The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna ( la, Sancti Christophori de Laguna), also called Diocese of Tenerife or Diocese Nivariense, is a

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 ...

located in the city of

San Cristóbal de La Laguna San Cristóbal de La Laguna (commonly known as La Laguna, ) is a city and municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the Canary Islands, Spain. The city is the third-most populous ci ...

in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

in the

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 ...

Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Gua ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The diocese includes the islands of

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

La Palma La Palma (, ), also known as ''La isla bonita'' () and officially San Miguel de La Palma, is the most north-westerly island of the Canary Islands, Spain. La Palma has an area of making it the fifth largest of the eight main Canary Islands. The ...

La Gomera La Gomera () is one of Spain's Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. With an area of , it is the third smallest of the eight main islands of this archipelago. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tene ...

and

El Hierro El Hierro, nicknamed ''Isla del Meridiano'' (the "Meridian Island"), is the second-smallest and farthest-south and -west of the Canary Islands (an autonomous community of Spain), in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, with a populatio ...

, in the

province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, also Province of Santa Cruz ( es, link=no, Provincia de Santa Cruz de Tenerife), is a province of Spain, consisting of the western part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. It consists of about ...

. The

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 ca ...

of this diocese is

Bernardo Álvarez Afonso Bernardo Álvarez Afonso (Breña Alta, island of La Palma, in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, July 29, 1949) is a Spanish Catholic bishop, since September 2005 twelfth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Te ...

History

Evangelizing missions

The arrival of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

to the western islands of the Canaries took place (as in the eastern islands) before the complete conquest of the archipelago and its incorporation into the

Crown of Castile The Crown of Castile was a medieval polity in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and, some decades later, the parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accessi ...

held in 1496 with the conquest of the island of

. Christianization was motivated basically as preparation for the subsequent conquest.El papel de la Iglesia. Gran Biblioteca Virtual de Canarias.
/ref> In this work the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...

missionary friars and then

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

and

Majorcan Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autono ...

(especially

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

and Dominicans) who settled first in the eastern islands where even founded bishoprics and from where they began to evangelize the Westerners occupied. These, (as will happen later in

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

) accompanied the conquistadores in their mission to convert and catechize the aboriginals guanches, which like other ancient peoples had their own religion. Perhaps in this respect, the Christianization undertaken by the friar and missionary Alfonso de Bolaños, dubbed the ''"Apostle of Tenerife"'', stands out among the guanches, about 30 years before the conquest of it. After the conquest these cults or syncretic be eradicated and replaced by the

Catholic religion 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 p ...

. The presence of Christian elements in the western islands of the Canaries in the period before the conquest is a palpable fact, example of this is the presence in two of these islands marianas images that reach great notoriety throughout the entire archipelago: The

Virgin of Candelaria The Virgin of Candelaria or Our Lady of Candle ( es, Virgen de Candelaria or ''Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria''), popularly called ''La Morenita'', celebrates the Virgin Mary on the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands (Spain). The cent ...

in Tenerife (Patron Saint of the Canary Islands) and the Virgen de las Nieves (Patron Saint of La Palma). It is believed that these images have been brought to these islands by missionaries Catalan or Majorcan a century before being revered by Aborigines since. Recently in Tenerife a Christian cross was found engraved in the rock and oriented to the sun, in a Guanche site in the municipality of

Buenavista del Norte Buenavista del Norte is a municipality and town on the north west coast of Tenerife, located on route TF42, about 75 km west of the capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 65 km from Tenerife North Airport and 66 km from Tenerife South Air ...

. This symbol was found in a megalith used for fecundity rituals and as a solar calendar. This finding highlights the supposed knowledge that the aborigines had of Christianity. Complejo Chinguaro 01

After the conquest

The origins of creating a diocese based in Tenerife has its home since shortly after the conquest of the Canaries, it was the same

Alonso Fernández de Lugo Alonso Fernández de Lugo (; died 1525) was a Spanish military man, conquistador, city founder, and administrator. He conquered the islands of La Palma (1492–1493) and Tenerife (1494–1496) for the Castilian Crown; they were the last of the C ...

