The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santo Domingo ( la, Archidioecesis Metropolitae Sancti Dominici; es, Arquidiócesis Metropolitana de Santo Domingo) is a Latin

Metropolitan Archdiocese A metropolis religious jurisdiction, or a metropolitan archdiocese, is an episcopal see whose bishop is the metropolitan bishop or archbishop of an ecclesiastical province. Metropolises, historically, have been important cities in their provinces. ...

in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

. The see was erected 8 August 1511 as the Diocese of Santo Domingo and elevated to archdiocese on 12 February 1546."Archdiocese of Santo Domingo"
''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved January 4, 2017"Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santo Domingo"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016 In recognition of the fact that the see was the first established in the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

, the Archbishop of Santo Domingo can use the title of

Primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...

of the Indies, according to the bull of

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

''Divinis praeceptis'' issued on 28 November 1816 and ratified by the

Concordat A concordat is a convention between the Holy See and a sovereign state that defines the relationship between the Catholic Church and the state in matters that concern both,René Metz, ''What is Canon Law?'' (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1960 st Ed ...

between the Holy See and the Dominican Republic signed on 16 June 1954. The archiepiscopal see is the Santa María la Menor cathedral, a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

, dedicated to St. Mary of the Incarnation, which was designated a

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

by Pope

Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

in his apostolic letter ''Inter Americae'' on 14 June 1920.

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 3,457,347 Catholics (95.0% of 3,639,313 total) on 4,032 km² in 214 parishes with 478 priests (190 diocesan, 288 religious), 159 deacons, 2,845 lay religious (610 brothers, 2,235 sisters) and 284 seminarians.

Ecclesiastical province

The Metropolitan's

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

sees are : *

Roman Catholic Diocese of Baní Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Roman Catholic Diocese of Barahona The Roman Catholic Diocese of Barahona ( la, Dioecesis Barahonensis) (erected 24 April 1976) is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo. Ordinaries *Fabio Mamerto Rivas Santos, S.D.B. (1976 - 1999) - Bishop Emeritus *Rafael Leóni ...

* Roman Catholic Diocese of Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia en Higüey *

Roman Catholic Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana ( la, Dioecesis Sancti Ioannis Maguanensis) (erected 25 September 1953 as the Territorial Prelature of San Juan de la Maguana, elevated 19 November 1969) is a suffragan diocese of the Archdioces ...

Roman Catholic Diocese of San Pedro de Macorís The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Pedro de Macorís ( la, Dioecesis Sancti Petri de Macoris) (erected 1 February 1997) is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo. Ordinaries * Francisco Ozoria Acosta (1 February 1997 – 2016), ...

History

* The Bull of

Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...

, dated 24 June 1493, designated the Franciscan

Bernardo Buil Bernat Boïl, OM (also spelled Boil, Boyl or Boyal) was a Catalan monk or friar, known as Fray Buil, who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage across the Atlantic. On January 6, 1494 Buil conducted the first mass held in the New ...

(Boil) to accompany

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

on his second voyage of discovery, with faculties as Apostolic delegate or vicar. He did not make the journey, and his

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

near-namesake did. On 30 August 1495, a band of Franciscans and other missioners did arrive in

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...

. * The see was erected on 8 August 1511 by

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...

by the Bull ''Pontifex Romanus'', which also established the bishoprics of

Concepción de la Vega La Vega, is the fourth largest city and Municipalities of the Dominican Republic, municipality of the Dominican Republic. It is in La Vega Province. The city is known as the Carnaval epicenter of the Dominican Republic for its tradition and cultur ...

and the San Juan of Porto Rico, on Antillian Spanish-colonial territory split off from the

Archdiocese of Seville The Archdiocese of Seville is part of the Catholic Church in Seville, Spain. The Diocese of Seville was founded in the 3rd century. It was raised to the level of an archdiocese in the 4th century. The current archbishop is José Ángel Saiz Mene ...

