Brazil—4

This blog will discuss seven Catholic provinces in Brazil’s civil states of Alagoas, Ceara, Maranhao, Paraiba, Pernambuco, Piaui, and Rio Grande do Norte.  All are located in northeastern Brazil.

Please see my previous blogs on Brazil:

• Brazil-1 published on September 6, 2019
• Brazil-2 published on September 9, 2019
• Brazil-3 published on September 1, 2020

Province of Olinda e Recife

The province consists of the civil state of Pernambuco.  The Territorial Prelature of Pernambuco was created in 1611.  It was promoted to a diocese in 1676 and to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1910.  

The Cathedral of the Holy Savior of the World was built in 1584 on top of the highest hill in Olinda.  The columns in the church are made with rock from local reefs.  The Cathedral has several paintings adorning its walls.

Pictures are by cruisebe, Flickr, and Wikipedia

The Baroque Co-Cathedral of St. Peter of Clerics in Recife was constructed by the Brotherhood of St. Peter of Clerics between 1728 and 1759.  The church’s interior combines the Baroque, Neo-Classical, and Rococo styles.  The ceiling paintings feature St. Peter with the other Apostles along with the Evangelists.  The main altar is made of rosewood and the pulpit is engraved in gold. 

Both pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has nine suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Garanhuns was created in 1918.
• The Diocese of Nazare was created in 1918.
• The Diocese of Pesqueira was created in 1918.
• The Diocese of Petrolina was created in 1923.
• The Diocese of Caruaru was created in 1948.
• The Diocese of Afogados da Ingazeira was created in 1956.
• The Diocese of Palmares was created in 1962.
• The Diocese of Floresta was created in 1910, suppressed in 1918, and restored in 1964.
• The Diocese of Salgueiro was created in 2010.

Province of Paraiba

The province consists of the civil state of Paraiba.  The Diocese of Paraiba was created in 1892 and was promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1914.  

The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Snows in Joao Pessoa was built in stages over the 17th and 18th Centuries.  A 19th Century renovation was done in an eclectic style.  The Cathedral was designated a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1997.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Cajazeiras was created in 1914.
• The Diocese of Campina Grande was created in 1949.
• The Diocese of Patos was created in 1959.
• The Diocese of Guarabira was created in 1980.

Province of Fortaleza

The province consists of the civil state of Ceara.  The Diocese of Ceara was created in 1854 and was promoted to metropolitan archdiocese in 1915.  

The St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Fortaleza was built between 1938 and 1978.  It was designed in a neo-Gothic style by a French architect influenced by the cathedrals in Cologne and Chartres.  The towers are over 240 feet high and the church can hold 5,000 worshipers.

The first picture is from TripAdvisor and the other two are from Wikipedia.

The Province has eight suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Crato was created in 1914.
• The Diocese of Sobral was created in 1915.
• The Diocese of Limoerio do Norte was created in 1938.
• The Diocese of Iguatu was created in 1961.
• The Diocese of Crateus was created in 1963.
• The Diocese of Itapipoca was created in 1971.
• The Diocese of Quixada was created in 1971.
• The Diocese of Tiangua was created in 1971.

Province of Maceio

The province consists of the civil state of Alagoas.  The Diocese of Alagoas was created in 1900 and renamed Maceio in 1917.  It was promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1920.  

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Prazeres in Maceio was built mostly in a Neo-Classical style between 1840 and 1859.  A winding staircase leads to a white façade flanked by twin towers.  The interior features silver chandeliers, frescoes of saints, and stained-glass windows with biblical themes.

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

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Penedo was created in 1916.
• The Diocese of Palmeira dos Indios was created in 1962.

Province of Sao Luis do Maranhao

The province consists of the civil state of Maranhao.  The Diocese of Sao Luis do Maranhao was established in 1677 and was promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1921.  

Our Lady of Victory Cathedral in Sao Luis do Maranhao was constructed between 1690 and 1699 initially as a Jesuit church and became the Cathedral in 1761.  The Cathedral was made more decorative in the 19th Century and the façade and two towers were added in the early 20th Century.  The 17th Century gilded altar is considered a masterpiece of Brazilian Baroque art.

The first picture is from Dreamstime and the others are from Wikipedia.

The Province has eleven suffragan jurisdictions.

• The Diocese of Caxias do Maranhao was created in 1939.
• The Diocese of Viana was created in 1962.
• The Diocese of Bacabal was created in 1968.
• The Diocese of Brejo was created in 1971.
• The Diocese of Coroata in 1977.
• The Diocese of Carolina was created as a territorial prelature in 1958 and became a diocese in 1979.
• The Diocese of Pinheiro was created as a territorial prelature in 1939 and became a diocese in 1979.
• The Diocese of Balsas was created as a territorial prelature in 1954 and became a diocese in 1981.
• The Diocese of Grajau was created as a territorial prelature in 1922 and became a diocese in 1981.
• The Diocese of Imperatriz was created in 1987.
• The Diocese of Ze-Doca was created as a territorial prelature in 1961 and became a diocese in 1983.

Province of Natal

The province consists of the civil state of Rio Grande do Norte.  The Diocese of Natal was created in 1909 and was promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1952.  Our Lady of the Presentation Cathedral in Natal was completed in 1988 in a modern trapezoidal style. 

From Inspirock and Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Mossoro was created in 1934.
• The Diocese of Caico was created in 1939.

Province of Teresina

The province consists of the civil state of Piaui.  The Diocese of Piaui was established in 1902, was renamed Teresina in 1944 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1952.  The Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows is in Teresina.  Construction of the cathedral began in 1865.

The first two pictures are from Inspirock and the other two are from Wikipedia.

The Province has seven suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Oeiras was created in 1944.
• The Diocese of Parnaiba was created in 1944.
• The Diocese of Picos was created in 1974.
• The Diocese of Campo Maior was created in 1975.
• The Diocese of Bom Jesus do Gurgueia was created as a territorial prelature in 1920 and became a diocese in 1981.
• The Diocese of Sao Raimundo Nonato was created as a territorial prelature in 1960 and became a diocese in 1981.
• The Diocese of Floriano was created in 2008.

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 territories below the level of a diocese, which include territorial prelatures. 

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.