(conqueror of Tenerife) who in 1513 asked the Court to the island of Tenerife had an

Episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

, calling for it to move the diocesan headquarters Canary Islands of

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife), the most populous city in the auton ...

.Achivos históricos de Canarias. Página 542
/ref> A short time later after the conquest of the Canary Islands, Tenerife quickly became the most populated island of the archipelago and San Cristóbal de La Laguna in the most important town in the Canary Islands. Fernández de Lugo, who had received the title of « Primer Adelantado de las Islas Canarias» by the

Kings of Spain This is a list of Spanish monarchs, that is, rulers of the country of Spain. The forerunners of the monarchs of the Spanish throne were the following: *Kings of the Visigoths * Kings of Asturias * Kings of Navarre *Kings of León *Kings of Gal ...

wished therefore raise the ecclesiastical rank of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, a city he founded and where his residence was located.Achivos históricos de Canarias.
/ref> At that time, was still fresh the transfer of the Episcopal see of the Canary Islands to the city of Las Palmas on the island of

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that co ...

, home initially was in San Marcial del Rubicón in the south of the island of

Lanzarote Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is located approximately off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the i ...

(by being this first conquered the island). However the idea of moving the bishopric to the city of La Laguna was not prospered.La Diócesis de San Cristóbal de La Laguna en los inicios del siglo XIX: el Obispo Folgueras Sión, el Cabildo Catedral y la jurisdicción eclesiástica
/ref> The reasons for the refusal were based primarily on the fact that it had already begun to build and expand the new Cathedral of Santa Ana in Las Palmas, the oligarchy of

wanted to have some stability and independence of the governing authorities of the Canary Islands that were based in the La Laguna. Soon after, he attempted to share the diocesan headquarters between Las Palmas and La Laguna but that idea did not prosper. In 1515 the then only municipality of Tenerife (with Fernández de Lugo in the lead) took the founding act of the Church of Our Lady of Remedies (now

La Laguna Cathedral The Cathedral of San Cristóbal de La Laguna or ( in Spanish) is a Roman Catholic church in Tenerife, Spain. Begun in 1904 and completed in 1915, it is dedicated to the Virgin of Los Remedios (patron of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristób ...

) to convey to the court the need for residence in Tenerife from members of the

Cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...

of Canaries, which had it based in

. On 19 November 1517 the council again sent to the Court a letter in similar terms which were ratified in the earlier decision, which did not reach any positive response. Subsequently, requests for creation of a diocese stated that its jurisdiction should cover the western islands of the Canaries. In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries there will be a boom of contemplative and religious life. At this time born in Tenerife:

Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur (or Betancourt) y Gonzáles ( es, Pedro de San José de Betancur y Gonzáles, March 21, 1626 (Tenerife) – April 25, 1667 (Antigua Guatemala), called Hermano Pedro de San José Betancurt (''Brother Peter of ...

and

José de Anchieta José de Anchieta y Díaz de Clavijo (Joseph of Anchieta) (19 March 1534 – 9 June 1597) was a Spanish Jesuit missionary to the Portuguese colony of Brazil in the second half of the 16th century. A highly influential figure in Brazil's hi ...

, the two native saints of the Canary Islands. Both were two of the greatest missionaries in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

. Another important religious figure born at the time was the

Servant of God "Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in th ...

Mary of Jesus de León y Delgado Mary of Jesus de León y Delgado ( es, Sor María de Jesús), was a Spanish Dominican lay sister, mystic and visionary, known popularly as "La Siervita" (the Little Servant). She lived a life which was austere and simple, and many miracles we ...