. Three prelates, who had been appointed to the sees comprising the ecclesiastical province created in 1504 by the same pope, united their petition to that of the Crown in requesting the Holy See to suppress them and to establish the three new dioceses as suffragans to the See of Seville. This alteration was effected before any of the prelates in question had taken possession of his diocese or been consecrated a bishop. - Father Francisco Garcia de Padilla, a Franciscan, who in 1504 had been designed to occupy the See of

Diocese of Bayuna The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bayuna was a short-lived (1504–1511) Antillian Catholic bishopric with see at Lares de Guahaba. History It was established on 1504.11.15 as Diocese of Bayuna, one of the first bishoprics in the New World, on Spani ...

(Baynoa, Baiunensis), was chosen the first bishop of

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional) , websi ...

. He died before his consecration, after having named Rev. Carlos de Aragón his

vicar-general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

and authorized him to take possession of the diocese. The first bishop to occupy the See of Santo Domingo was

Alessandro Geraldini Alessandro Geraldini (''also Gerardini or Gueraldini'') (1455 – March 8, 1524) was a Renaissance humanist scholar at the Spanish court of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. He is known for his support of Christopher Columbus. He served as tut ...

, who was appointed in 1516 and died in 1524. He was a native of Italy, and perhaps the only representative of the Americas to attend the

Fifth Lateran Council The Fifth Council of the Lateran, held between 1512 and 1517, was the eighteenth ecumenical council of the Catholic Church and was the last council before the Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent. It was convoked by Pope Julius II to ...

. * Lost territories on 1513.08.28 to establish the Diocese of Santa María la Antigua del Darién and on 1517.02.11 to establish the Diocese of Baracoa * In 1527 it gained territory from the suppressed Diocese of Concepción de la Vega, which was united, after the death of its first bishop, Pedro Suárez de Deza, to the See of Santo Domingo. * Lost territories again : on 1531.06.21 to establish the Diocese of Coro (soon its suffragan), on 1534.01.10 to establish the

Diocese of Santa Marta The Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Marta ( la, Sanctae Marthae) 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 ...

, on 1534.12.18 to establish the

Diocese of Guatemala The Archdiocese of Santiago de Guatemala is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Guatemala.

(soon its suffragan) and in 1539 to establish the Diocese of Honduras *

Pope Paul III Pope Paul III ( la, Paulus III; it, Paolo III; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549), born Alessandro Farnese, 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 ...

on 12 February 1546 elevated Santo Domingo to Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santa Domingo, and the incumbent of the see at the time, Bishop Alonso de Fuenmayor, became its first archbishop. As first the newly Metropolitan see of Santo Domingo had five Caribbean

sees: two Antillian - Diocese of Puerto Rico and Diocese of Santiago (de Cuba) on

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

- and three continental : Diocese of Coro (its daughter) in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

and the

Diocese of Guatemala The Archdiocese of Santiago de Guatemala is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Guatemala.

(its daughter). *The Archbishop of Santo Domingo was awarded the title of

of the Indies by the bull of

''Divinis praeceptis'' issued on 28 November 1816, and such title was later ratified by the

between the Holy See and the Dominican Republic signed on 16 June 1954. This title was given in recognition of the diocese being the first in the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, despite the fact that the Diocese of Gardar has centuries before been established in

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

and since abandoned. * In 1848 it was demoted as non-metropolitan Archdiocese of Santo Domingo / Sancti Dominici (Latin) * Lost (Haitian) territories (French side of

island) on 1861.10.03 to establish Metropolitan Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince,

Diocese of Cap-Haïtien 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 associat ...

, Diocese of Les Cayes, Diocese of Les Gonaives and Diocese of Port-de-Paix * Promoted back on 1953.09.25 as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santo Domingo / Sancti Dominici (Latin), having lost more territories to establish Diocese of Santiago de los Caballeros (now Metropolitan),

Diocese of La Vega The Roman Catholic Diocese of La Vega ( la, Dioecesis Vegensis) (erected 25 September 1953) is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Santiago de los Caballeros. Bishops Ordinaries * Francisco Panal Ramírez, O.F.M. (1956 - 1965) * Juan Anto ...

and Territorial Prelature of San Juan de la Maguana (now Roman Catholic Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana) * Lost territories thrice later : on 1959.04.01 to establish Diocese of Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia en Higüey, on 1986.11.08 to establish Diocese of Baní and on 1997.02.01 to establish Diocese of San Pedro de Macorís. * It enjoyed

Papal visit Papal travel outside Rome has been historically rare, and voluntary travel of the pope was non-existent for the first 500 years. Pope John Paul II (1978–2005) undertook more pastoral trips than all his predecessors combined. Pope Francis (2013� ...

s from

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

(January 1979, October 1984 and October 1992.10).

