ASTORGA, DIOCESE of. — In Spain, suffragan of Valladolid since 1851. The ancient Asturica Augusta, in the province of León, 40 km from that city, stands on a hill (870 m) in the upper basin of the Duero and has approximately 7,000 inhabitants. It was an episcopal see by the middle of the 3rd century. In this first period, two points stand out in its history: Priscillianism in the 4th and 5th centuries, and the monasticism that flourished in the 7th century (v. BRAGA, san). A. was later the metropolis of Galicia (4th century and first half of the 5th century). After the disappearance of the kingdom of the Suebi, in 585 it became suffragan of Braga, remaining so until 1851. From 714–15 until the end of the 9th century there is no longer any certain information about the diocese; it flourished again in the 10th century through the work of the bishops St Gennadio (899–920), Fortis (920–29), and Salomone (931–51). A., the Bierzo, and other districts
of the diocese became populated with monasteries. The monks, as well as the clergy and the population, were for the most part “Mozarabs,” who had come from southern Spain. From 1034 to 1041 the bishop was the chronicler Sampiro; Pietro Andrés IV attended the Fourth Lateran Council (1215); the Franciscan Fernando d’A., residing in Portugal and appointed bishop by Urban VI, was never able to reach A., since it was under the obedience of the Avignon popes. The bishops of A. also took part in the Council of Trent. During the 16th century three diocesan synods were held (1518, 1533, 1592). The cathedral chapter, very numerous in earlier centuries, has since 1851 consisted of 7 dignitaries, 7 canons, and 12 beneficiaries. The marquis d’A., by grant of Clement VII, had the right to present candidates for vacant positions in the chapter. The present diocesan seminary was established by Bishop Antonio López (1785–87) and enlarged by his successors, while the minor seminary was founded by Msgr. Senso Lázaro (1915).
Among the shrines of the Madonna, that of S. Maria de las Ermitas, built by Bishop A. Mexia Tovar (1624), is famous. The cathedral (15th–18th centuries) is in the Gothic “Plateresque” and Baroque styles; it possesses a rich artistic treasury and, since 1918, an archaeological museum. The altarpiece of the high altar is the masterpiece of Gaspare Becerra (1569).
The fortnightly diocesan bulletin has been published since 1852. Statistics: 12,461 sq. km, 500,000 inhabitants, all Catholics; 887 parishes, 637 diocesan priests, and 24 religious priests.