Jaén, Diocese of (JAÉN, DIOCESI DI) - Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. VII, p. 357

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

JAÉN, DIOCESI di. - Suffragan of the metropolis of Granada in Spain, included within the civil province of the same name, minus a southeastern portion. The diocese has an area of 13,000 sq. km. with a population of 780,000 inhabitants, all Catholics, distributed across 158 parishes, served by 210 diocesan priests

Article illustration — JAÉN, diocesi di. - Church of S. Nicola di Obeda, Chapel of Dean Don Fernando Ortega Salido, Portal by André de Valdeelvira (16th cent.).
(phot. Max - Barcelona)

and 50 regulars, a seminary, 10 male and 65 female religious communities (1949).

It was founded in 1248; but since in that year it was transferred from Baeza, and this see had possessed since 675 the succession of the destroyed see of Castulo, which in turn in 298 had succeeded the ancient Iliturgia (Andujar) of the 1st century, as is believed in Spain, it is claimed to derive from apostolic times and precisely from St. Euphrasius, who is the patron of the diocese. The city of Baeza had been razed to the ground during the invasion of the Muslim Almohads, but was reconquered by St. Ferdinand in 1227, a fortunate event that immediately brought about the re-establishment of the episcopal see. However, the same holy King, having defeated and driven the Moors from J. in 1246, obtained from Pope Innocent IV that the bishop should move from Baeza to the new city; the faithful of Baeza, however, asked the same Pope that their diocese be preserved though united with that of J., and so it was done. To this day, therefore, the bishop of J. has two Cathedrals with two Chapters and two seminaries; the major one in J. (theology and philosophy), the minor one in Baeza (Latin and humanities). The cathedral of J. was rebuilt in 1540 and belongs to the style called Granadan, with a Latin cross and three naves. During the Marxist revolution, 150 priests of this diocese were killed. Among the bishops, worthy of mention are St. Peter Pascual (13th cent.) and Cardinals Merino, Sandoval, and Pacheco, the latter famous for his intervention in the first part of the Council of Trent.

BIBL.: F. Rus Puerta, Historia eclesiastica del reino y obispado de J., Jaén 1634; E. Flórez, España Sagrada, VII, Madrid 1751, pp. 106-22; P. B. Gams, Kirchengeschichte von Spanien, I, Regensburg 1862, pp. 186-92; Anuario religioso español, 1947, ivi 1947, pp. 391-92.

Giuseppe M. Pou y Marti