, whose body remains uncorrupted. In 1783 he again requested the erection of a diocese in

(so that it encompasses the western islands of the Canary Islands), which was taken with great suspicion by members of the Cathedral Chapter and Bishop, preventing him ecclesiastical institutions based in

Creation of the diocese

In 1818, the clergy and the authorities of Tenerife requested again the creation of the Diocese to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

(this time with the support of King

Ferdinand VII of Spain , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Charles IV of Spain , mother = Maria Luisa of Parma , birth_date = 14 October 1784 , birth_place = El Escorial, Spain , death_date = , death_place = Madrid, Spain , burial_plac ...

) in a document called ''Instruction of the Chamber of Castile'', having a favorable response of

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

. In this role it played an important role the priest

Cristóbal Bencomo y Rodríguez Cristóbal Bencomo y Rodríguez (San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain, 30 August 175815 April 1835, Sevilla, Spain) was a Spanish Catholic priest and confessor of King Ferdinand VII of Spain. Bencomo was the driving force behind the cre ...

, confessor of King Ferdinand VII and

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Heraclea.Obispos canarios. Página web oficial de la Diócesis de Canarias
/ref> On February 1, 1819 a papal bull of

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

approved the division of the bishopric of the Canary Islands in two dioceses. Finally, between February and December 1819 this diocese is created, since previously the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Canarias The Roman Catholic Diocese of Canarias or Diocese Canariense-Rubicense ( la, Canarien(sis)) is a diocese located in the Canary Islands in the Ecclesiastical province of Seville in Spain. The dioceses includes the islands of Gran Canaria, Fuerte ...

was administering the entire archipelago. The Pope Pius VII in establishing the diocese determines that Bula fundamental aspects of the organization of the same; the cathedral headquarters is the Parish of Our Lady of Remedies of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, that the diocese is formed by the four western islands of the Canary Islands (

and

), the official name the diocese is the same as the city where it is based, that the documents concerning the diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna deposited with the secretary of the curia of Las Palmas should be transferred to the new diocese, the diocese and its cathedral are suffragan of the

Archdiocese of Seville The Archdiocese of Seville is part of the Catholic Church in Seville, Spain. The Diocese of Seville was founded in the 3rd century. It was raised to the level of an archdiocese in the 4th century. The current archbishop is José Ángel Saiz Mene ...

, and the patronage of the new diocese is established as follows: The Our Lady of Remedies main patron of the cathedral and the diocese, and St.

Ferdinand III of Castile Ferdinand III ( es, Fernando, link=no; 1199/120130 May 1252), called the Saint (''el Santo''), was King of Castile from 1217 and King of León from 1230 as well as King of Galicia from 1231. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of ...

and St.

Elizabeth of Aragon Elizabeth of Aragon, more commonly known as Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, T.O.S.F. (1271 – 4 July 1336; ''Elisabet'' in Catalan, ''Isabel'' in Aragonese, Portuguese and Spanish), was queen consort of Portugal, a tertiary of the Franciscan Or ...

like the saints small employers the same. As a result of the

Concordat of 1851 The Concordat of 1851 was a concordat A concordat is a convention between the Holy See and a sovereign state that defines the relationship between the Catholic Church and the state in matters that concern both,René Metz, ''What is Canon Law? ...

, the suppression of several Spanish dioceses that had been recently created, including the Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna which should be annexed to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Canarias is established. The Cathedral Chapter of Canaries yet positioned against such a measure defending the independence of the Diocese of Tenerife. Subsequently, the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

requires that one of the diocese condemned to disappear remains. For this reason it establishes the conservation and restoration of the diocese of Tenerife. After several failed attempts to appoint a bishop, Mr. Ildefonso Joaquín Infante y Macías was appointed in 1877.

Nowadays

The current bishop, 12th of the Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna is Monsignor

. The diocese has about 892,000 baptized in 2014. It is also the Canarian diocese has both more priests (255), as permanent deacons (6) and parishes (312).

