marta in the ecclesiastical province of Barranquilla in Colombia. History * January 10, 1534: Established as Diocese of Santa Marta from the Diocese of San ...

; and

Juan Solano Juan Solano, O.P. (c. 1505 – 1580), was a Spanish Dominican missionary and the second Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Cuzco, Peru (1544–1562). ''(in Latin)'' Biography Solano was born in about 1504 in Archidona, a town in the Province o ...

, the second

Bishop of Cuzco The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cusco () is a Latin Metropolitan archdiocese with see in the city and old Inca imperial capital of Cusco, in Peru.

. Loayza died on 25 October 1575. His remains were initially buried, as per his wishes, on the grounds of the hospital he had founded and loved. In the 18th century, however, they were exhumed and entombed in the crypt of the Cathedral Basilica of Lima.

References

External links and additional sources

* (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) {{DEFAULTSORT:Loayza Gonzalez, Jeronimo De 1498 births 1575 deaths People from Tierra de Trujillo Spanish Dominicans Dominican missionaries Roman Catholic bishops of Cartagena in Colombia Dominican bishops 16th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Peru Roman Catholic archbishops of Lima National University of San Marcos Spanish Roman Catholic bishops in South America 16th-century Roman Catholic bishops in New Granada Roman Catholic bishops of Lima