Archdiocese of Tarragona
Encyclopedia
The Archdiocese of Tarragona (Latin, Tarraconensis) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory located in north-eastern Spain
, in the province
of Tarragona
, part of the autonomous community
of Catalonia
. The archdiocese heads the ecclesiastical province
of Tarragona, having Metropolitan authority over the suffragan diocese
s of Girona,
Lleida
, Solsona, Tortosa, Urgell
and
Vic.
The archdiocese, created in Roman times, was reestablished in 1118.
is one of the most ancient cities of Spain
, probably of Iberian
origin, as its coins and Cyclopean walls indicate.
The Romans
selected Tarragona as the centre of their government in Spain. In the division of the peninsula it was the capital first of Hispania Citerior
(Hither Spain) and then of the Province of Hispania Tarraconensis
.
The Church of Tarragona is undoubtedly one of the most ancient in Spain, holding as it does the tradition of the coming of St. James
and St. Paul
. The visit of St. Paul to Tarragona is not altogether beyond the range of possibilities, supposing that he came from Rome
to Spain, as he promised to do, in the Epistle to the Romans
(Romans 15:24), and as St. Jerome affirms that he did.
The first written testimony which we have concerning the bishops of Tarragona dates from the third century. This is in the Acts of the Martyrdom of the bishop St. Fructuosus
and his deacons Augurius and Eulogius. The list of the bishops of Tarragona, therefore, begins with St. Fructuosus, but it is supposed that other bishops, whose names have been lost to us, preceded him.
The see
of Tarragona, which was vacant at that time, was represented at the Council of Arles (314) by two procurators, the priest Probatius and the deacon Castorius. Himerius
, who sent the priest Basianus to Pope St. Damasus
, and who obtained a letter from Pope St. Siricius
, was Archbishop of Tarragona in 384.
It is also conjectured that the Hilarius who was the subject of the Decretal issued by Pope Innocent I
was also a Bishop of Tarragona. Ascanio
was bishop in 465.
In the fifth century Tarragona was overrun by the Vandals
, Suevi, and Alani.
, took possession of Tarragona in 475 and totally demolished it. During the occupation of the Visigoths it flourished once more.
Previous to 516 we find the name of Archbishop John, who, on 6 November, 516, assembled all the bishops of his province and held the first provincial council of Tarragona
, at which ten bishops were present. In 517 he assembled another provincial council in Girona.
Sergius, who was bishop from 535 to 546, held councils in Barcelona and Lleida (546). St. Justus
, Bishop of Urgel, dedicated to him his commentary on the Song of Solomon
. Tranquillinus was bishop for many years previous to 560. He had been a monk in the Monastery of Asana, under the direction of St. Victornus.
Artemius
, bishop prior to 589, was not able to attend the Third Council of Toledo
(589), but sent a substitute, Stephen. He called provincial councils at Zaragoza (599) and Barcelona.
Eusebius (610-632) held the council of Egara (Terrassa) to enforce the canons of the Council of Huesca. Audax (633-638) was present at the Fourth Council of Toledo
(633), and Protasius (637-646) at the Sixth
(638) and Seventh
(646) Councils of Toledo
. Cyprianus
(680-688) sent representatives to the Thirteenth
(683), Fourteenth
(684), and Fifteenth
(688) councils of Toledo. Vera assisted personally at the Sixteenth
(693) and Seventeenth
(694).
took place. The Arabs destroyed Tarragona in 719.
Louis the Pious
appears to have temporarily taken possession of the city. A portion of its territory was bestowed on the Bishop of Barcelona, and the metropolitan rank was given to the Bishop of Narbonne, but was recovered in 759.
Caesarius
endeavoured to obtain recognition as titular Archbishop of Tarragona, but was not successful, although he was consecrated by the bishops of Leon and Galicia, and obtained from the pope the abbey of Santa Cecilia, which belonged to the Archbishop of Tarragona.
Borrell
, Count of Barcelona, induced Pope John XIII
to confer the title of Archbishop of Tarragona on Atton
, bishop of Vich in 957-971, although he never was called Archbishop of Tarragona but of Ausona.
Berengarius of Rosanes, Bishop of Vich in ca. 1078-ca. 1099, petitioned Pope Urban II
for permission to promote a crusade for the reconquest of Tarragona. Count Berenguer Ramón II
the Fratricide succeeded in taking the city and made it a fief of the Holy See
. The pope, in recognition of the efforts of the Bishop of Vich, conferred on him the pallium
as Archbishop of Tarragona, transferring to him all rights to the city and its churches which had previously belonged to the Holy See. The new bishop, however, was to remain in possession of the Church of Vich.
A similar concession was granted to St. Olegarius
, Bishop of Barcelona in 1116-1137, who was permitted to retain possession of his former Church until he had obtained complete and peaceful possession of that of Tarragona, of which he had been named Archbishop.
the Great. Bishop Berenguer had died in 1110, after having assisted, in 1096, at the Council of Nîmes convoked by Pope Urban II
.