Chronology

Chronology since the creation of the Diocese until today: * On 1 February 1819: The Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna separates of till then the unique diocese of the archipelago the Diocese of Canarias. * 1875: is tried to join uselessly this diocese with the Diocese Canariense. * 1877: D. Ildefonso Infante y Macías, he is nominated A Bishop of the Diocese Nivariense. * 1959: the Missionary and

Idente Missionaries The Institute ''Id'' of Christ the Redeemer, Idente Missionaries, is a Catholic religious institute of consecrated life founded by Fernando Rielo in 1959 on the island of Tenerife, Spain. The congregation has religious men and women, as well as ma ...

foundation was founded in this diocese, composed of religious men and women, as well as secular missionaries, single or married. * 1964–1965: between October 1964 and January 1965, the Diocese of Tenerife conducted the largest pilgrimage took place in the history of the Canary Islands, the transfer of the image of the

(Saint Patron of Canary Islands) for all municipalities and cities island of

. * Between 1998 and 1999, the diocese held its first diocesan synod (

Diocesan Synod Nivariense Diocesan Synod Nivariense (in Spanish: ''Sínodo Diocesano Nivariense'', in Latin: ''Synodus Dioecesani Nivariensis'') was an important meeting of the clergy and laity of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Canary Islands, S ...

), focused primarily on understanding of

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

, the entry into the third millennium of the birth of

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

with a spiritual renewal of the diocese and give the right answer profound social, political and cultural changes. * 2006: On 23 January, a fire finished with the Palace of the family Salazar of Cold (Counts of Salazar's Valley) that up to the moment was sedate her episcopal. It was a building of the 17th century, though until the end of the 19th century it was not the

's residence. It was rebuilt in 2009. * 2019: On February 1 this year marked the 200th anniversary of the creation of the diocese with religious and cultural events between 2019 and 2020.

Saint patrons

Virgen de los Remedios, Catedral de La Laguna (Tenerife)

The principal patron saint of the diocese is the

Virgin of Los Remedios The Virgin of Los Remedios ( es, La Virgen de los Remedios) or Our Lady of Los Remedios ( pt, Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, es, Nuestra Señora de los Remedios) is a title of the Virgin Mary developed by the Trinitarian Order, founded in the lat ...

.Patrimonio e historia de la antigua Catedral de La Laguna. Ver: página 110.
/ref> Smaller patron saints are St. Ferdinand III of Castile and St. Elizabeth of Portugal. The patron saint of the Canary Islands is the

, whose shrine belongs to this diocese. St. Saint Christopher is the titular saint (non-patron saint) of the Diocese because it bears the name of the city, and therefore includes the name of this saint. The patronage of the islands of this Diocese is as follows: * Patroness of the island of

: Our Lady of Los Remedios. * Patroness of the island of

Our Lady of Guadalupe Our Lady of Guadalupe ( es, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe ( es, Virgen de Guadalupe), is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus associated with a series of five Marian apparitions, which are believed t ...

. * Patroness of the island of

: Our Lady of the Snows. * Patroness of the island of

Our Lady of the Kings Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of " we" * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a government utility regulato ...

. Saint patron saint of the islands: * St. Michael (Patron of the islands of La Palma and Tenerife). *

St. Sebastian Saint Sebastian (in Latin: ''Sebastianus''; Narbonne, Narbo, Gallia Narbonensis, Roman Empire c. AD 255 – Rome, Roman Italy, Italia, Roman Empire c. AD 288) was an early Christianity, Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional beli ...

(Patron of La Gomera). * St. Augustine of Hippo (Patron of El Hierro).

