Diocese of Beja
| Diocese of Beja Dioecesis Beiensis Diocese de Beja | |
|---|---|
| The Cathedral of St. James the Greater in Beja
The Cathedral of St. James the Greater in Beja
| |
| Location | |
| Country | Portugal |
| Ecclesiastical province | Evora |
| Metropolitan | Archdiocese of Évora |
| Headquarters | Beja, Beja District, Portugal |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 12,300 km2 (4,700 sq mi) |
| Population Total Catholics |
(as of 2023) 211,540 173,125 (81.8%) |
| Parishes | 121 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 10 July 1770 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of St. James the Greater in Beja |
| Patron saint | Saint Joseph |
| Secular priests | 51 (43 Diocesan, 8 Religious Orders) |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Bishop | Fernando Maio de Paiva |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Francisco Senra Coelho |
| Bishops emeritus | António Vitalino Fernandes Dantas, O.Carm. José João dos Santos Marcos |
| Map | |
| Website | |
| Website of the Diocese | |
The Diocese of Beja (Latin: Dioecesis Beiensis) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic church in Portugal. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Évora.[1]
History
Beja lies on the site of Pax Julia, or Paca, of the Romans, and is still surrounded by remains of old Roman walls, partly restored. The diocese was created 10 June 1770. Beja was taken from its Islamic rulers in 1162 by Afonso I of Portugal. Beja Cathedral is an old church, much modernized, of uncertain date.[2]
The chronicler Isidorus Pacensis, of the eighth century, was traditionally said to have been bishop of Beja; but this is now disputed.[3]
Leadership
Bishops of Beja
(All Roman Rite)
- Manuel do Cenáculo, T.O.R. (6 Aug 1770 – 9 Aug 1802), appointed Archbishop of Évora
- Francisco Leitão de Carvalho, O. Cist. (9 Aug 1802 – 21 Sep 1806)
- Fr. Joaquim do Rosário, O.F.M. Ref. (3 Aug 1807 – 8 Sep 1808)
- Fr. Manuel de Sousa Carvalho, M.I. (19 Dec 1814 – 1815)
- Luís da Cunha de Abreu e Melo (28 Aug 1820 – 9 Aug 1833)
- Manuel Pires de Azevedo Loureiro (22 Jan 1844 – 26 Sep 1848)
- José Xavier de Cerveira e Sousa (28 Sep 1849 – 15 Apr 1859), appointed Bishop of Viseu
- José António da Mata e Silva (20 Jun 1859 – 13 Jul 1860), appointed Archbishop of Évora
- António da Trindade de Vasconcelos Pereira de Melo (18 Mar 1861 – 1 Oct 1863), appointed Bishop of Lamego
- António Xavier de Sousa Monteiro (9 Aug 1883 – 1 Jun 1906)
- Sebastião Leite de Vasconcelos (19 Dec 1907 – 15 Dec 1919), resigned
- José do Patrocínio Dias (16 Dec 1920 – 24 Oct 1965)
- Manuel dos Santos Rocha (14 Dec 1965 – 8 Sep 1980), retired
- Manuel Franco da Costa de Oliveira Falcão (8 Sep 1980 – 25 Jan 1999), retired
- António Vitalino Fernandes Dantas, O. Carm. (25 Jan 1999 – 3 Nov 2016), retired
- José João dos Santos Marcos (3 Nov 2016 – 21 Mar 2024), resigned
- Fernando Maio de Paiva (21 Mar 2024 – Present)
See also
Canonical status and jurisdiction
Roman Catholic Diocese of Beja is a diocese of the catholic church of the Catholic Church.[4]
- Part of: Ecclesiastical Province of Évora
External links
From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia
Diocese of Beja — Diocese in Portugal, suffragan of Evora. It was created 10 June, 1770, and numbers 175,000 Catholics, with 115 parishes, 120 priests, and 197 churches. It is the capital of the district of Baixo Alemtejo.
The city is supposed to be the Pax Julia, or Paca, of the Romans, and is still surrounded by remains of old Roman walls, which however, were partly restored during the Middle Ages. Beja was taken from the Moors in 1162 by Affonso Henriques. It stands on the summit of a high hill surrounded by beautiful and fertile valleys under cultivation, as the district is rich in agricultural products, mainly cereals, olive oil, and wine. The best example of medieval architecture still extant in Portugal is the castle built in Beja by King Dom Diniz. It is a square, massive structure 120 feet high, from the top of which the whole of the Alemtejo country and the Cintra mountains may be seen. The walls of the castle are covered with hieroglyphics. Beja was in its early days an episcopal city, but at the time of the invasion by the Moors lost its dignity. The Cathedral of Beja is an old temple, though so much modernized as to make it impossible to determine with any degree of certainty its original date. Other famous churches are those of Our Lady of the Conception, St. Iago, or Santiago, and Santa Maria de la Feira, said to have been an old Moorish mosque. The College of St. Sissenando, which belonged to the Jesuits, and was built principally at the expense of Donna Maria Sophia, in 1695, stands in the street where the saint was born. Part of this building is now occupied by the episcopal palace. The city has about 8,000 inhabitants, modern improvements, schools, banks, libraries, etc. It is said to be the richest in Roman remains of all the cities in Portugal, except Evora, which now possesses a large collection of Roman antiquities collected in Beja.
Gerarchia Cattolica (Rome, 1907); Florez, Espana Sagrada (1786), XIV, 230-276; Coll. de livres inedits sur l'hist. du Portugal (1824), V, 486-545.
References
- Back to citation David M. Cheney. "Beja (Diocese)". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
- Back to citation "Catholic Encyclopedia: Beja". Newadvent.org. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
- Back to citation S. M. Imamuddin, Muslim Spain 711-1492 A.D.: A Sociological Study (1981), p. 19.
- Back to citation Roman Catholic Diocese of Beja, official website