NITERÓI, DIOCESE OF. – A city and diocese in the State of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). It borders the dioceses of Barra do Piraí, Valença, Rio de Janeiro, and Juiz de Fora.
It has a population of over 700,000 inhabitants (1947) with 37 parishes served, in addition to diocesan priests, by religious communities (Premonstratensians, Franciscans, Jesuits, Lazarists, Salesians, Fathers of the Little Work of Divine Providence and of St Francis de Sales) and 16 female religious communities; it also has a minor seminary.
The diocese was created by Leo XIII with the bull *Ad universas orbis Ecclesias* of 27 April 1892, with the episcopal see at Niterói. On 16 July 1895, however, the episcopal see was transferred to the city of Campos, from where on 16 July 1897 it was moved to Petrópolis, where it remained until 1907; from 1908 the residence was again established at Niterói. The first bishop was Msgr. F. del Rego Maia (1893–1902). The patroness of the diocese is Our Lady Help of Christians; the titular of the cathedral is St John the Baptist.