Parishes 119 Established 10 July 1770 | Denomination Roman Catholic Area 12,300 km² | |
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Population- Total- Catholics (as of 2012)223,200186,100 (83.4%) Bishop António Vitalino Fernandes Dantas Ecclesiastical province Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Evora Metropolitan archbishop José Francisco Sanches Alves | ||
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Beja (Latin: Dioecesis Beiensis) is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Évora.
History
Beja lies on the site of Pax Julia, or Paca, of the Romans, and is still surrounded by remains of old Roman walls, partly restored. The diocese was created 10 June, 1770. Beja was taken from its Islamic rulers in 1162 by Afonso I of Portugal. Beja Cathedral is an old church, much modernized, of uncertain date.
The chronicler Isidorus Pacensis, of the eighth century, was traditionally said to have been bishop of Beja; but this is now disputed.
References
Roman Catholic Diocese of Beja Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA