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 Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ol ...
and missionary, who was selected as the first
Archbishop 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 ...
. ''(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 ( es, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, link=no, UNMSM) is a public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. It is considered the most important, recognized and representative educ ...
Province of Cáceres
The province of Cáceres ( ; es, provincia de 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 Pla ...
. He entered the
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 Cal ...
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 te ...
, 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 province o ...
New Spain
New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...
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 on December 5, 1537 by
Emperor Charles V
Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) ...
, which was approved by
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 ...
. 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 (died 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 Roman Catholic Diocese of Salamanca ( la, Dioecesis Salmantina) is a diocese 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 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 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 in Peru, based in the former capital of the
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...
. With the growing influence under the Spanish Empire of the city of Las Reyes, as the city was then called,
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 ...
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, pro ...
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 associate ...
on 12 February 12, 1546.
As the head of an
ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...
, 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 Metropolitan Cathedral of Lima and Primate of Peru, otherwise Lima Metropolitan Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in the Plaza Mayor of downtown Lima, Peru. This third and current Cathedral of Lima was built betwee ...
. 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
University of San Marcos
The National University of San Marcos ( es, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, link=no, UNMSM) is a public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. It is considered the most important, recognized and representative educ ...
, 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 Churche ...
of
Domingo de Santo Tomás
Fray Domingo de Santo Tomás, O.P. (1499 – 28 February 1570) was a Spanish Dominican missionary, bishop, and grammarian in the Viceroyalty of Peru. He compiled the first Quechua language grammar, published in 1560, and that same year pub ...
Juan Solano
Juan Solano, Dominican Order, O.P. (c. 1505 – 1580), was a Spanish people, Spanish Dominican Order, Dominican missionary and the second bishop (Catholic Church), Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cuzco, Diocese of Cuzco, Peru ...
, the second Bishop of Cuzco.
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.