COCHABAMBA, DIOCESI di. - In the Republic of Bolivia, erected by Pius IX on 23 June 1847.
It has a population of 642,000 inhabitants, of whom 635,000 are Catholics, divided among 53 parishes, with 67 diocesan and 32 regular priests (1948). It is suffragan to La Paz. The first diocesan synod was celebrated on 8 Dec. 1872. Besides the fine Cathedral, the episcopal city possesses several noteworthy churches: S. Francesco, S. Giuseppe, S. Giovanni di Dio, S. Domenico, S. Antonio, the Jesuit church, etc.; moreover, in the same city are the convent of S. Francesco and the monasteries of S. Chiara, the Capuchin nuns, and S. Teresa. In former times there were six other convents, of which the oldest, S. Agostino, is now the Acha theatre; the convent and church of the Mercede have been transformed into a public market, while the others have been adapted for schools or hospitals. The most celebrated shrines of the diocese are those of Toco, Misque, and Arani. The Cathedral possesses a fine collection of artistic paintings; the ancient convent of the Carmelite nuns has 5 canvases by Goya, and the Franciscan convent a good library. Giovanni Meza