BARQUISIMETO, DIOCESE OF. — In the Republic of Venezuela, Lara State, suffragan of Santiago de Venezuela, with its seat in Barquisimeto. Erected on 4 May 1847, it was inaugurated only in 1867, with its seat in Coro and under the name of Coro. In 1870 the see was transferred to Barquisimeto, under its original name, which it has since retained, despite a decree of the Sacred Consistorial Congregation of 12 February 1907 that sought to change its name to Carabobo. Until 1922 it included, besides Lara State, also those of Carabobo and Falcón; but in that year, with the creation of the dioceses of Coro and Valencia in the States of Falcón and Carabobo respectively, the diocese was reduced by the loss of these two States.
It is divided into 60 parishes, with 26 diocesan priests and 18 regulars. It has a population of 500,000 inhabitants, almost all Catholic, over an area of 40,000 sq km.