His successor in the See of Tarragona, St. Olegarius
, had been a canon regular at St. Rufus in Provence, later an abbot, and then Bishop of Barcelona in 1116-1137. To him is due the restoration of the metropolitan authority of Tarragona. In 1117 Count Ramón Berenguer III conferred on him the government of the city that he might endeavour to recolonize it, which work he carried on with great zeal.
He assisted at the councils
of Toulouse and Reims (1109), of the Lateran (1123), and of Clermont (1130), and accompanied the Count of Barcelona as pontifical legate in the war which terminated in the imposition of a tribute upon Tortosa
and Lleida
. The Norman Robert Burdet also joined the forces of the Count of Barcelona, established himself in Tarragona and obtained dominion over a great part of the city.
On the death of St. Olegarius (6 March 1137), Gregory, Abbot
of Cuxana, succeeded him in the vacant See of Tarragona, and was the first incumbent of that see to receive the title of archbishop.
The dissensions among the sons of Robert Burdet led to the murder by them of Archbishop Hugo de Cervellón 22 April 1171.
By special privilege of the pope, all the kings of Aragon were crowned at Zaragoza
by the archbishop of Tarragona, until the metropolitan See of Zaragoza was re-established in 1318.
The dissensions between the archbishops and the kings, on account of the jurisdiction over Tarragona granted to the bishops who had begun its resettlement, continued during the time of king Alfonso II
of Aragon
, who bestowed the city as a dowry on his wife, Doña Sancha.
When king Jaime I
, a child of six years, took the oath, the Archbishop of Tarragona, Don Aspargo Barca (1215–1233), carried him in his arms. Although he was far advanced in his years, he wished to accompany the king in his expedition to conquer Majorca, and when Don Jaime refused his consent, he contributed a thousand marks in gold and twelve hundred armed men.
In 1242 a provincial council was convoked at Tarragona to regulate the procedure of the Inquisition
and canonical penances. In 1312 a provincial council was assembled in the Corpus Christi Chapel of the cathedral cloister, to pass sentence on the Templars, whom it declared innocent.
King Pedro IV
the Ceremonious, who, after forcibly seizing the dominions of the archbishop, repented in his last illness and restored to St.Tecla, patroness of the city, all that he had unjustly acquired.
Don Pedro Zagarriga, Archbishop of Tarragona in 1407-1418, was one of the arbitrators at the Compromise of Caspe
(1412).
One of the most celebrated prelates of Tarragona, Antonio Agustín y Albanell
(d. 1586), a native of Zaragoza
, was an eminent jurisconsult and numismatist. He put an end to the struggles referred to in Don Quixote, between the Narros
and Cadells factions, which had disturbed the peace of Catalonia.
In 1912 it was bounded on the north by Barcelona and Lleida, on the east by Barcelona, on the south by the Mediterranean Sea
and Tortosa, and on the west by Tortosa. It comprised the civil Provinces
of Tarragona
and Lleida
, and the city of Tarragona
had 24,335 inhabitants. Its suffragans were Barcelona, Lleida
, Girona, Urgell
, Vic, Tortosa and Solsona.
:
In 711 the Muslim invasion
took place, and the Arabs destroyed Tarragona in 719.
the Great took Tarragona in 1116.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, in the province
Provinces of Spain
Spain and its autonomous communities are divided into fifty provinces .In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing. província.*Galician , sing. provincia.*Basque |Galicia]] — are not also the capitals of provinces...
of Tarragona
Tarragona (province)
Tarragona is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered by the provinces of Castellón, Teruel, Zaragoza, Lleida, Barcelona, and the Mediterranean Sea....
, part of the autonomous community
Autonomous communities of Spain
An autonomous community In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . The second article of the constitution recognizes the rights of "nationalities and regions" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".Political power in Spain is...
of Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
. The archdiocese heads the ecclesiastical province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
of Tarragona, having Metropolitan authority over the suffragan diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
s of Girona,
Lleida
Diocese of Lleida
The Diocese of Lleida is located in north-eastern Spain, in the province of Lleida, part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. The diocese forms part of the ecclesiastical province of Tarragona, and is thus suffragan to the Archdiocese of Tarragona.The diocese of Lleida was created in the 3rd...
, Solsona, Tortosa, Urgell
Diocese of Urgell
The Diocese of Urgell is a Roman Catholic diocese in Catalonia, Spain, with origins in the fifth century AD or possibly earlier. It is based in the region of the historical Catalan county of Urgell, though it has different borders...
and
Vic.
The archdiocese, created in Roman times, was reestablished in 1118.
Roman period (until the 5th century)
TarragonaTarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
is one of the most ancient cities of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, probably of Iberian
Iberians
The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC...
origin, as its coins and Cyclopean walls indicate.
The Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
selected Tarragona as the centre of their government in Spain. In the division of the peninsula it was the capital first of Hispania Citerior
Hispania Citerior
During the Roman Republic, Hispania Citerior was a region of Hispania roughly occupying the northeastern coast and the Ebro Valley of what is now Spain. Hispania Ulterior was located west of Hispania Citerior—that is, farther away from Rome.-External links:*...
(Hither Spain) and then of the Province of Hispania Tarraconensis
Hispania Tarraconensis
Hispania Tarraconensis was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania. It encompassed much of the Mediterranean coast of Spain along with the central plateau. Southern Spain, the region now called Andalusia, was the province of Hispania Baetica...
.
The Church of Tarragona is undoubtedly one of the most ancient in Spain, holding as it does the tradition of the coming of St. James
Saint James the Great
James, son of Zebedee was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle...
and St. Paul
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
. The visit of St. Paul to Tarragona is not altogether beyond the range of possibilities, supposing that he came from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to Spain, as he promised to do, in the Epistle to the Romans
Epistle to the Romans
The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, often shortened to Romans, is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul to explain that Salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
(Romans 15:24), and as St. Jerome affirms that he did.
The first written testimony which we have concerning the bishops of Tarragona dates from the third century. This is in the Acts of the Martyrdom of the bishop St. Fructuosus
Fructuosus
Saint Fructuosus of Tarragona was a bishop and Christian saint and martyr, the outstanding name in the early history of Christianity in Hispania. He was bishop of Tarragona and was arrested during the persecutions of Christians under the Roman Emperor Valerian . Along with him were two deacons,...
and his deacons Augurius and Eulogius. The list of the bishops of Tarragona, therefore, begins with St. Fructuosus, but it is supposed that other bishops, whose names have been lost to us, preceded him.
The see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
of Tarragona, which was vacant at that time, was represented at the Council of Arles (314) by two procurators, the priest Probatius and the deacon Castorius. Himerius
Himerius of Tarragona
Himerius of Tarragona was bishop of Tarragona during the 4th century.He is most notable as being the recipient of the Directa Decretal, written by Pope Siricius in February 385 AD. It took the form of a long letter to Himerius replying to the bishop’s requests on various subjects sent several...
, who sent the priest Basianus to Pope St. Damasus
Pope Damasus I
Pope Saint Damasus I was the bishop of Rome from 366 to 384.He was born around 305, probably near the city of Idanha-a-Velha , in what is present-day Portugal, then part of the Western Roman Empire...
, and who obtained a letter from Pope St. Siricius
Pope Siricius
Pope Saint Siricius, Bishop of Rome from December 384 until his death on 26 November 399, was successor to Damasus I and was himself succeeded by Anastasius I....
, was Archbishop of Tarragona in 384.
It is also conjectured that the Hilarius who was the subject of the Decretal issued by Pope Innocent I
Pope Innocent I
-Biography:He was, according to his biographer in the Liber Pontificalis, the son of a man called Innocens of Albano; but according to his contemporary Jerome, his father was Pope Anastasius I , whom he was called by the unanimous voice of the clergy and laity to succeed -Biography:He was,...
was also a Bishop of Tarragona. Ascanio
Ascanio
Ascanio is a grand opera in five acts and seven tableaux by composer Camille Saint-Saëns. The opera's French libretto, by Louis Gallet, is based on the 1852 play Benvenuto Cellini by French playwright Paul Meurice which was in turn based on the 1843 historical novel by Alexandre Dumas, père...
was bishop in 465.
In the fifth century Tarragona was overrun by the Vandals
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
, Suevi, and Alani.
Visigoth period (5th to 7th centuries)
The Visigothic king, EuricEuric
Euric, also known as Evaric, Erwig, or Eurico in Spanish and Portuguese , Son of Theodoric I and the younger brother of Theodoric II and ruled as king of the Visigoths, with his capital at Toulouse, from 466 until his death in 484.He inherited a large portion of the Visigothic possessions in the...
, took possession of Tarragona in 475 and totally demolished it. During the occupation of the Visigoths it flourished once more.
Previous to 516 we find the name of Archbishop John, who, on 6 November, 516, assembled all the bishops of his province and held the first provincial council of Tarragona
Council of Tarragona
The Council of Tarragona was held by Archbishop John of Tarragona, on 6 November 516. This council assembled all the bishops of his province, thus becoming the first provincial council of Tarragona....
, at which ten bishops were present. In 517 he assembled another provincial council in Girona.
Sergius, who was bishop from 535 to 546, held councils in Barcelona and Lleida (546). St. Justus
Justus
Justus was the fourth Archbishop of Canterbury. He was sent from Italy to England by Pope Gregory the Great, on a mission to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism, probably arriving with the second group of missionaries despatched in 601...
