The Diocese of Huelva ( la, Dioecesis Onubensis) is located in south-western Spain, and its borders coincide with those of the civil province of Huelva, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. The diocese forms part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Seville, and is thus suffragan to the Archdiocese of Seville.

Territory

The diocese is bounded on the north by the

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, on the east by the Archdiocese of Seville and

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, on the south by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the west by the

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, in the Portuguese Algarve, of which it is separated by the Guadiana river. The surface of the diocese is 10,085 km² and its population is 472,000 in 79 municipalities (2005). The estimated catholic population is 446,000. There are 172 parishes in the diocese. The territory includes four different zones: *The Northern Mountain range, a mountainous land, with an oceanic microclimate that gives rise to an abundant vegetation. *The Andévalo and Minas, a central, barren zone, in which mining operations abound. *The Condado, to the Southeast, with fertile and rich lands, apt for agriculture and wine production. *The Coast, to the southwest, apt for agriculture and fishing. The economy is based on agriculture, fishing and mining. In the Diocese are located several historic places where Christopher Columbus sailed out of on his first voyage in 1492.

Diocesan see

The

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of the diocese, and provincial capital is the city of Huelva (pop 150,000), located next to the estuary that is created by the confluence of the rivers

Tinto Tinto is an isolated hill in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It comprises little more than one top, which stands on the west bank of the River Clyde, some west of Biggar. The peak is also called "Tinto Tap", with the name Tinto possibly de ...

and Odiel, opening itself to the Atlantic near the city.

History

The Diocese was erected 22 October 1953, dismembered from the Archdiocese of Seville. Huelva Cathedral, ''Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Merced'', has been restored several times. The first church, the Church of

Nuestra Señora de la Merced ''Nuestra'' is the debut studio album of the Venezuelan rock band La Vida Bohème, released in August 2010. Recorded and produced by Rudy Pagliuca, it is a free download on the website of the record label All of the Above. The album was nominated ...

was built in 1614 and was destroyed almost completely by an earthquake, in 1755. Restoration of the building was started in 1767, continued in 1775 and finished in 1877. The church was selected as the cathedral of the new Diocese, in 1954. In 1970 the Cathedral was declared a Historic and Artistic Monument.

Bishops of Huelva

* Pedro Cantero Cuadrado † (23 October 1953 Appointed – 20 May 1964 Appointed,

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of Zaragoza) *

José María García Lahiguera José María García Lahiguera (9 March 1903 – 14 July 1989) was a Spanish Roman Catholic who served as the Archbishop of Valencia from 1969 until his resignation came into effect in 1978. He established the Oblate Sisters of Christ the Priest ...

† (7 July 1964 Appointed – 1 July 1969 Appointed, Archbishop of Valencia) * Rafael González Moralejo † (28 November 1969 Appointed – 27 October 1993 Retired) * Ignacio Noguer Carmona † (27 October 1993 Succeeded – 17 July 2006 Retired) * José Vilaplana Blasco (17 July 2006 Appointed (transferred from

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) – 15 June 2020 Retired) * Santiago Gómez Sierra (15 June 2020 Appointed – Present)

References

External links