Fr. José Ignacio Cienfuegos Arteaga (1 October 1762 – 8 November 1847) was a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

an priest,

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of Concepción and

political figure A politician is a person who participates in policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles or duties tha ...

. He served twice as

President of the Senate of Chile The president of the Senate of Chile is the presiding officer of the Senate of Chile. The position comes after the Ministers of State in the line of succession of the President of Chile in case of temporary incapacitation or vacancy, according t ...

Biography

Cienfuegos was born in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

, the son of Francisco Cienfuegos and of Josefa Arteaga Martínez. He studied

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

at the

Universidad Real de San Felipe The Royal University of San Felipe () was a university created by King Philip V in 1738, in territory which was then part of the Kingdom of Spain. It was officially founded in Santiago in 1747 and began teaching activities in 1758. It is the im ...

and was later ordained as a priest in 1778. Cienfuegos became a Dominican friar and in 1790 was named priest of

Talca Talca () is a city and commune in Chile located about south of Santiago, and is the capital of both Talca Province and Maule Region (7th Region of Chile). As of the 2012 census, the city had a population of 201,142. The city is an important ...

, where he worked for 23 years. As such, he actively participated in the independence movement in Chile. On October 9, 1813, he became a member of the Government Junta. During his term the junta adopted the national flag, founded the National institute of science and numerous primary schools throughout the country. In March 1814, Cienfuegos was elected titular member of the Consultive Senate of Chile. In 1814, after the defeat in the

battle of Rancagua The Battle of Rancagua, also known in Chile as the Disaster of Rancagua, occurred on October 1, 1814, to October 2, 1814, when the Spanish Army under the command of Mariano Osorio defeated the Chilean forces led by Bernardo O’Higgins. This ...

, Royalist General

Mariano Osorio Mariano de Osorio (; 1777–1819) was a Spanish general and Governor of Chile, from 1814 to 1815. Early career Osorio was born in Seville, Spain. He joined the Spanish army and as many of his contemporaries, his military career began during the S ...

deported him to the

Juan Fernández Islands The Juan Fernández Islands () are a sparsely inhabited series of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, reliant on tourism and fishing. Situated off the coast of Chile, they are composed of three main volcanic islands: Robinson Crusoe Island, R ...

, where he remained for two years. He was allowed to return after the victory at the

battle of Chacabuco The Battle of Chacabuco, fought during the Chilean War of Independence, took place on February 12, 1817. The Army of the Andes, from the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata and led by Captain (land), Captain–General José de San Martín, ...

in 1817. He was named administrator of the Santiago Cathedral in 1818 and participated in the formulation of the . He was a member and President of the Conservative Senate of Chile between 1818 and 1820. In 1821, Cienfuegos was sent to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

as ambassador to try to negotiate the recognition of the Chilean independence. He returned to Chile in 1824 and became the Apostolic Administrator of the Santiago diocese while at the same time being one of the principal promoters of the Federalist attempt in Chile. In 1825 he became the President of the Provincial Assembly of Santiago and in 1826 participated in the constitutional congress as a deputy for Talca. Cienfuegos was returned as ambassador to the Holy See, where he was named titular Titular bishop of Retimo on December 15, 1828. He was elected Senator for Concepción on 1831, and again became President of the Conservative Senate of Chile between 1831 and 1834. On 17 December 1832, was named Bishop of Concepción. On 1839 he resigned his bishopric and retired to the city of

, where he continue to work as a priest until his death on 8 November 1847, at the age of 85.

Sources

Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile : José_Ignacio_Cienfuegos_Arteaga
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cienfuegos, Jose Ignacio 1762 births 1847 deaths Clergy from Santiago, Chile Chilean people of Asturian descent Chilean people of Basque descent Roman Catholic bishops of Concepción Presidents of the Senate of Chile Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile Senators of the III Legislative Period of the National Congress of Chile 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Chile