, Bishop of Urgel, dedicated to him his commentary on the Song of Solomon
Song of Solomon
The Song of Songs of Solomon, commonly referred to as Song of Songs or Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible—one of the megillot —found in the last section of the Tanakh, known as the Ketuvim...
. Tranquillinus was bishop for many years previous to 560. He had been a monk in the Monastery of Asana, under the direction of St. Victornus.
Artemius
Artemius
Artemius , known as Challita in the Maronite tradition, was a general of the Roman Empire, dux Aegypti . He is considered a saint by the Orthodox Church, with the name of Artemius of Antioch,...
, bishop prior to 589, was not able to attend the Third Council of Toledo
Third Council of Toledo
The Third Council of Toledo marks the entry of Catholic Christianity into the rule of Visigothic Spain, and the introduction into Western Christianity of the filioque clause...
(589), but sent a substitute, Stephen. He called provincial councils at Zaragoza (599) and Barcelona.
Eusebius (610-632) held the council of Egara (Terrassa) to enforce the canons of the Council of Huesca. Audax (633-638) was present at the Fourth Council of Toledo
Fourth Council of Toledo
The Fourth Council of Toledo occurred in 633. It was held at the church of Saint Leocadia in Toledo.Probably under the presidency of the noted Isidore of Seville, the council regulated many matters of discipline, decreed uniformity of liturgy throughout the Visigothic kingdom and took stringent...
(633), and Protasius (637-646) at the Sixth
Sixth Council of Toledo
The Sixth Council of Toledo was the second council convoked by King Chintila and opened on 9 January 638. It was attended by fifty three bishops, including those from Narbonensis who had not participated in the prior council for political reasons. The council was thus a reunion of the whole church...
(638) and Seventh
Seventh Council of Toledo
The Seventh Council of Toledo commenced on 18 November 646 and was attended by forty one bishops either personally or by delegation. It was the first of Chindasuinth's two councils....
(646) Councils of Toledo
Councils of Toledo
Councils of Toledo . From the 5th century to the 7th century, about thirty synods, variously counted, were held at Toledo in what would come to be part of Spain. The earliest, directed against Priscillianism, assembled in 400. The "third" synod of 589 marked the epoch-making conversion of King...
. Cyprianus
Cyprianus
Cyprianus is a name given in Scandinavian traditions of folk magic to the "black book" : a grimoire or manuscript collection of spells; and by extension to the magical tradition that these spells form a part of...
(680-688) sent representatives to the Thirteenth
Thirteenth Council of Toledo
The Thirteenth Council of Toledo opened on 4 November 683. It was called by Erwig and consisted of 77 bishops, 5 abbots, 3 church dignitaries, and 27 palatine functionaries....
(683), Fourteenth
Fourteenth Council of Toledo
The Fourteenth Council of Toledo first met on 14 November 684 under King Erwig. It was called in response to a letter from Pope Leo II directing the king, a Count Simplicius, and the recently-deceased Quiricus, metropolitan of Toledo, to call a general council to confirm the decisions of the...
(684), and Fifteenth
Fifteenth Council of Toledo
The Fifteenth Council of Toledo first met on 11 May 688 under King Egica. It was the king's first of three councils.In 680-681, the sixth ecumenical council, the Third Council of Constantinople, had repudiated monothelitism and affirmed the doctrine of dythelitism, that Christ had two wills...
(688) councils of Toledo. Vera assisted personally at the Sixteenth
Sixteenth Council of Toledo
The Sixteenth Council of Toledo first met on 25 April 693, the second of Egica's three councils.In 692, the archbishop of Toledo, Sisebert, led a rebellion with many nobles to install one Suniefred as king...
(693) and Seventeenth
Seventeenth Council of Toledo
The Seventeenth Council of Toledo first met on 9 November 694 under King Egica. It was the king's third council and primarily directed, as was the Sixteenth, against the Jews, of whom Egica seems to have had a profound distrust and dislike....
(694).
Muslim period (ca. 719-1116)
In time of Vera or in that of his successor, George, the Muslim invasionTimeline of the Muslim presence in the Iberian peninsula
This is a timeline of notable events in the Muslim presence in Iberia, which started with the Umayyad conquest in the 8th century.-Conquest :...
took place. The Arabs destroyed Tarragona in 719.
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
appears to have temporarily taken possession of the city. A portion of its territory was bestowed on the Bishop of Barcelona, and the metropolitan rank was given to the Bishop of Narbonne, but was recovered in 759.
Caesarius
Caesarius
Caesarius may refer to:* Caesarius of Africa, 3rd century Christian*Caesarius of Nazianzus, physician and politician of the 4th century, and the younger brother of Gregory of Nazianzus...
endeavoured to obtain recognition as titular Archbishop of Tarragona, but was not successful, although he was consecrated by the bishops of Leon and Galicia, and obtained from the pope the abbey of Santa Cecilia, which belonged to the Archbishop of Tarragona.
