**CANARIES** – Archipelago of 14 islands (7 of which are major), of volcanic origin, situated in the North Atlantic to the SW of the Moroccan coast. It measures in total 7,496 sq. km., of which 3/4 are constituted by the three largest islands: Tenerife (ten times the size of Elba), Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria. They have a subtropical-oceanic climate, with very mild winters (17° C average in January at Las Palmas) and scarce rainfall; they are therefore renowned as winter health resorts. The soil, extremely fertile, produces early vegetables, bananas, tobacco, grapes, olives and citrus fruits. The position of the archipelago makes it a maritime stopover on routes from Europe to West Africa or Latin America. One of the islands, Ferro, was adopted (from 1634) as the fundamental meridian (20° W of Paris). Known since antiquity (*Jambulo Portunatorum*), they were rediscovered by the Italians in the 13th century and occupied by the Spanish in 1512. Today they form two provinces of metropolitan Spain (and are therefore generally assigned to Europe); of these, Las Palmas (which takes its name from the most populous city: 151,000 inhabitants) comprises Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote (4,053 sq. km., 375,744 inhabitants in 1947); Santa Cruz de Tenerife comprises the other eleven (3,443 sq. km. with 401,283 inhabitants).
Giuseppe Caraci
**DIOCESE OF THE CANARIES** – It was erected on 7 July 1406, during the Great Western Schism, by the Avignon pope Benedict XIII (Pedro de Luna), who wished the see to be established at Saint Martial of Rubicon on the island of Lanzarote. The first bishop was the Franciscan Alfonso of San Lucar de Barrameda. Among his successors were other members of the same Order and Dominicans, as well as a Jeronymite and a Benedictine. Innocent VIII in 1485 transferred the see to Las Palmas, but this disposition did not take effect until half a century later; since then the bishop has resided in this capital and has under his jurisdiction the islands of Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lobos and Lanzarote. In 1819 the diocese was divided, and the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma were constituted as the diocese of Tenerife or San Cristóbal de La Laguna (v.). It comprises 184 churches, 111 parishes, 135 secular priests and 43 regulars; the inhabitants number 340,215, the vast majority of whom are Catholic (1948). It is a suffragan of Seville and has as its patrons the Madonna of the Pine and St Peter Martyr.
Giuseppe Pou y Marti
**CANCILLERESCA, SCRITTURA** – Charter of Conrad III, 28 May 1139. St Gall, Abbey Archive.
cancelleresca, scrittura – Charter of Conrad III, 28 May 1139. St Gall, Abbey Archive.