SAN CRISTOBAL DE LA LAGUNA, Diocese of. - A modern diocese in the Canary Islands, called "Nivariensis" and commonly known as the Diocese of Tenerife from the name of the largest island in the archipelago.
It has an area of 3,409 sq. km. with a population of 443,851, of whom 399,056 are Catholics distributed in 17 parishes, served by 111 diocesan priests and 60 regular clergy; it has a seminary, 14 male religious communities and 41 female (Ann. Pont., 1952, p. 340). The episcopal see is at San Cristóbal de La Laguna.
Since 1406 the territory of the diocese formed part of that of the Canaries (v.), but at the beginning of the 19th century it was divided in 1819 by a bull of Pius VII (in agreement with the government of Ferdinand VII of Spain), which subjected to the new see the islands of Tenerife, Gomera, Hierro and La Palma, declaring it a suffragan of Seville. However, in the early years it had no bishops, being instead governed by vicars capitular who were three in number until 1895, when the first prelate, Luigi Falgueras, arrived; but after this prelate, it again received only vicars capitular and was then governed by the bishops of the Canaries with the title of apostolic administrators. The episcopal see was suppressed in 1851 by virtue of the Concordat signed that year between Pius IX and the government of Queen Isabella II, but it was re-established in 1877, and since then it has been governed by bishops. The patrons of the diocese are the Madonna of Purification and St. Christopher. The feast days are February 2 and July 27. When the diocese was erected in 1819, the parish church of the Madonna of Remedies was elevated to the honor of cathedral, but during the suppression of the see it had the title of collegiate church; however, in 1878 it regained the status of cathedral by a bull of Pius IX. Since the original temple was threatening to collapse, it was completely rebuilt in reinforced concrete and opened for worship in 1913. It has three naves and is dedicated, as was the ancient one, to the Madonna of Remedies.