Borrell
Borrell II, Count of Barcelona
Borrell II was Count of Barcelona, Girona, and Ausona from 945 and Count of Urgell from 948.Borrell is first seen acting as count during the reign of his father Marquis Sunyer in 945 at the consecration of the nunnery church of Sant Pere de les Puelles in Barcelona, and succeeded Sunyer along with...
, Count of Barcelona, induced Pope John XIII
Pope John XIII
Pope John XIII of Crescenzi family served as Pope from October 1, 965, until his death.Born in Rome, he spent his career in the papal court...
to confer the title of Archbishop of Tarragona on Atton
Atton
Atton is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département in north-eastern France....
, bishop of Vich in 957-971, although he never was called Archbishop of Tarragona but of Ausona.
Berengarius of Rosanes, Bishop of Vich in ca. 1078-ca. 1099, petitioned Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II , born Otho de Lagery , was Pope from 12 March 1088 until his death on July 29 1099...
for permission to promote a crusade for the reconquest of Tarragona. Count Berenguer Ramón II
Berenguer Ramon II, Count of Barcelona
Berenguer Ramon II the Fratricide was Count of Barcelona from 1076 to 1097. He was the son of Ramon Berenguer I, and initially ruled jointly with his twin brother Ramon Berenguer II....
the Fratricide succeeded in taking the city and made it a fief of the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. The pope, in recognition of the efforts of the Bishop of Vich, conferred on him the pallium
Pallium
The pallium is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Roman Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the Pope, but for many centuries bestowed by him on metropolitans and primates as a symbol of the jurisdiction delegated to them by the Holy See. In that context it has always remained unambiguously...
as Archbishop of Tarragona, transferring to him all rights to the city and its churches which had previously belonged to the Holy See. The new bishop, however, was to remain in possession of the Church of Vich.
A similar concession was granted to St. Olegarius
Olegarius
Saint Olegarius Bonestruga was the Bishop of Barcelona from 1116 and Archbishop of Tarragona from 1118 until his death...
, Bishop of Barcelona in 1116-1137, who was permitted to retain possession of his former Church until he had obtained complete and peaceful possession of that of Tarragona, of which he had been named Archbishop.
Archdiocese of Tarragona (since 1116)
It was not until 1116 that Tarragona was definitively reconquered by Ramón Berenguer IIIRamon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona
Ramon Berenguer III the Great was the count of Barcelona, Girona, and Ausona from 1082 , Besalú from 1111, Cerdanya from 1117, and Provence, in the Holy Roman Empire, from 1112, all until his death in Barcelona in 1131...
the Great. Bishop Berenguer had died in 1110, after having assisted, in 1096, at the Council of Nîmes convoked by Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II , born Otho de Lagery , was Pope from 12 March 1088 until his death on July 29 1099...
.
His successor in the See of Tarragona, St. Olegarius
Olegarius
Saint Olegarius Bonestruga was the Bishop of Barcelona from 1116 and Archbishop of Tarragona from 1118 until his death...
, had been a canon regular at St. Rufus in Provence, later an abbot, and then Bishop of Barcelona in 1116-1137. To him is due the restoration of the metropolitan authority of Tarragona. In 1117 Count Ramón Berenguer III conferred on him the government of the city that he might endeavour to recolonize it, which work he carried on with great zeal.
He assisted at the councils
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
of Toulouse and Reims (1109), of the Lateran (1123), and of Clermont (1130), and accompanied the Count of Barcelona as pontifical legate in the war which terminated in the imposition of a tribute upon Tortosa
Tortosa
-External links:* *** * * *...
and Lleida
Lleida
Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...
. The Norman Robert Burdet also joined the forces of the Count of Barcelona, established himself in Tarragona and obtained dominion over a great part of the city.
On the death of St. Olegarius (6 March 1137), Gregory, Abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of Cuxana, succeeded him in the vacant See of Tarragona, and was the first incumbent of that see to receive the title of archbishop.
The dissensions among the sons of Robert Burdet led to the murder by them of Archbishop Hugo de Cervellón 22 April 1171.
By special privilege of the pope, all the kings of Aragon were crowned at Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
by the archbishop of Tarragona, until the metropolitan See of Zaragoza was re-established in 1318.
The dissensions between the archbishops and the kings, on account of the jurisdiction over Tarragona granted to the bishops who had begun its resettlement, continued during the time of king Alfonso II
Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II or Alfons I ; Huesca, 1-25 March 1157 – 25 April 1196), called the Chaste or the Troubadour, was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1164 until his death. He was the son of Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon and the first King of Aragon who was...
of Aragon
Kingdom of Aragon
The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain...
, who bestowed the city as a dowry on his wife, Doña Sancha.
When king Jaime I
James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276...
, a child of six years, took the oath, the Archbishop of Tarragona, Don Aspargo Barca (1215–1233), carried him in his arms. Although he was far advanced in his years, he wished to accompany the king in his expedition to conquer Majorca, and when Don Jaime refused his consent, he contributed a thousand marks in gold and twelve hundred armed men.
