La Imperial or Ciudad Imperial was a city founded by

Pedro de Valdivia Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva (; April 17, 1497 – December 25, 1553) was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. After serving with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1534, wh ...

on 16 April 1552 and named in honor of the Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

, then (also) king of Spain. It was abandoned on 5 April 1600 and destroyed as a result of the Mapuche Uprising of 1598 during the

War of Arauco The Arauco War was a long-running conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people, mostly fought in the Araucanía. The conflict began at first as a reaction to the Spanish conquerors attempting to establish cities and force Mapuche ...

. The ruins ('old city') were called Antigua Imperial. A city was refounded there in 1882 under the name Carahue.

Ecclesiastical history

* Established on 1563.05.22 as Diocese of La Imperial (Spanish) / Civitatis Imperialis (Latin, actually corresponding to 'Ciudad Imperial') on territory split off (with border at the river Maule) from the only two year older Diocese of Santiago de Chile (now Metropolitan, in the Chilean national capital) as Suffragan of the (

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

vian)

Archdiocese of Lima The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lima ( la, Archidioecesis Limana) is part of the Roman 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 r ...

* Suppressed in 1603, as the city was destroyed in 1600, its territory being reassigned to establish (at present

Penco Penco ( Mapudungun: See (''Pen''), Water (''Ko'')), is a Chilean city and commune in Concepción Province, Bío Bío Region on the Bay of Concepción. Founded as the city of Concepción del Nuevo Extremo ('beginning of the new extreme') on Febr ...

) the then

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Concepción The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Concepción ( la, Sanctissimae Conceptionis) is an archdiocese located in the city of Concepción, Chile, Concepción in Chile.

(now Metropolitan). ;''Suffragan bishops of La Imperial'' * Antonio de San Miguel Avendaño y Paz,

Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...

(O.F.M.) (1563.03.22 – 1588.03.09), next Bishop of Quito (

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

) (1588.03.09 – death 1590.11.07) * Agustín de Cisneros Montesa (1589.03.09 – death 1596) * Reginaldo de Lizárraga,

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of ...

(O.P.) (Spaniard) (1598.08.31 – 1603), next first Bishop of successor see Concepción (Chile) (1603 – 1609.07.20), Bishop of

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

(Paraguay) (1609.07.20 – 1609.11.10).

Titular see

The diocese was nominally restored in 2000 as Latin

Titular bishopric A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...

of La Imperial (Spanish) / Civitatis Imperialis (Latin)''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), p. 912 It has had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank : *

Ricardo Ezzati Andrello Ricardo Ezzati Andrello (, ; born 7 January 1942) is an Italian-Chilean prelate of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Santiago de Chile from December 2010 to March 2019 and has been a cardinal since February 2014. He previously served ...

Salesians , image = File:Stemma big.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , abbreviation = SDB , formation = , founder = John Bosco , founding_location = Valdocco, Turi ...

(S.D.B.) (Italian) (10 July 2001 - 27 Dec 2006) as Auxiliary Bishop of

Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile ( la, Archidioecesis Sancti Iacobi in Chile) is one of the five Latin Metropolitan sees of the Roman Catholic Church in Chile. Ecclesiastical province Its Suffragan sees are: * Roman Catholic D ...

(Chile) (2001.07.10 – 2006.12.27); previously Bishop of

Roman Catholic Diocese of Valdivia The Roman Catholic Diocese of Valdivia ( la, Valdivien(sis)) is a Latin rite suffragan diocese in the Ecclesiastical province of Concepción in Chile. Its cathedral episcopal see is Catedral Nuestra Señora del Rosario, dedicated to Our Lady of ...

(Chile) (1996.06.28 – 2001.07.10); later Metropolitan Archbishop of Concepción (Chile) (2006.12.27 – 2010.12.15), President of Episcopal Conference of Chile (2010.11 – 2016.11.11), Metropolitan Archbishop of above Santiago (de Chile) (2010.12.15 – ...), created

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

of SS. Redentore a Valmelaina (2014.02.22 014.10.11– ...) * Pedro Ossandón Buljevic (4 Nov 2008 - ...) first as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Concepción (Chile) (2008.11.04 – 2012.07.10), then as Auxiliary Bishop of

(Chile) (2012.07.10 – ...).

References

Sources and external links

GCatholic

Francisco Solano Asta-Buruaga y Cienfuegos, Diccionario geográfico de la República de Chile, D. Appleton y Compania, Nueva York, 1899

Imperial (Ciudad), pg. 329-330
*

Crescente Errázuriz 300px, Monsignor Crescente Errázuriz Valdivieso. Monsignor Crescente Errázuriz Valdivieso (November 18, 1839 – July 5, 1931) was a Chilean Dominican friar, Roman Catholic archbishop of Santiago, professor, writer and historian. Crescente Errá ...

Seis años de la historia de Chile: 23 de diciembre de 1598- 9 de abril de 1605: memoria histórica, Impr. Nacional, Sanitiago de Chile, 1881.
Destroyed cities Former Roman Catholic dioceses in America Suppressed Roman Catholic dioceses 1600 disestablishments Geography of Araucanía Region Populated places in Cautín Province Populated places established in 1552 1552 establishments in the Spanish Empire {{Chile-hist-stub pt:La Imperial