Tomás Gargallo (1536 – 10 June 1614) was a Spanish Roman Catholic prelate who became the

Bishop of Malta The Archdiocese of Malta (Malti: ''Arċidjoċesi ta' Malta'') is a metropolitan archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Malta. History Tradition claims that St. Paul the Apostle established the diocese of Malta in the year 60 A ...

in 1578.

Biography

Gargallo was born in Catalonia, Spain, in 1536. Gargallo was appointed as Bishop of Malta by Pope Gregory XIII on 11 August 1578. He was consecrated bishop in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

. Whilst in Malta, Gargallo ruled with fear, to the point where no one dared to stand up to him. Consequently, there were clashes with the Inquisition in Malta and he was suspended by Inquisitor Cefalotto in 1582, as a result of his harsh rule. Gargallo also experienced financial difficulties whilst Bishop of Malta. Gargallo welcomed the newly formed order of the Jesuits to Malta. He also established a number of parishes, notably, St Paul's parish, St Dominic's parish and Our Lady of Damascus Greek Catholic parish, all in Valletta. He also established the parishes of Senglea, Cospicua,

Kirkop Kirkop ( mt, Ħal Kirkop) is a village in the Southern Region of Malta. It is found near the Malta International Airport, and has been inhabited since pre-history. The parish church is dedicated to Saint Leonard. The football team of the villag ...

, Safi, Mqabba, Lija, Mosta, Gharghur, and

Tarxien Tarxien ( mt, Ħal Tarxien) is a town in the South Eastern Region of Malta. Its population stood at 8583 in March 2014. The town is most notable for the Tarxien Temples, a megalithic temple complex which is among the oldest freestanding structur ...

. Gargallo died on 10 June 1614 after an episcopate of 36 years.

References

Gargallo 1536 births 1614 deaths Spanish Roman Catholic bishops Gargallo 17th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Malta Bishops of Malta {{Spain-RC-bishop-stub