In 1242 a provincial council was convoked at Tarragona to regulate the procedure of the Inquisition
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
and canonical penances. In 1312 a provincial council was assembled in the Corpus Christi Chapel of the cathedral cloister, to pass sentence on the Templars, whom it declared innocent.
King Pedro IV
Peter IV of Aragon
Peter IV, , called el Cerimoniós or el del punyalet , was the King of Aragon, King of Sardinia and Corsica , King of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona Peter IV, (Balaguer, September 5, 1319 – Barcelona, January 6, 1387), called el Cerimoniós ("the Ceremonious") or el del punyalet ("the one...
the Ceremonious, who, after forcibly seizing the dominions of the archbishop, repented in his last illness and restored to St.Tecla, patroness of the city, all that he had unjustly acquired.
Don Pedro Zagarriga, Archbishop of Tarragona in 1407-1418, was one of the arbitrators at the Compromise of Caspe
Compromise of Caspe
The Compromise of Caspe made in 1412 was an act and resolution of parliamentary representatives on behalf of the Kingdoms of Aragon and Valencia and the County of Barcelona, to resolve the interregnum commenced by the death of King Martin I of Aragon in 1410 without a legitimate heir, in Caspe.The...
(1412).
One of the most celebrated prelates of Tarragona, Antonio Agustín y Albanell
Antonio Agustín y Albanell
Antonio Agustín y Albanell , also referred to as Augustinus, was a Spanish Humanist historian, jurist and Roman Catholic archbishop of Tarragona who pioneered the historical research of the sources of canon law....
(d. 1586), a native of Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
, was an eminent jurisconsult and numismatist. He put an end to the struggles referred to in Don Quixote, between the Narros
Narros
Narros is a municipality located in the province of Soria, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 50 inhabitants....
and Cadells factions, which had disturbed the peace of Catalonia.
In 1912 it was bounded on the north by Barcelona and Lleida, on the east by Barcelona, on the south by the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and Tortosa, and on the west by Tortosa. It comprised the civil Provinces
Provinces of Spain
Spain and its autonomous communities are divided into fifty provinces .In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing. província.*Galician , sing. provincia.*Basque |Galicia]] — are not also the capitals of provinces...
of Tarragona
Tarragona (province)
Tarragona is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered by the provinces of Castellón, Teruel, Zaragoza, Lleida, Barcelona, and the Mediterranean Sea....
and Lleida
Lleida (province)
thumb|250px|Monastery of [[Santa Maria de Bellpuig de les Avellanes]].Lleida is a province of north-eastern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered by the provinces of Girona, Barcelona, Tarragona, Zaragoza and Huesca and the countries of France and...
, and the city of Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
had 24,335 inhabitants. Its suffragans were Barcelona, Lleida
Diocese of Lleida
The Diocese of Lleida is located in north-eastern Spain, in the province of Lleida, part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. The diocese forms part of the ecclesiastical province of Tarragona, and is thus suffragan to the Archdiocese of Tarragona.The diocese of Lleida was created in the 3rd...
, Girona, Urgell
Diocese of Urgell
The Diocese of Urgell is a Roman Catholic diocese in Catalonia, Spain, with origins in the fifth century AD or possibly earlier. It is based in the region of the historical Catalan county of Urgell, though it has different borders...
, Vic, Tortosa and Solsona.
Archbishops of Tarragona (6th century - ca. 712)
All the names in italics are given in SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
:
- . ca. 259 : St. FructuosusFructuosusSaint Fructuosus of Tarragona was a bishop and Christian saint and martyr, the outstanding name in the early history of Christianity in Hispania. He was bishop of Tarragona and was arrested during the persecutions of Christians under the Roman Emperor Valerian . Along with him were two deacons,...
- . ca. 385 : HimeriusHimeriusHimerius , Greek sophist and rhetorician. 24 of his orations have reached us complete, and fragments of 12 others.- Life and works :...
— (before 385) - . ca. 402 : Hilarius
- . ca. 420 : Ticiano
- . ca. 465 : Ascanio
- 470-520 : John
- 520-555 : Sergius — (or 535-546)
- 560-580 : Tranquillinus — (ca. 560 - after 580)
- 589-599 : ArtemiusArtemiusArtemius , known as Challita in the Maronite tradition, was a general of the Roman Empire, dux Aegypti . He is considered a saint by the Orthodox Church, with the name of Artemius of Antioch,...
