The Diocese of Querétaro ( la, Dioecesis Queretarensis) is the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

's diocese of the Mexican state of Querétaro. Erected on January 26, 1863, it covers an area of 15,326 km². (5,919 square miles), and contains a population of 1,730,034 - 95% of which are Catholic. It belongs to the

Province of León León (, , ; ; ) is a province of northwestern Spain in the northern part of the Region of León and in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. About one quarter of its population of 463,746 (2018) lives in the ca ...

. The current

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

is Fidencio López Plaza.

History

Querétaro has been a site for the Catholic Church's activity since 1601, when the

Carmelites , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

established themselves there. Dominicans, Augustinians and other houses soon followed. One of the most notable institutions of Querétaro was the college of Apostolic missionaries, which

Innocent XI Pope Innocent XI ( la, Innocentius XI; it, Innocenzo XI; 16 May 1611 – 12 August 1689), born Benedetto Odescalchi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 21 September 1676 to his death on August 12, 1689. Poli ...

called the greatest influence for the propagation of the faith in the Indies. From here missionaries went forth to evangelize Sonora,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, and

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...

. Adjoining the residence of the bishop in the capital near the church of La Cruz, is the Convent of La Cruz, occupied as headquarters by

Maximilian Maximilian, Maximillian or Maximiliaan (Maximilien in French) is a male given name. The name " Max" is considered a shortening of "Maximilian" as well as of several other names. List of people Monarchs *Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459� ...

during the siege of the city by General Escobedo in May, 1867. The Capuchin Convent was used as a prison for the Emperor Maximilian and his two generals,

Miguel Miramón Miguel Gregorio de la Luz Atenógenes Miramón y Tarelo, known as Miguel Miramón, (29 September 1831 – 19 June 1867) was a Mexican conservative general who became president of Mexico at the age of twenty seven during the Reform War, serving ...

and Tomás Mejía. It was on the hill of Las Campanas on the outskirts of the town that these generals were shot, June 19, 1867. An elaborate mortuary chapel has replaced the former modest monument erected on the site. At Querétaro was ratified in 1848 the treaty by which Mexico ceded to the United States, at the close of the war, the territory covered by Texas,

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, and Upper California.

List of bishops

*Bernardo Gárate y López de Arizmendi (March 19, 1863 - 31 July 1866) *Ramón Camacho y García (June 22, 1868 - July 30, 1884) *Rafael Sabás Camacho y García (March 27, 1885 - May 11, 1908) *Manuel Rivera y Muñoz (May 11, 1908 - May 2, 1914) *Francisco Banegas y Galván (February 28, 1919 - November 14, 1932) *Marciano Tinajero y Estrada (July 2, 1933 - October 27, 1957) *Alfonso Tóriz Cobián (March 20, 1958 - October 25, 1988) *Mario de Gasperín Gasperín (April 4, 1989 - April 20, 2011) * Faustino Armendáriz Jiménez (April 20, 2011 – September 21, 2019), appointed Archbishop of Durango *Fidencio López Plaza (September 12, 2020 – present)

External links

Extensive informationHome page (in Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diocese of Queretaro Querétaro Religious organizations established in 1863 Querétaro, Roman Catholic Diocese of 1863 establishments in Mexico