TAMATAVE, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE of. - On the eastern coast of the island of Madagascar.
On 17 July 1832 Fr Henri de Solages, apostolic prefect of the island of Bourbon, now the islands of La Réunion, landed at T. in order to go to Tananarive to Queen Ranavalona I and obtain permission to preach the Gospel. The missionary died of privation on 8 Dec. 1832 along the way. He was succeeded by Fr M. Dalmond, who succeeded in forming a small Christian community on the island of S. Maria. There were other attempts, all unsuccessful. After the Queen’s death on 16 Aug. 1861, King Radama II granted full freedom to preach Christianity, and missionaries immediately came there from the island of Bourbon. During the wars of the French against the Hova, T. became a refuge for missionaries from the interior. On 18 June 1935, in order to preserve and also increase the Christian communities already founded, the apostolic prefecture of Vatomandry was erected, with territory detached from the apostolic vicariates of Tananarive and Fianarantsoa, and entrusted to the Missionary Priests of the Company of Mary (Montfort). On 25 May 1939 it was raised to the apostolic vicariate of T. with the addition of territory detached from the apostolic vicariates of Tananarive and Diego Suarez.
It has an area of approximately 32,200 sq. km. and a population of approximately 386,600 inhabitants, of whom 48,179 are Catholics, the rest Muslims or pagans. There are 40 missionaries, 30 brothers, 41 sisters, 30 churches, including 2 parishes, 86 elementary schools, 12 secondary schools, and 3 vocational schools. Pious associations and those of Catholic Action are well organized.