- . ca. 599 : Asiático
- 610-632 : Eusebius — (ca. 610? - ca. 632)
- . ca. 633 : Audax — (Mentioned in the Fourth Council of ToledoFourth Council of ToledoThe Fourth Council of Toledo occurred in 633. It was held at the church of Saint Leocadia in Toledo.Probably under the presidency of the noted Isidore of Seville, the council regulated many matters of discipline, decreed uniformity of liturgy throughout the Visigothic kingdom and took stringent...
of 633, or 633-638) - . ca. 635 : Selva — (Mentioned in 635)
- 637-646 : Protasius — (assisted to the SixthSixth Council of ToledoThe Sixth Council of Toledo was the second council convoked by King Chintila and opened on 9 January 638. It was attended by fifty three bishops, including those from Narbonensis who had not participated in the prior council for political reasons. The council was thus a reunion of the whole church...
(638) and SeventhSeventh Council of ToledoThe Seventh Council of Toledo commenced on 18 November 646 and was attended by forty one bishops either personally or by delegation. It was the first of Chindasuinth's two councils....
(646) Councils of ToledoCouncils of ToledoCouncils of Toledo . From the 5th century to the 7th century, about thirty synods, variously counted, were held at Toledo in what would come to be part of Spain. The earliest, directed against Priscillianism, assembled in 400. The "third" synod of 589 marked the epoch-making conversion of King...
) - 646-668 : Faluax — (646-668?)
- 668-688 : CyprianusCyprianusCyprianus is a name given in Scandinavian traditions of folk magic to the "black book" : a grimoire or manuscript collection of spells; and by extension to the magical tradition that these spells form a part of...
— (or 680-688) - . ca. 693 : Vera - (Mentioned in the SixteenthSixteenth Council of ToledoThe Sixteenth Council of Toledo first met on 25 April 693, the second of Egica's three councils.In 692, the archbishop of Toledo, Sisebert, led a rebellion with many nobles to install one Suniefred as king...
(693) and SeventeenthSeventeenth Council of ToledoThe Seventeenth Council of Toledo first met on 9 November 694 under King Egica. It was the king's third council and primarily directed, as was the Sixteenth, against the Jews, of whom Egica seems to have had a profound distrust and dislike....
(694) Councils of ToledoCouncils of ToledoCouncils of Toledo . From the 5th century to the 7th century, about thirty synods, variously counted, were held at Toledo in what would come to be part of Spain. The earliest, directed against Priscillianism, assembled in 400. The "third" synod of 589 marked the epoch-making conversion of King...
) - 711- . . . . : Próspero, Saint — (711-unknown)
In 711 the Muslim invasion
Timeline of the Muslim presence in the Iberian peninsula
This is a timeline of notable events in the Muslim presence in Iberia, which started with the Umayyad conquest in the 8th century.-Conquest :...
took place, and the Arabs destroyed Tarragona in 719.
Bishops of Tarragona (8th to 11th centuries)
- 956- . . . . : CaesariusCaesariusCaesarius may refer to:* Caesarius of Africa, 3rd century Christian*Caesarius of Nazianzus, physician and politician of the 4th century, and the younger brother of Gregory of Nazianzus...
— (956-unknown) - 970-971 : AttonAttonAtton is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département in north-eastern France....
— (also bishop of Vich in 957-971) - 1091-1099 : Berenguer Seniofredo de Llusá — (also Berengarius of Rosanes, also bishop of Vich in ca. 1078-ca. 1099)
Archbishops of Tarragona (since 1118)
Count Ramón Berenguer IIIRamon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona
Ramon Berenguer III the Great was the count of Barcelona, Girona, and Ausona from 1082 , Besalú from 1111, Cerdanya from 1117, and Provence, in the Holy Roman Empire, from 1112, all until his death in Barcelona in 1131...
the Great took Tarragona in 1116.
- 1118-1137 : OlegariusOlegariusSaint Olegarius Bonestruga was the Bishop of Barcelona from 1116 and Archbishop of Tarragona from 1118 until his death...
, Saint — (also bishop of Barcelona in 1116-1137) - 1143-1146 : Gregory
- 1146-1163 : Bernardo Tort
- 1163-1171 : Hugo de Cervelló — (also Hugo de Cervellón)
- 1171-1174 : Guillermo de Torroja
- 1174-1194 : Berenguer de Vilademuls
- 1194-1198 : Ramón Xedmar de Castelltersol
- 1199-1215 : Ramón de Rocabertí
- 1215-1233 : Asparec de la Barca — (also Aspargo Barca)
- 1234-1239 : Guillermo de Montgrí
- 1238-1251 : Pedro de Albalat
- 1251-1268 : Benito de Rocabertí
- 1272-1287 : Bernardo de Olivella
- 1288-1308 : Rodrigo Tello
- 1309-1315 : Guillermo de Rocabertí
- 1317-1327 : Jimeno Martínez de Luna y Aragón
- 1327-1334 : Juan de Aragón
- 1334-1346 : Arnaldo Sescomes
- 1346-1357 : Sancho López de Ayerbe
- 1357-1380 : Pedro Clasquerí
- 1388-1407 : Eneco de Vallterra
- 1407-1418 : Pedro de Sagarriga y Pau — (also Pedro Zagarriga)
- 1419-1431 : Dalmacio de Mur y de CervellóDalmacio de Mur y de CervellóDalmacio de Mur y de Cervelló was a Spanish prelate of the fifteenth century. He served as Bishop of Girona , Bishop of Tarragona , and finally Archbishop of Zaragoza ....
