Segorbe, Diocese of

SEGORBE, Diocese of. - City and diocese in Spain, suffragan of Valencia, in whose civil province and that of Castellon de la Plana it is situated; a few parishes are in those of Teruel and Cuenca. Erected under the name of "Segobriga" before the 6th century.

It has an area of 3,351 sq km, with a population of 67,500 inhabitants, almost all Catholics; it has 69 parishes, served by 59 diocesan priests and 5 religious, 3 male religious communities and 6 female (Ann. Pont. 1952, p. 374).

In the 6th century some bishops of this diocese are found, but in the 8th century it was destroyed by the Mohammedan invasion; it was later restored in 1171, and in the following century King James I of Aragon, conqueror of Valencia and the Balearic Islands, enriched it. The patron of the diocese is St. Joseph; there is nevertheless a special devotion to the sanctuary of the Cova Santa, existing a few kilometers from the capital; the feast is on September 11.

The Seminary was founded by Bishop Alfonso Cano in 1771, making use of the College of the Jesuits, then expelled, which had been built in 1630. The ancient Cathedral, converted into a mosque by the Moors, was restored by King James I, who made it a Gothic temple with three naves, completed in 1534. However, in the 18th century it was greatly enlarged and decorated; it has a single nave 50 m long, without transept or dome.