GARANHUNS, DIOCESE of. — City and diocese of Brazil, situated in the eastern part of the State of Pernambuco. The locality of G., at 894 m above sea level, became a city in 1879.
It has an area of 11,500 sq km, with a population of 618,278 inhabitants, of whom 617,278 are Catholics, distributed among 22 parishes with 109 churches, 24 diocesan priests and 11 religious priests, 3 male and 6 female religious communities (1949). The population is engaged in agriculture and commerce.
It was erected as a diocese on 2 August 1918 by decree of the Sacred Consistorial Congregation, through the detachment from the diocese of Olinda of 15 parishes; the church of S. Antonio di Padova was elevated to cathedral status. Its first bishop, Msgr. Giovanni Tavares de Moura, was elected at the Consistory of 3 July 1919. The diocese is a suffragan of Olinda a Recife.