- 1431-1433 : Gonzalo Fernández de Hijar
- 1434-1445 : Domingo Ram y LanajaDomingo Ram y LanajaDomenec Ram y Lanaja was a Spanish politician and diplomat who was Viceroy of Sicily in 1415–1419, succeeding Prince John of Aragon, later King John II of Aragon.-Biography:He was born in Alcañiz, in what is now the province of Teruel....
- 1445-1489 : Pedro de Urrea
- 1490-1511 : Gonzalo Fernández de Heredia y de Bardají
- 1512-1514 : Alfonso de Aragón y Sánchez
- 1515-1530 : Pedro Folc de CardonaPedro Folc de CardonaPedro Folc de Cardona, a.k.a. Pedro de Cardona, deceased from the black death at Alcover, province of Tarragona, Spain, 11 April 1530, Bishop of Urgel, 1472–1515, President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, 1482–1485, editor of the Usatges de Barcelona, 1505, Viceroy of Catalonia, 1521–1523,...
- 1531-1532 : Luis Folc de Cardona y Enríquez
- 1533-1558 : Girolamo Doria
- 1560-1567 : Fernando de Loaces y Pérez
- 1567-1568 : Bartolomé Sebastián Valero de Arroitia
- 1568-1575 : Gaspar Cervantes de Gaeta — (also Gaspar de Cervantes)
- 1576-1586 : Antonio Agustín y AlbanellAntonio Agustín y AlbanellAntonio Agustín y Albanell , also referred to as Augustinus, was a Spanish Humanist historian, jurist and Roman Catholic archbishop of Tarragona who pioneered the historical research of the sources of canon law....
- 1587-1603 : Juan Terés y Borrull
- 1604-1611 : Juan de Vic y Manrique
- 1613-1622 : Juan de Moncada y Gralla
- 1624-1626 : Juan de Hoces
- 1627-1633 : Juan de Guzmán y Mendoza
- 1633-1637 : Antonio Pérez y Maxo
- 1653-1663 : Francisco de Rojas y Artés
- 1663-1679 : Juan Manuel de Espinosa y Manuel
- 1680-1694 : José Sanchís y Ferrandis
- 1695-1710 : José Llinás y Aznar
- 1712-1719 : Isidoro de Beltrán
- 1720-1721 : Miguel Juan de Taverner y Rubí
- 1721-1728 : Manuel de Samaniego y Jaca
- 1728-1753 : Pedro de Copons y Copons
- 1753-1762 : Jaime de Cortada y Bru
- 1763-1764 : Lorenzo Despuig y Cotoner
- 1764-1777 : Juan Lario y Lanzis
- 1779-1783 : Joaquín de Santiyán y Valdivieso
- 1785-1803 : Francisco Armañá y Font
- 1804-1816 : Romualdo Mon y Velarde
- 1818-1819 : Antonio Bergosa y Jordán
- 1820-1825 : Jaime Creus Martí
- 1826-1854 : Antonio Fernando de Echanove y de Zaldívar
- 1857-1864 : José Domingo Costa y Borrás
- 1864-1870 : Francisco Fleix y Solans
- 1875-1878 : Constantino Boney y Zanuy
- 1879-1888 : Benito Vilamitjana y Vila
- 1889-1911 : Tomás Costa y Fornaguera
- 1913-1918 : Antolín López Peláez
- 1919-1943 : Francisco Vidal y BarraquerFrancisco Vidal y BarraquerFrancisco de Asís Vidal y Barraquer was a Spanish Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Tarragona from 1919 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1921....
- 1944-1948 : Manuel Arce y OchotorenaManuel Arce y OchotorenaManuel Arce y Ochotorena was a Spanish Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Tarragona from 1944 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946 by Pope Pius XII.-Biography:...
- 1949-1970 : Benjamín de Arriba y CastroBenjamín de Arriba y CastroHe studied at the seminary in Madrid, the Pontifical Gregorian University and Angelicum in Rome, and the Pontifical University of Toledo. Arriba was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val on July 14, 1912, and then taught at the Madrid seminary until 1921...
- 1970-1983 : José Pont y Gol
- 1983-1996 : Ramón Torrella Cascante
- 1997-2004 : Lluís Martínez SistachLluís Martínez SistachLluís Cardinal Martínez Sistach is the current Archbishop of Barcelona.Martínez Sistach is the son of Juan Martínez Puig, a commercial representative, and María Sistach Masllorens, a housewife; they had three children, two girls and Lluís; they resided in the neighborhood of Guinardó, where his...
- 2004-today : Jaume Pujol Balcells