LUGO, Diocese of. - Diocese in Spanish Galicia; its boundaries coincide with those of the province of the same name; it has an area of 11,512 sq km with a population of 391,301 inhabitants, of whom 391,206 are Catholics. It has 639 parishes with 617 diocesan priests and 79 regulars, 2 seminaries, 7 male religious communities and 16 female (1949).
L., the ancient Lucus Augusta, is the seat of one of the oldest Spanish bishoprics, whose origins go back to the 2nd or 3rd century. At first it was a suffragan of Braga, then became a metropolitan see in 559, but in 714 it was invaded by the Arabs. Reconquered in 755 by Alfonso I of Asturias, the diocese was re-established under Bishop Odoario. Since then it has been a suffragan of the metropolitan see of Santiago de Compostela. Among the monasteries of the diocese, that of the Benedictines of Samos, founded in 759, deserves to be noted.
Among the artistic monuments of L. one should note the Cathedral, begun in the 12th century, in Romanesque style with Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassical additions, and the churches of St. Francis, with a fine cloister, and of St. Dominic. The monstrance with two adoring angels that appears in the coat of arms of L. is a reminder of the city's deep devotion to the Most Holy Eucharist. The patron of the diocese is St. Froilan of León. The Cathedral is dedicated to Mary Most Holy.
Bibliography3 works
Ignazio Ortiz de Urbina