Tananarive [Antananarivo], Vicariate Apostolic of

TANANARIVE [ANTANANARIVO], VICARIATE APOSTOLIC OF. - It is located in the central part of Madagascar.

After various unsuccessful attempts made under Queen Ranavalona I (d. 16 Aug. 1861), Radama II finally permitted the missionaries to go to T., where Fr. Weber arrived in Sept. 1861, followed later by other missionaries. The following year the first Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny went there. The Protestants too settled in T. in the same year (1861) and succeeded in obtaining recognition of Protestantism as the State religion. The mission developed rapidly, but during the war of the French against the Hova it suffered greatly, as also from the anticlericalism of the French government, which had taken possession of the Island.

On 21 Jan. 1848 the apostolic prefecture of Madagascar was elevated to an apostolic vicariate. On 4 Sept. of the same year the apostolic prefecture of the Islands of St. Mary, Mayotte and Nossi-Be was detached from it, to which on 27 Nov. 1858 the Islands of Anjouan, Mohély and Grande Comore were also annexed. On 16 Jan. 1896 the apostolic vicariate of Madagascar was divided into the apostolic vicariate of Northern Madagascar for the Jesuits with its seat at T. and the apostolic vicariate of Southern Madagascar for the Lazarists with its seat at Fort-Dauphin. The boundary was the 22nd parallel. On 5 July 1898 from the apostolic vicariate of Northern Madagascar the central zone of the island was detached to form the apostolic vicariate of Central Madagascar for the Jesuits, and the northern one passed to the Spiritans. On 10 May 1913 from the apostolic vicariate of Central Madagascar the apostolic vicariate of Fianarantsoa (v.) was detached, and on 15 May 1913 the apostolic prefecture of Betafo, now the apostolic vicariate of Antsirabé (v.). On 20 May 1913 the apostolic vicariate of Central Madagascar was named the apostolic vicariate of T. On 13 Dec. 1933 from the apostolic vicariates of T. and of Majunga the mission "sui iuris" of Mianarivo (v.) was detached, now an apostolic vicariate. On 18 June 1935 from the apostolic vicariates of T. and Fianarantsoa the apostolic prefecture of Vatomandry was detached, now the apostolic vicariate of Tamatave (v.). After all these divisions T. has become one of the smallest apostolic vicariates.

It has an area of 20,000 sq. km. with about 6,000,000 inhabitants, of whom 158,161 are Catholics, 8,572 catechumens, 200,393 Protestants, 102,477 pagans and a few hundred Muslims. There are 102 missionaries, 157 brothers, 208 sisters. There is the regional major seminary and the minor one. Catechists 634, quasi-parishes 8, principal mission stations 21, secondary 609. Elementary schools 234, middle schools 18, higher schools 12, vocational 3, teacher-training 2. The mission is in full development also through the organization of pious associations and of Catholic Action.

Saverio Paventi