Guayana, Diocese of

GUAYANA, DIOCESI di. – Diocese in Venezuela, in South America. The residential see is in

Ciudad de Bolívar, capital of the State of Bolívar, situated on the right bank of the Orinoco River.

The diocese extends over 241,000 sq km; it has a population of 683,887 inhabitants, of whom 680,240 are Catholics, with 30 parishes, 16 diocesan priests and 12 religious priests, one seminary, 4 male and 7 female religious communities (1949).

The diocese was created by Pope Pius VI on 19 Dec. 1791; the first bishop was Mgr. Francesco de Ybarra.

Ciudad Bolívar was so named in 1818 to honor Simon Bolívar, but it was founded in 1762 by Moreno Mendoza, who had named it Nueva G., Angostura de Orinoco; it was later called simply Angostura.