Bishops

Ordinaries

;''Diocese of Santo Domingo'' ''Erected: August 8, 1511'' *

Francisco Garcia de Padilla Francisco Garcia de Padilla, O.F.M. (Died 1515) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Santo Domingo (1511–1515) and as Bishop-elect of Bayuna (1504–1511), ''(in Latin)'' one of the first three Roman Catholic bishops in the Ne ...

, O.F.M. (1511–1515) Died ''(in Latin)'' * Alejandro Geraldini (1516–1524) Died * Luis de Figueroa,

O.S.H. The Hieronymites, also formally known as the Order of Saint Jerome ( la, Ordo Sancti Hieronymi; abbreviated OSH), is a Catholic enclosed religious orders, cloistered religious order and a common name for several congregations of hermit monks livi ...

(1523–1526), Died, never consecrated *

Sebastián Ramírez de Fuenleal Sebastián Ramírez de Fuenleal (, Villaescusa de Haro, Cuenca, Spain – January 22, 1547, Valladolid, Spain) was bishop of Santo Domingo ''(in Latin)'' and president of the Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo from 1528 to 1531. He was al ...

(1527–1538), Appointed, Bishop of Tui ;''Archdiocese of Santo Domingo'' ''Elevated February 12, 1546''

Coadjutor archbishops

* Elías Rodríguez Ortiz (1857); did not succeed to the see * Adolfo Alejandro Nouel y Bobadilla (1904–1906) * Luis Antonio de Mena y Steinkoft (1922–1932); did not succeed to the see *

Octavio Antonio Beras Rojas Octavio Antonio Beras Rojas (16 November 1906 – 1 December 1990) was a Dominican cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Santo Domingo from 1961 to 1981, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1976. Biography Octav ...

(1945–1961); future Cardinal *

Hugo Eduardo Polanco Brito Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on a ...

(1970–1975); did not succeed to the see; appointed Archbishop (Personal Title) of Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia en Higüey

Auxiliary bishops

* Felipe Antonio Gallego Gorgojo, S.J. (1945–1951) * Príamo Pericles Tejeda Rosario (1975–1986), appointed Bishop of Baní * Juan Félix Pepén y Soliman (1975–1995) *

Ramón Benito de La Rosa y Carpio Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name * Ramon (footballer, born 1998), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (singer), Spanish singer who represented Spain in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest ...

(1988–1995), appointed Bishop of Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia en Higüey * Francisco José Arnáiz Zarandona, S.J. (1988–2002) * Pablo Cedano Cedano (1996–2013) * Amancio Escapa Aparici, O.C.D. (1996–2016) * Pablo Cedano Cedano (1996–2018) * Victor Emilio Masalles Pere (2010–2016), appointed Bishop of Baní * Víctor Emilio Masalles Pere (2010–present) *

Ramón Benito Ángeles Fernández Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name *Ramon (footballer, born 1998), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (singer), Spanish singer who represented Spain in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest ...

(2017–present) * Jesús Castro Marte (2017–2020), appointed Bishop of Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia en Higüey * Faustino Burgos Brisman, C.M. (2017–present) * José Amable Durán Tineo (2020–present)

References

Sources and external links

GCatholic, with Google map - data for all sections
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Santo Domingo, Roman Catholic Archdiocese Roman Catholic dioceses in the Dominican Republic * Roman Catholic ecclesiastical provinces in the Dominican Republic Roman Catholic primates Roman Catholic dioceses established in the 16th century

Religious organizations established in the 1510s Religion is usually defined as a social system, social-cultural system of designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morality, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sacred site, sanctified places, prophecy, prophecie ...

1511 establishments in the Spanish Empire