Colombia—1

Spanish missionaries brought the Faith to what is now Colombia in 1508 and established the first dioceses in 1534.  A nation known as Gran Colombia declared its independence from Spain in 1819.  Gran Coloumbia split into smaller nations including Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela in 1830.  Colombia has 48 million people and 79 percent are Catholic.  About 14 percent are Protestant.

Colombia has 14 ecclesiastical provinces.  In addition, there is a military diocese, established in 1949, and an apostolic exarchate for Maronite-rite Catholics that was established in 2016 and is immediately subject to the Pope.  Colombia also has 10 apostolic vicariates that are immediately subject to the Pope.  (The date indicates the establishment of the apostolic vicariate.)

• Mitu (1989) serves the civil department of Vaupes. 
• Inirida (1996) serves the department of Guainia.
• Puerto Carreno (1999) serves the department of Vichada.
• Puerto Gaitan (1999) serves part of the department of Meta.
• Trinidad (1999) serves part of the department of Casanare.
• Tierradentro (2000) and Guapi (2001) serve parts of the department of Cauca.
• Leticia (2000) serves the department of Amazonas.
• San Andres y Providencia (2000) serves the department of San Andres y Providencia.
• Puerto Leguizamo-Solano (2013) serves part of the department of Putumayo.  

This blog covers seven ecclesiastic provinces in northern Colombia.

Province of Cartagena

The province consists of the civil departments of Bolivar, Cordoba, and Sucre.  The Diocese of Cartagena was created in 1534 and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cartagena in 1900.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Catherine of Alexandria is in Cartagena and was built between 1577 and 1612.  Work on the cathedral was interrupted in 1586 when the English, led by Francis Drake, attacked the city and caused severe damage to the unfinished cathedral.  The stone church has a gilded wooden altar, a Carrara marble pulpit, Italian marble floors, a domed clock tower, and a yellow-painted façade.  The Cathedral also has stone-carved Stations of the Cross and statues of Saints Peter, Paul, Gregory, and Sebastian.  Pope Pius XII designated the Cathedral as a minor basilica in 1953.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Monteria was created in 1954.
• The Diocese of Magangue was created in 1969.
• The Diocese of Sincelejo was created in 1969.
• The Diocese of Montelibano was created as an apostolic prefecture in 1924, an apostolic vicariate in 1950, a territorial prelature in 1969, and a diocese in 1998.

Province of Medellin

The province consists of part of the civil department of Antioquia.  The Diocese of Medellin-Antioquia was created in 1868 and was renamed Medellin in 1872.  It became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1902.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Medellin was designed by a French architect in a Romanesque style.  It was built using over a million bricks.  Construction of the church started in 1875 but was soon interrupted by civil war.  Construction resumed in 1886 and was completed in 1917.  The Cathedral has 76 stained glass windows made in Europe and a pipe organ made by the E.F. Walcker Company in Germany in 1932.  There are also many paintings and sculptures.  Pope Pius XII designated the Cathedral as a minor basilica in 1948.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Jerico was created in 1915, suppressed in 1917, and restored in 1941.
• The Diocese of Sonson-Rionegro was created as the Diocese of Sonson in 1957 and acquired its current name in 1968.
• The Diocese of Caldas was created in 1988.
• The Diocese of Girardota was created in 1988.

Province of Nueva Pamplona

The province consists of the civil departments of Norte de Santander and Arauca.  The Diocese of Nueva Pamplona was created in 1835 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1956.

The Cathedral of St. Clare in Pamplona was built in the 17th Century and was originally a convent chapel.  The stone façade uses both Baroque and Rococo styles and is flanked by a bell tower.  The main altar was made with carved and gilded wood and also employs Baroque and Rococo styles.  The oldest part of the altar dates to 1628.  The Cathedral also has other wood carvings dating to the 16th and 17th Centuries.  See www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HPuZUN3DPE.

From Panaramio and Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Cucuta was created in 1956.
• The Diocese of Ocana was created in 1962.
• The Diocese of Arauca was created as an apostolic prefecture in 1915, became an apostolic vicariate in 1970, and a diocese in 1984.
• The Diocese of Tibu was created as a territorial prelature in 1951 and became a diocese in 1998.

