ORIHUELA, DIOCESE OF. - A city and diocese of the civil province of Alicante, in Spain.
It extends over 3,200 sq. km. with a population of 445,000, of whom 444,000 are Catholics distributed in 81 parishes. It has 176 diocesan priests and 55 regular clergy, one seminary, 14 male religious communities and 50 female (Ann. Pont., 1952, p. 302).
No authoritative document supports the oral tradition that it was founded by Bishop Indalecius in the 1st century, nor can it be demonstrated that it was governed in the 3rd century by a bishop named Eulogian. If this diocese existed before the Middle Ages, it was certainly destroyed by the Saracens, who dominated Spain from the 8th century, from whom the region was liberated by King James I of Aragon in the 13th century. The principal church of Orihuela had the title of collegiate church from the antipope Benedict XIII, confirmed in 1418 by Martin V. An attempt was made in 1440 to erect it into a cathedral, but due to difficulties it was only granted the privilege of a general vicariate. Julius II in 1513 wished it to be a cathedral "sub uno pastore" with the diocese of Cartagena. Finally, in 1564 the episcopal see was erected. By order of Pius IV, three cardinals were appointed to investigate, after hearing the interested parties, the advisability of separating the church of Orihuela from that of Cartagena. On 14 July of that same year, the bull was published, thus yielding to the requests of King Philip II, who presented as the first bishop the master Gregorio Gallo of Burgos. The cathedral, dedicated to the Most Holy Saviour and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, presents a combination of Gothic and Neoclassical styles; in its construction both the Castilian and Valencian schools intervened: the former is distinguished in the naves, the latter in the side chapels. Also notable is the collegiate church of Alicante, built by King Alfonso the Wise, son of St. Ferdinand, and rebuilt in the 17th century. The diocese has as its patron St. Vincent Ferrer.