PORTO PRINCIPE (PORT-AU-PRINCE), ARCHDIOCESE OF. - Archdiocese and capital city of the Republic of Haiti in Central America. Its suffragans are the dioceses of Les Cayes, Capo Haitiano, Les Gonaïves, and Porto Pace.
Its area is 7,000 sq. km., with 1,000,000 inhabitants, of whom 900,000 are Catholics; it has 358 churches and 41 parishes, served by 81 diocesan priests and 44 regular clergy; 7 male and 5 female religious communities (Ann. Pont., 1952, p. 321).
The archdiocese was created by Pope Pio IX by bull of 3 Oct. 1861. It almost always had a French clergy; in the 18th century it was served by Dominicans, and after the French Revolution it was entrusted to an unworthy clergy, which was nevertheless replaced under the Concordat of 1860. Its first archbishop was Mons. Testard du Coquer (1863-69); among the others who succeeded him may be recalled Mons. Guilloux (1870-85), Mons. Hillion (1886-90), Mons. Tonti (1894-1902), and Mons. J. Conan (1903), who held the first Provincial Council of Haiti. In the archdiocese there is a college-seminary directed by the Fathers of the Holy Spirit, but the principal seminary is in France. There are also other educational institutions, such as the Institute of S. Luigi Gonzaga, and others for female education. Among the more notable religious buildings are the new Cathedral and the churches of S. Anna, S. Giuseppe, S. Francesco, and S. Antonio.