San Cristoforo della Laguna, Diocese of

SAN CRISTOFORO DELLA LAGUNA, DIOCESE of. — A modern diocese in the Canary Islands, called “Nivariensis” and commonly known as that of Tenerife, after the largest island of the archipelago.

It has an area of 3,499 sq km and a population of 443,851 inhabitants, of whom 399,056 are Catholics distributed among 117 parishes, served by 111 diocesan priests and 60 religious priests; it has one seminary, 14 male and 41 female religious communities (Ann. Pont., 1952, p. 340). The episcopal residence is in S. Cristobal della Laguna.

From 1406 the territory of the diocese formed Canaries (v.), but at the beginning of the nineteenth century it was divided in two, in 1819, by a bull of Pius VII (in agreement with the government of Ferdinand VII of Spain), which placed the islands of Tenerife, Gomera, Hierro, and La Palma under the new see, declaring it a suffragan of Seville. In its early years, however, it had no bishops, being instead governed by capitular vicars, of whom there were three until 1805, when the first prelate, Luigi Falgueras, went there; but after this prelate it again received only capitular vicars and was then administered 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; it was re-established in 1877, so that to the present day it has been governed by eight bishops. The patrons of the diocese are Our Lady of the Purification and s. Christopher. Their feasts are celebrated on 2 February and 27 July. When the diocese was erected, in 1819, the parish of Our Lady of Remedies was raised to the dignity of a cathedral church; during the suppression of the see, however, it was given the title of collegiate church, but in 1878 it regained the status of cathedral by a bull of Pius IX. Since the original temple threatened to collapse, it was entirely rebuilt in reinforced concrete and opened for worship in 1913. It has three naves and is dedicated, like the former church, to Our Lady of Remedies. Wishing to establish the Seminary, the bishop

(courtesy of Prof. Valerio Mariani)
SAND, GEORGE – Engraved portrait by L. Calamatta from a drawing from life (1840).

In 1877, Alfonso Infante Macias made use of the former Dominican convent, ceded by the State to the episcopal mensa, which subsequently underwent considerable improvements.