CADIZ and CEUTA, Diocese of. — Cadiz is a very ancient maritime city on the Atlantic, founded around 140 BC by the Phoenicians, who called it Gadir; the Romans conquered it in 203 BC and renamed it Gades; it became Julia Gaditana under Julius Caesar, Augusta Gaditana under Augustus, and the center of the Roman *conventus Gaditanus*. It is believed that the ancient church of Asido corresponds to this city, founded at Medina Sidonia after the Visigothic conquest. Its first bishop, Rufinus, appears at the Second Council of Seville (c. 619). Bishop Pimenius attended the three Councils of Toledo (IV, VI, and VII, held in 633, 638, and 646). The diocese was transferred to Cadiz in 1265, after having been for some time at Algeciras. When the city of Cadiz was destroyed in 1379 by Muhammad V, the episcopal see was moved back to Medina Sidonia; it returned to Cadiz and remained there until 1596, when it had to emigrate again for a few months to Medina Sidonia due to the English raid on Cadiz, during which the English destroyed the cathedral and took most of the Chapter captive. At present, it is called "C. and C.," having been united with the other diocese of Morocco, founded in 1841 and suppressed in 1851.
The area of the united diocese is 3,819 km², with 460,004 inhabitants, of whom 446,991 are Catholic. It has 61 parishes served by 131 diocesan priests and 73 regular clergy. It is a suffragan of Seville. The patroness of the diocese is the Most Holy Virgin of the Rosary, by a vow made in 1630, renewed on 9 November 1755, and confirmed by Pius IX on 27 June 1867; the martyrs Servandus and Germanus (BHL, 7608) were proclaimed patrons on 21 October 1619, St. Joseph on 10 April 1707, St. Francis Xavier on 25 February 1706, and St. Roch on 15 November 1738.
The cathedral, rebuilt after its original destruction, was completed in 1613 and again rebuilt from 1722 to 1855. It seems that St. Ferdinand, after the conquest of Cadiz, decided to establish it as a diocese, which was carried out by his son Alfonso X, who appointed as first bishop the Franciscan John Martinez. Four cardinals governed this diocese, TORQUEMADA, JUAN DE (v.), Carafa, Accolti, and Zapputa.