Ecclesiastical province Santiago de Chile Pope Francis Phone +56 9 6496 9113 Patron saint James, son of Zebedee | Rite Latin Rite Area 9,132 km² Country Chile | |
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Population
- Total
- Catholics (as of 2010)
5,848,000
4,059,000 (69.4%) Established 27 June 1561 (455 years ago) Cathedral Metropolitan Cathedral of St James Address Plaza de Armas 444, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chile Profiles | ||
The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile (Latin: Archidioecesis Sancti Iacobi in Chile) is part of the Roman Catholic Church in Chile. The current Archbishop is Ricardo Ezzati Andrello. Its seat is the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago.
Contents
History
On 27 June 1561, Pope Pius IV established the Diocese of Santiago de Chile from the Diocese of La Plata o Charcas and the Archdiocese of Lima. It lost territory in 1563 to form the Diocese of Concepción and the Diocese of Córdoba in 1570. Pope Gregory XVI elevated the diocese to an archdiocese on 21 May 1840. Since then it has lost territory six more time to establish the diocese's of La Serena (1840), Valparaíso (1872), Rancagua (1925), San Felipe (1925), San Bernardo (1987), and Melipilla (1991).