Josep Caixal i Estradé (1803–1879) was Bishop of Urgell from 1853 until his death in Rome in 1879 and

co-prince of Andorra The co-princes of Andorra are jointly the heads of state ( ca, cap d'estat) of the Principality of Andorra, a landlocked microstate lying in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. Founded in 1278 by means of a treaty between the Bishop of Urg ...

during the New Reform period.«Josep Caixal I Estradé»

Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana The ''Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana'' (in English: the ''Great Catalan Encyclopedia'') is a Catalan-language encyclopedia, started in fascicles, and published in 1968 by . The soul of the work was written by Max Cahner, and the first director was ...

(L'Enciclopèdia.cat.) Barcelona: Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana. etrieved: 7 May 2016 He studied at Tarragona, where he taught the Holy Scriptures, and obtained a canonry (1831). He was professor of philosophy at the

University of Cervera The Royal and Pontifical University of Cervera ( es, Real y Pontificia Universidad de Cervera) was a Spanish university located in Cervera, Province of Lleida, Catalonia. The institution was founded in 1717 by Philip V of Spain, who sought to co ...

. During the First Carlist War, he was exiled to

Montauban-de-Luchon Montauban-de-Luchon (; Gascon: ''Montauban de Luishon'') is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department of southwestern France. Montauban-de-Luchon église.JPG, Montauban-de-Luchon église portail tympan.JPG, A Montauban (Vallée de Luchon) - ...

. On 30 November 1851 he was named as the successor of Simó de Guardiola as bishop of Urgell. In 1853 he became the bishop of Urgell and therefore co-prince of Andorra. In that time he was considered a very conservative catholic. In 1855 he had to defend himself against a charge of conspiracy made by the governor of Catalonia. In 1867 he protested in Madrid against the confiscation of goods of the Church and the abusive use of it by the Spanish government. He attended the

First Vatican Council The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the First Vatican Council or Vatican I was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, after a period of planning and preparation that began on 6 December 1864. This, the twentieth ecu ...

during 1869-1870 (Vaticanum I), where he participated in the drafting of the structure of faith, and in discussions on the

infallibility of the Pope Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Peter, the Pope when he speaks '' ex cathedra'' is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "initially given to the apos ...

, and the composition of the Church, as well as other issues of disciplinary nature. Ideologically a Carlist, driven by a strong and energetic spirit, he clashed seriously with the liberal authorities. During the reign of Amadeo I, he represented the ecclesiastical province of Tarragona (1870-1872) in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and became well known for his defense of Catholic unity in Spain. Once the

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

was proclaimed (1873), he moved to Andorra, and from there to

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

, in order to serve in the field as vicar general to the Carlists who had taken arms. When they later occupied the Seu d'Urgell (1874), the Bishop Caixal returned to the city to join in its defence until his imprisonment in

Alacant Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in the ...

(1875), under the victorious occupiers led by Martínez de Campos. He afterwards travelled to Rome, but thereafter the Spanish government denied him permission to return to Spain. Pope Pius IX gave him the title of honorary Roman, and he became an aide to the Pontifical Throne. He died in Rome and was buried at the Seu d'Urgell.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caixal I Estrade, Josep 1803 births 1879 deaths 19th-century Princes of Andorra 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Spain Bishops of Urgell