Festivities

The own and official Liturgical Calendar of the diocese, approved by the

Apostolic See An apostolic see is an episcopal see whose foundation is attributed to one or more of the apostles of Jesus or to one of their close associates. In Catholicism the phrase, preceded by the definite article and usually capitalized, refers to the S ...

includes the following festivities:Calendario Litúrgico propio de la Diócesis de San Cristóbal de La Laguna. Aprobación por la Santa Sede
/ref> * February 2: Festivity of Our Lady the

, patron saint of the Canary Islands – Solemnity. * April 24: Festivity of Saint Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur, layperson – Feast. * June 9: Festivity of Saint José de Anchieta, priest – Feast. * July 15: Festivity of the Blessed Martyrs of Tazacorte, martyrs – Obligatory Memorial. * July 27: Festivity of

Saint Christopher Saint Christopher ( el, Ἅγιος Χριστόφορος, ''Ágios Christóphoros'') is veneration, venerated by several Christianity, Christian denominations as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd-century Roman Empire, Roman emperor Deciu ...

, titular saint of the diocese, martyr – Solemnity. * September 6: Festivity of the dedication of the Cathedral of San Cristóbal de La Laguna – Solemnity (in the cathedral), Feast (in the diocese).

Pastoral division

In its internal organization the diocese is divided into 17 ''arciprestazgos'' (deaneries), to the front of which is an

archpriest The ecclesiastical title of archpriest or archpresbyter belongs to certain priests with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches and may be somewhat analogous ...

who is in charge of administering it, attending to the requests of the clergy and watching over the care of the cult. The ''arciprestazgos'' are distributed between the different islands: In

: * Arciprestazgo de Icod * Arciprestazgo de Isora * Arciprestazgo de Güímar * Arciprestazgo de Granadilla * Arciprestazgo de La Cuesta * Arciprestazgo de La Laguna * Arciprestazgo de La Orotava * Arciprestazgo de La Salud * Arciprestazgo de Ofra * Arciprestazgo de Taco * Arciprestazgo de Tacoronte * Arciprestazgo de Tegueste * Arciprestazgo de Santa Cruz de Tenerife In

: * Arciprestazgo de Los Llanos de Aridane * Arciprestazgo de Santa Cruz de La Palma The islands of

and

have one archpriest each for the entire island territory: * Arciprestazgo de La Gomera * Arciprestazgo de El Hierro

''Iglesia Nivariense''

''Iglesia Nivariense'' (Church Nivariense) is a religious magazine published by the Diocese of

. The publication deals with the religious celebrations of the diocese and related religious topics. Also it publishes for other islands that shape the diocese:

and

. In the magazine there do not appear sections of politics, economy or sports. It is published especially to distribute it in the parishes and churches of the Diocese of Tenerife. The slogan of this magazine is a "Publication of the Diocese of Tenerife".

Special churches

Cathedral of La Laguna The Cathedral of San Cristóbal de La Laguna or ( in Spanish) is a Roman Catholic church in Tenerife, Spain. Begun in 1904 and completed in 1915, it is dedicated to the Virgin of Los Remedios (patron of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristób ...

, La Laguna, Tenerife. *

Basilica of Candelaria The Basilica of the Royal Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Candelaria ( es, Basílica y Real Santuario Mariano de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria or simply ''Basílica de la Candelaria'') is a Roman Catholic minor basilica, the first Marian shrine ...

, Candelaria, Tenerife. * Iglesia Matriz de la Concepción,

La Laguna LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

, Tenerife. *

Real Santuario del Santísimo Cristo de La Laguna Real Santuario del Santísimo Cristo de La Laguna (''Royal Sanctuary of the Christ of La Laguna'') is a Roman Catholic church located in the city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife ( Canary Islands, Spain). The sanctuary is famous for housing ...

, La Laguna, Tenerife. * Real Santuario de Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, Santa Cruz de La Palma, La Palma. * Iglesia Matriz de la Concepción,

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife, commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz (), is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and capital of the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz has a population of 206,593 (2013) within its admi ...

, Tenerife. * Iglesia del Salvador,

Santa Cruz de La Palma Santa Cruz de la Palma (Spanish for ''Holy Cross of La Palma'') is a city and a municipality on the east coast of the island of La Palma in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife of the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz de la Palma is the second-largest ...

