Íñigo Navarro (died 1158/9) was the Bishop of Coria from 1142 to 1151 and thereafter the
Bishop of Salamanca
The Diocese of Salamanca () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church located in the city of Salamanca in the ecclesiastical province of Valladolid in Spain.magister'' and was an Augustinian canon at
Segovia
Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is located in the Meseta central, Inner Pl ...
before he was a bishop. He probably hailed from
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
, as did many of the '' repobladores'' of the region of Segovia and
Ávila
Ávila ( , , ) is a Spanish city located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila.
It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m a ...
.Fletcher, 31–32. At some point, "willing to lead a stricter life", he founded a religious community at Párraces, probably composed of fellow Augustinians.
There had been no bishop at Coria since 902 when, after re-conquering the city in June 1142
Alfonso VII of León
Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century ( Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. ...
re-established the diocese and appointed a bishop. Navarro was referred to as ''novo ordinato'' (newly ordained) in a royal document issued 30 August. The '' Chronica Adefonsi imperatoris'', in relating the conquest of Coria, notes that "a church was dedicated there in honor of Saint Mary and all the saints ndthey consecrated as bishop a pious man whose name was Navarro" (II, §161). A document of 3 October lists the properties to be given to the new diocese.
Navarro appears to have passed most of his episcopate in his diocese, perhaps because the state of affairs required constant attendance, and so he is an obscure figure, confirming only five known royal documents during his time ruling the see of Coria, which was then the newest and poorest diocese in the kingdom. In 1148 Navarro attended the
Council of Reims Reims, located in the north-east of modern France, hosted several councils or synods in the Roman Catholic Church. These councils did not universally represent the church and are not counted among the official ecumenical councils.
Early synodal cou ...
and afterwards remained with the '' Curia romana'' for some time.
Pope Eugenius III
Pope Eugene III (; c. 1080 – 8 July 1153), born Bernardo Pignatelli, or possibly Paganelli, called Bernardo da Pisa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1145 to his death in 1153. He was the first Cist ...
wrote a letter to Alfonso VII explaining the arrangement: "We wish it be made known that we have led the bishop of Coria to stay with us, because at that time the church to which he is commissioned had been pressed into grave poverty, as we believe, and he cannot there exercise his office usefully, because then we trust that your munificence to him should honourably provide the necessities." In 1151 Navarro was transferred to the greater and richer diocese of Salamanca, closer to the centre of the kingdom, perhaps an indication of royal favour, to replace the deceased bishop
Berengar
Berengar is a masculine name derived from Germanic roots meaning "bear" and "spear". The name appears frequently among certain noble families during the Middle Ages, especially the Unruochings and those related. Bérenger is the French form, while ...
.
The period of the episcopates of Berengar and Navarro at Salamanca (''c''.1140 to ''c''.1160) was characterised by economic growth in the town and its region, as well as the growth in population of
Salamanca
Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...
itself, although the bishops themselves remain generally obscure players in these events. It was at that time the most successful of the areas of new settlement, and Navarro was praised by the king for his work in this regard. On 30 April 1154, Alfonso VII granted Navarro rights over those churches he had built near the new town of
Castronuño
Castronuño is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census ( INE), the municipality has a population of 1,049 inhabitants.
See also
*Cuisine of the province of Valladolid
The ...
. The charter records that the bishop and his archdeacon, Ciprián, had given help (''adiutorium'') to the founder and namesake of the settlement,
Nuño Pérez de Lara
Nuño Pérez de Lara (died 3 August 1177) was a Castilian nobleman, politician and military leader. He began his career at the court of the Emperor Alfonso VII, during whose reign he took part in the ''repoblación'' of the Extremadura and the d ...
, and had outfitted the new churches with liturgical books and vestments. By the time of Navarro's successor, Ordoño, the schools of Salamanca were attracting students from France, laying the groundwork for Spain's first university, the
Universidad de Salamanca
The University of Salamanca () is a public research university in Salamanca, Spain. Founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX, it is the oldest university in the Hispanic world and the fourth oldest in the world in continuous operation. It ha ...
Northwestern University
Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...