CAMPANHA, DIOCESI of. — In Brazil, situated in the southern part of the State of Minas Geraes, suffragan of the archdiocese of Marianna. Population 550,000, of whom 500,000 are Catholics; area approximately 20,400 lenq. The territory is predominantly mountainous and very rich in gold deposits and in abundant mineral-water springs. The diocese has 155 churches and 54 parishes; it has 62 diocesan priests and 27 religious priests (1948), and a minor seminary. Patroness: Our Lady of Mount Carmel. A city since 1840, C. lies at 878 m above sea level and has a population of more than 20,000 inhabitants.
The city of C. was founded in 1737 by an expedition of explorers of the sertão, known as “bandeirantes.” It is surrounded by deep fissures in the ground, vestiges of the first searches for gold and diamonds. It was subsequently called S. Antonio do Vale da Fiedade da Campanha do Rio Verde, Campanha da Princesa, and C. One of the conspirators of the Inconfidência mineira, an important insurrectionary movement against Portuguese rule that failed in 1789, lived in the city: the poet Alvarenga Peixoto. C. also played an important part in other independence movements, especially in the one that prepared the overthrow of the throne and the establishment of the republican regime.
The diocese, whose territory had first been included in the immense diocese of Marianna and subsequently in that of Porto Alegre, was detached from the latter by a consistorial decree of 8 September 1907 and established by the bull Spirituali fidelium of the same day.
The city of C., which still preserves its colonial appearance, is called the Atenas mineira on account of its serene tranquility and its numerous cultural institutions. It possesses a large colonial-style cathedral, with valuable carved, gilded woodwork; in addition, it has a historical museum, founded by the present bishop and named after him.