Province of Tunja

The province consists of parts of the departments of Boyaca and Casanare.  The Diocese of Tunja was created in 1880 and it was promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1964.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle in Tunja dates to the late 16th Century and is the oldest cathedral building in Columbia.  It has a single tower and was built using Neoclassical and Renaissance styles.  Pope John Paul II declared it a minor basilica in 1980.

The top picture is from Flickr and the bottom picture is from Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Duitama-Sogamoso was created as the Diocese of Duitama in 1955 and acquired its current name in 1994.
• Diocese of Chiquinquira was created in 1977.
• The Diocese of Garagoa was created in 1977.
• The Diocese of Yopal was created in as an apostolic vicariate in 1893 and became a diocese in 1999.

Province of Barranquilla

The province consists of the civil departments of Atlantico, Cesar, La Guarjira, and Magdalena.
The Diocese of Barranquilla was established in 1932 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1969.  The Cathedral of Mary, Our Queen, in Barranquilla was built in a modern design and can seat 4,000.  The building was completed in 1982 after 27 years of construction.

Both pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Santa Marta was created in 1534, suppressed in 1562, and was restored as a diocese in 1577.
• The Diocese of Valledupar was created as an apostolic vicariate in 1952 and became a diocese in 1969.
• The Diocese of Riohacha was created as an apostolic vicariate in 1952 and was promoted to a diocese in 1988.
• The Diocese of El Banco was created in 2006.

Province of Bucaramanga

The province consists of the civil departments of Santander and part of Boyaca.  The Diocese of Bucaramanga was established in 1952 and was promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1974.

The Cathedral of the Holy Family in Bucaramanga was built in the late 19th Century and has two towers and a dome.  The main altar is made from Carrara marble.  The Cathedral also has paintings by noted Columbian artists.

The first picture is from Flickr and the second from TripAdvisor.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Socorro y San Gil was created as the Diocese of Socorro in 1895 and acquired its current name in 1928.
• The Diocese of Barrancabermeja was created as a territorial prelature in 1928, became an apostolic vicariate in 1950, before being raised to a diocese in 1962.
• The Diocese of Malaga-Soata was created in 1987.
• The Diocese of Velez was created in 2003.

Province of Santa Fe de Antioquia

The province consists of the departments of Choco and part of Antioquia.  The Diocese of Antioquia was established in 1804, but was suppressed between 1868 and 1872.  It became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santa Fe de Antioquia in 1988.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Santa Fe de Antioquia was designed by the same friar who designed the Cathedral in Bogota.  The 19th Century church was built using Neoclassical and Baroque styles.  The single tower is 150 feet tall.  Pope Pius XII designated the Cathedral as a minor basilica in 1941.

Both pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Santa Rosa de Osos was created in 1917.
• The Diocese of Apartado was created in 1988.
• The Diocese of Istmina-Tado was created as an apostolic vicariate in 1952 and became a diocese in 1990.
• The Diocese of Quibdo was created as an apostolic vicariate in 1952 and was promoted to a diocese in 1990.

Definitions

The Catholic Church is mostly divided into ecclesiastical provinces—a province consists of a metropolitan archdiocese and one or more dioceses.  The province and the archdiocese are led by an archbishop.  Each of the dioceses is called a suffragan diocese and is led by a bishop.  Archbishops have some responsibilities for the province, but all bishops answer directly to the Pope.  There are also jurisdictions below the level of a diocese.  These include territorial prelatures, apostolic vicariates, and apostolic prefectures.  All are missionary territories below the level of a diocese.

Most Catholics in the world belong to the Latin or Roman rite.  Rite refers to liturgical practices, ecclesiastical discipline, and spiritual heritage.  Many Catholics belong to one of two dozen Eastern rite churches.  Eastern rite churches trace their heritage to Eastern Europe and the Middle East.  Eastern rite churches sometimes use different terminologies.  For example, an apostolic exarchate is equivalent to a vicariate apostolic.

A basilica is an honorary title bestowed on a church by the Pope because of the church’s antiquity, dignity, historical importance, or significance as a center of worship.  Some cathedrals are also basilicas.  Each basilica has a ceremonial umbrella in the papal colors of white and yellow and a ceremonial bell.  Both of these are symbolic of the Pope’s special relationship to the basilica.