Juan Solano
Encyclopedia
Juan Solano, O.P. was a Spanish
Dominican
missionary and the second Roman Catholic bishop of Cuzco, Peru
.
, a town in the province of Málaga, Spain
. He studied at the Colegio de San Esteban of the University of Salamanca
. It was there that he decided to enter the Dominican Order. He began his novitiate in the last months of 1524, and made his final profession on December 24, 1525. Solano then served in various positions before becoming prior of the convent of Santo Domingo in Peñafiel.
In September 1543, Solano was nominated as bishop of Cuzco by Emperor Charles V
. Without waiting for papal confirmation and still not consecrated to the episcopacy, Solano took the opportunity to embark to Peru with the viceroy
Blasco Núñez Vela
. They left Sanlúcar de Barrameda
on November 3, 1543 and arrived at Nombre de Dios in Panama
on January 10 of the following year. On January 24, 1544, Solano set sail from Panama, landing at Tumbes on March 4 and continuing the journey by land to Lima
.
Due to the rebellion of Gonzalo Pizarro
, Solano was unable to enter Cuzco and take possession of his see
. Instead, he joined the royal army. He was first able to enter Cuzco on November 3, 1545, and was finally consecrated bishop of Cuzco on October 24, 1546 by his fellow Dominican, the archbishop Jerónimo de Loayza
. He was, however, forced out of the city after the Battle of Huarina
in 1547. Because of his loyalty to the king, Solano roused the ire of the rebel Francisco de Carvajal
, who commented that he, "having sat in his church and prayed for peace among Christians, walked around the camp like a field marshal". After the defeat at Huarina, Solano joined the forces of Pedro de la Gasca
. He was present at the Battle of Jaquijahuana
, which decisively ended the uprising in favor of the royalist Viceroyalty of Peru
.
As bishop, Solano was an eager defender of the rights of the native Peruvians. He obtained money from the Spanish conquistadores for the purpose of relieving the suffering of the native population, with which he built the Hospital de San Lázaro. This hospital, finished in 1552, was the first of its kind in Peru. His episcopacy also saw the laying of the foundation of the cathedral of Cuzco.
Solano returned to Spain in October 1560, intending to request the division of his diocese, which he considered too large for a single bishop. Having failed in Spain, he traveled to Rome
, hoping to interest Pope Pius IV
in his cause. Once again he failed and resigned as bishop in 1562. He retired to the convent of Santa Maria sopra Minerva
, and in his later days was involved in the founding of the College of St. Thomas, which survives today as the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. He died in Rome on February 19, 1580.
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
missionary and the second Roman Catholic bishop of Cuzco, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
Biography
Juan Solano was born in about 1504 in ArchidonaArchidona
Archidona is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 50 kilometres from the city of Málaga and 20 from Antequera. It has a population of approximately 8,500 residents. The natives...
, a town in the province of Málaga, 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...
. He studied at the Colegio de San Esteban of the University of Salamanca
University of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the town of Salamanca, west of Madrid. It was founded in 1134 and given the Royal charter of foundation by King Alfonso IX in 1218. It is the oldest founded university in Spain and the third oldest European...
. It was there that he decided to enter the Dominican Order. He began his novitiate in the last months of 1524, and made his final profession on December 24, 1525. Solano then served in various positions before becoming prior of the convent of Santo Domingo in Peñafiel.
In September 1543, Solano was nominated as bishop of Cuzco by Emperor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
. Without waiting for papal confirmation and still not consecrated to the episcopacy, Solano took the opportunity to embark to Peru with the viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
Blasco Núñez Vela
Blasco Núñez Vela
Blasco Núñez Vela y Villalba was the first Spanish viceroy of Peru, from May 15, 1544 to January 18, 1546. He was charged by King Charles I with the enforcement of the controversial New Laws, which dealt with the failure of the encomienda system to protect the indigenous people of America from the...
. They left Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Sanlúcar de Barrameda is a city in the northwest of Cádiz province, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Sanlúcar is located on the left bank at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River opposite the Doñana National Park, 52 km from the provincial capital Cádiz and...
on November 3, 1543 and arrived at Nombre de Dios in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
on January 10 of the following year. On January 24, 1544, Solano set sail from Panama, landing at Tumbes on March 4 and continuing the journey by land to Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
.
Due to the rebellion of Gonzalo Pizarro
Gonzalo Pizarro
Gonzalo Pizarro y Alonso was a Spanish conquistador and younger paternal half-brother of Francisco Pizarro, the conqueror of the Inca Empire...
, Solano was unable to enter Cuzco and take possession of his 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...
. Instead, he joined the royal army. He was first able to enter Cuzco on November 3, 1545, and was finally consecrated bishop of Cuzco on October 24, 1546 by his fellow Dominican, the archbishop Jerónimo de Loayza
Jerónimo de Loayza
Jerónimo de Loayza González, O.P. was a Spanish Dominican missionary and the first Roman Catholic archbishop of Lima.-Biography:...
. He was, however, forced out of the city after the Battle of Huarina
Battle of Huarina
After sending away royal appointed governor of the Viceroyalty of Peru, Blasco Núñez Vela and later defeating and killing him in the battle of Añaquito, Gonzalo Pizarro assembled an army of 1,200 men to press claims for the rule over Peru, once belonging to him and his brothers...
in 1547. Because of his loyalty to the king, Solano roused the ire of the rebel Francisco de Carvajal
Francisco de Carvajal
Francisco de Carvajal was a Spanish military officer, conquistador, and explorer remembered as "the demon of the Andes" due to his brutality and uncanny military skill in the Peruvian civil wars of the 16th century....
, who commented that he, "having sat in his church and prayed for peace among Christians, walked around the camp like a field marshal". After the defeat at Huarina, Solano joined the forces of Pedro de la Gasca
Pedro de la Gasca
Pedro de la Gasca was a Spanish bishop, diplomat and the second viceroy of Peru, from April 10, 1547 to January 27, 1550....
. He was present at the Battle of Jaquijahuana
Battle of Jaquijahuana
After the successful Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, the assassination of Francisco Pizarro in 1541, and the execution of his main antagonist, Diego de Almagro and his son, El Mozo , most of the competent commanders of the recently founded New Castile Governorate had been lost in the ensuing...
, which decisively ended the uprising in favor of the royalist Viceroyalty of Peru
Viceroyalty of Peru
Created in 1542, the Viceroyalty of Peru was a Spanish colonial administrative district that originally contained most of Spanish-ruled South America, governed from the capital of Lima...
.
As bishop, Solano was an eager defender of the rights of the native Peruvians. He obtained money from the Spanish conquistadores for the purpose of relieving the suffering of the native population, with which he built the Hospital de San Lázaro. This hospital, finished in 1552, was the first of its kind in Peru. His episcopacy also saw the laying of the foundation of the cathedral of Cuzco.
Solano returned to Spain in October 1560, intending to request the division of his diocese, which he considered too large for a single bishop. Having failed in Spain, he traveled to 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...
, hoping to interest Pope Pius IV
Pope Pius IV
Pope Pius IV , born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was Pope from 1559 to 1565. He is notable for presiding over the culmination of the Council of Trent.-Biography:...
in his cause. Once again he failed and resigned as bishop in 1562. He retired to the convent of Santa Maria sopra Minerva
Santa Maria sopra Minerva
The Basilica of Saint Mary Above Minerva is a titular minor basilica and one of the most important churches of the Roman Catholic Dominican order in Rome, Italy. The church, located in the Piazza della Minerva in the Campus Martius region, is considered the only Gothic church in Rome. It houses...
, and in his later days was involved in the founding of the College of St. Thomas, which survives today as the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. He died in Rome on February 19, 1580.
External links
- Bishop Juan Solano, O.P. at Catholic-Hierarchy.org