, La Palma. * Iglesia de la Asunción,

San Sebastián de La Gomera San Sebastián de La Gomera is the capital and a municipality of La Gomera in the Canary Islands, Spain. It also hosts the main harbour. The population was 8,699 in 2013,Valverde, El Hierro.

Leadership

* Luis Antonio Folgueras y Sión (24 Jun 1824 – 17 Jan 1848) * Ildefonso Joaquín Infante y Macías, O.S.B. (20 Mar 1877 – 14 January 1882) * Jacinto María Cervera y Cervera (27 Mar 1882 – 21 Jul 1885) *

Ramón Torrijos y Gómez Ramón Torrijos y Gómez (1 September 184116 January 1903) was a Spaniards, Spanish ecclesiastic, fourth Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna and subsequently Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mérida-Badaj ...

(25 Nov 1887 – 21 May 1894) *

Nicolás Rey y Redondo Nicolás Rey y Redondo (February 1, 1834, Burgos - September 5, 1917, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife) was a Spanish ecclesiastic, fifth Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna. Episcopate Nicolás took posses ...

(21 May 1894 Appointed – 5 Sep 1917) *

Gabriel Llompart y Jaume Santandreu Gabriel Llompart y Jaume Santandreu (Inca, Mallorca, 1862 - Palma de Mallorca, 1928) was a Spanish ecclesiastic, sixth Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna and subsequently Diocese of Girona and Diocese of Mallorca. ...

(17 May 1918 – 27 Jun 1922) * Albino González y Menédez Reigada, O.P. (18 Dec 1924 – 18 Feb 1946) *

Domingo Pérez Cáceres Domingo Pérez Cáceres (November 10, 1892, Güímar, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain) - August 1, 1961, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife) was a Spanish ecclesiastic, eighth Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna ...

(28 Apr 1947 – 1 Aug 1961) * Luis Franco Cascón, C.SS.R. (19 Feb 1962 – 18 Oct 1983) *

Damián Iguacén Borau Damián Iguacén Borau (12 February 1916 – 24 November 2020) was a Spanish bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. Life Iguacén Borau was born in Fuencalderas, Spain and ordained a priest on 7 June 1941. He was consecrated bishop of the Barba ...

(14 Aug 1984 – 12 Jun 1991) *

Felipe Fernández García Felipe Fernández García (30 August 1935 – 6 April 2012) was the Roman Catholic eleventh bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna and bishop Ávila, Spain. It was the eleventh bishop of San Cristóbal de La Lagun ...

(12 Jun 1991 – 29 Jun 2005) *

(began 29 June 2005)

Saints and Blesseds

The Diocese of Tenerife has

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...

venerable The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism. Christianity Cathol ...

s and

servants of God "Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...

of popular devotion, among them: * Saints: **

(1626–1667), missionary in

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

and first saint of the Canary Islands. **

(1534–1597), saint and missionary in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. * Blesseds: ** Martyrs of Tazacorte. In various parts of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

and Spain – (deceased in 1570). Monks and missionaries martyred off the coast of

where they enjoy great veneration especially in Tazacorte, although none of them were themselves born in the Canary Islands it has included among the blessed of the archipelago. * Venerables and Servants of God: ** María de León Bello y Delgado (1643–1731), nun and mystic, whose body remains incorrupt. ** Fray Juan de Jesús (1615–1687), Franciscan friar. ** Sister María de San Antonio Lorenzo y Fuentes (1665–1741), Dominican nun. **

Sister María Justa de Jesús María Justa de Jesús (January 6, 1667 - 1723) was a Spanish Franciscan nun and mystic who was tried as a witch during the Inquisition. Early life She was born in La Victoria de Acentejo on the north of the island of Tenerife in the Spanish ...

(1667–1723), Franciscan nun and mystic. ** José Torres Padilla (1811–1878). Religious.

References

External links

Web site of the Diocese of Tenerife

''Iglesia Nivariense''
(Magazine)

{{DEFAULTSORT:San Cristobal De La Laguna