The Diocese of Astorga (Latin: Dioecesis Asturicensis) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church whose seat is in the city of Astorga, in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain.[1][2]
Diocese of Astorga
Dioecesis Asturicensis
Diócesis de Astorga
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Ecclesiastical province | Oviedo |
| Metropolitan | Oviedo |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 11,535 km2 (4,454 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2012) 277,800 269,600 (97%) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Established | 747 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady in Astroga |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Jesús Fernández González |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Jesús Sanz Montes |
| Map | |
 | |
| Website | |
| Website of the Diocese | |
The diocese is a part of the ecclesiastical province of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oviedo since 1954. It traces its foundation to the 3rd century, making it one of the oldest in Spain.[3]
The first bishop for whom there is any documentary evidence was Belisarius, who served during the reign (from 249 to 251) of the Emperor Decius and faced the persecution waged under this ruler. The bishop was dismissed from his position, accused of having been a libellaticus, i.e., a Christian who had offered sacrifice to the Roman gods to avoid arrest. The bishop was re-instated after the intervention of the prominent African bishop, Cyprian, and Pope Stephen I. It was a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Braga[3]
The next bishop, Sabinus, led the Christian community through the persecution of the Emperor Valerian. The Christians martyred during this period included the schoolboys saints, Justus and Pastor, as well as their aunt, Martha, who became the patron saint of the diocese. The diocese was represented at the Synod of Elvira (ca. A.D. 305), the first major assembly of the Church in Hispania.[3]
During the waves of invasion of the peninsula by the Germanic tribes, one bishop was the noted Turibio. He documented the conversion of the Suebic King ResimundtoArianism, and worked to restore the churches destroyed by the Visigothic King Theodoric II. The bishop was able to travel to Rome, from which he brought back what is believed to be a relic of the True Cross, for which he founded the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana, where it is still preserved.[3]
The diocese maintains its own school of formation for its clergy, the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, which was founded on 1 November 1766, with the current structure being built in 1799.[4]