Denomination Roman Catholic Patron saint Augustine of Hippo | Established 563 Area 5,300 km² Country Portugal Metropolitan archbishop Jorge Ortiga | |
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Population- Total- Catholics (as of 2006)562,000505,000 (89.9%) Bishop Virgílio do Nascimento Antunes Ecclesiastical province Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Braga | ||
The Diocese of Coimbra (Latin: Dioecesis Conimbricensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in Coimbra, Portugal. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Braga.
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History
The first known bishop was Lucentius, who assisted (563) at the first council of Braga, the metropolitan See of Coimbra, until the latter was attached to the ecclesiastical province of Mérida (650-62). Titular bishops of Coimbra continued the succession under the Islamic conquest, one of whom witnessed the consecration of the church of Santiago de Compostela in 876.
The see was re-established in 1088, after the reconquest of the city of Coimbra by the Christian forces of Sisnando Davides (1064). The first bishop of the new series was Martin. Among the more famous bishops have been Pedro (1300), chancellor of King Dinis, and Manuel de Menezes (1573–78), rector of the University of Coimbra, who fell with King Sebastian on the Battle of Alcácer Quibir. The Old Cathedral of Coimbra, built in the first half of the 12th century, partly at the expense of Bishop Miguel and his chapter, is a remarkable monument of Romanesque architecture. The new cathedral, a Renaissance church built in 1580 as a Jesuit church for its adjacent college, is other important monument. The episcopal palace was built in the 18th century. The principal monastery of the diocese is Santa Cruz Monastery, founded in 1131 by Afonso Henriques, and for some time the most important in the kingdom by reason of its wealth and privileges. Its prior was authorized by Anastasius IV and Celestine III to wear the episcopal insignia.
Academic Centre of Christian Democracy
The Academic Center of Christian Democracy is an association of Christian inspiration, belonging to the Diocese of Coimbra, which provides support to university students, who study in the University of Coimbra. Notable members include António de Oliveira Salazar.