Venezuela

Spain’s first permanent settlement in South America was established in what is now Cumana, Venezuela, in 1522.  A nation known as Gran Columbia declared its independence from Spain in 1819.  In 1830, Gran Columbia split into smaller nations including Columbia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.  

Spanish missionaries brought the Faith to Venezuela and today over 95 percent of Venezuela’s 31 million people are Catholic and only 2 percent are Protestant.  Venezuela has nine ecclesiastic provinces:  Barquisimeto, Calabozo, Caracas, Ciudad Bolivar, Coro, Cumana, Maracaibo, Merida, and Valencia.  In addition, there is a military diocese created in 1995. 

There are also two Eastern-rite Catholic jurisdictions.  The Melkite Apostolic Exarchate of Venezuela was established in 1990 to serve 28,000 Greek Melkite Catholics.  The Cathedral of St. George is in Caracas.  The Syriac Apostolic Exarchate of Venezuela was established in 2001 to serve 15,000 Syriac Catholics.  The Cathedral of the Assumption is in Maracay.  Both exarchates are immediately subject to the Pope.  

Finally, there are also three apostolic vicariates, all of which are directly subject to the Pope.  Caroni was established in 1922 and serves part of the State of Bolivar in southeastern Venezuela.  Puerto Ayacucho was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1932 before becoming an apostolic vicariate in 1953.  It serves the State of Amazonas in southern Venezuela.  Tucupita was established in 1954 and serves Catholics in the State of Delta Amacuro in northeastern Venezuela. 

Province of Caracas

The province consists of the civil states of La Guaira, Miranda, and the Federal District in north central Venezuela.  The Diocese of Caracas was created in 1637 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1803.

The Cathedral of Saint Anne in Caracas is a Romanesque church made of stone with a tile roof.  It has a combination bell and clock tower.  Construction began in 1666 and was completed in 1674.  The cathedral has been damaged several times by earthquakes and has been restored and enlarged over the last three and a half centuries.  The Cathedral has gilded altars and works of art, including paintings by Peter Paul Rubens and Bartolome Murillo.  The Cathedral has several chapels and a pipe organ that dates to 1711.  Simon Bolivar’s wife and parents are buried in the Cathedral. 

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

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Los Teques was established in 1965.
• The Diocese of La Guaira was established in 1970.
• The Diocese of Guarenas was established in 1996.
• The Diocese of Petare was established in 2021.

Province of Merida

The province consists of the civil states of Barinas, Tachira, and Trujillo, and part of Merida and Apure, in western Venezuela.  The Diocese of Merida was established in 1778 and was promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1923.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Merida was built between 1805 and 1960 and has several stained glass windows.  Pope John Paul II declared it a minor basilica in 1991.

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

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of San Cristobal de Venezuela was created in 1922.
• The Diocese of Trujillo was created in 1957.
• The Diocese of Barinas was created in 1965.
• The Diocese of Guasdualito was created in 2015.

Province of Ciudad Bolivar

The province consists of the civil state of Monagas and part of Bolivar in eastern Venezuela.  The Diocese of Ciudad Bolivar was created in 1790, received its current name in 1953, and was promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1958.

The Cathedral of St. Thomas in Ciudad Bolivar was completed in 1841 after 75 years of construction.  It has one 144-foot clock and bell tower and a statue of St. Thomas made in Europe prior to 1790.

From Flickr and Wikipedia.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Maturin was created in 1958.
• The Diocese of Ciudad Guayana was created in 1979.

Province of Barquisimeto

The province consists of the civil states of Lara, Portuguesa, and Yaracuy, in western Venezuela.  The Diocese of Barquisimeto was established in 1863, suppressed in 1867, restored in 1869, and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Barquisimeto in 1966.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Barquisimeto was built between 1953 and 1968 in a modern style.  The building is a hyperbolic paraboloid with two wings connected by a central tower—some say it looks like an upside down flower with four petals.  The ceiling consists of acrylic panels supported by steel wires.  There are several stained glass windows depicting saints and there is a separate bell tower.

The top picture is from Flickr and the rest are from Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Guanare was established in 1954.
• The Diocese of San Felipe was created in 1966.
• The Diocese of Carora was created in 1992.
• The Diocese of Acarigua-Araure was created in 2002.

Province of Maracaibo

The province consists of the civil state Zulia and part of Merida in western Venezuela.  The Diocese of Zulia was created in 1897, renamed Maracaibo in 1953, and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1966.

The neoclassical colonial St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral in Maracaibo was built between 1585 and 1650.  The Cathedral is made of stone with a wooden roof.  The façade shows a Baroque influence and the cathedral has a bell/clock tower and a dome.  The Cathedral’s floor is made of white marble and red mosaic brick.  The floor of the sanctuary is made of white marble and red granite.  The sanctuary if flanked by statues of Saints Peter and Paul.  The cathedral contains a statue referred to as the Black Christ, which survived a 17th Century church fire and was brought to the Cathedral.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Cabimas was established in 1965.
• The Diocese of El Vigia-San Carlos del Zulia was established in 1994.
• The Diocese of Machiques was established as an apostolic vicariate in 1943 and became a diocese in 2011.

Province of Valencia

The province consists of the civil states of Aragua, Carabobo, and Cojedes, in central Venezuela.  The Diocese of Valencia was established in 1922 and was promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1974.

The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Help in Valencia was built in colonial and Baroque styles between 1580 and the late 18th Century, although portions were not completed until the 19th Century.  The Cathedral has two domed towers and works of art by Antonio Herrera del Toro and Arturo Michelena.  The Cathedral draws thousands of pilgrims to venerate Our Lady of Sorrows.  Pope John XXIII designated the cathedral as a minor basilica in 1960.

The top picture is from a tourist website and the bottom picture is from Wikipedia.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Maracay was created in 1958.
• The Diocese of San Carlos de Venezuela was created in 1972.
• The Diocese of Puerto Cabello was created in 1994.

Province of Cumana

The province consists of the civil states of Sucre, Anzoátegui, and Nueva Esparta, in eastern Venezuela.  The Diocese of Cumana was established in 1922 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1992.

The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Cumana was built in the 18th Century.  An earthquake in 1929 partially destroyed the cathedral, but it was restored by 1936.

Both pictures are from Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Barcelona was established in 1954.
• The Diocese of Margarita was established in 1969.
• The Diocese of Carupano was established in 2000.
• The Diocese of El Tigre was established in 2018.

Province of Calabozo

The province consists of the civil states of Guarico and part of Apure in central Venezuela.  The Diocese of Calabozo was established in 1863 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1995.

All Saints Cathedral in Calabozo was built in a Baroque style in the late 18th Century, although the dome was not completed until the 20th Century.

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

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of San Fernando de Apure began as territorial prelature in 1954 and became a diocese in 1974.
• The Diocese of Valle de la Pascua was established in 1992.

Province of Coro

 The province consists of the civil state of Falcon in western Venezuela.  The Diocese of Coro was established in 1531, suppressed in 1637, restored in 1867, suppressed again in 1869, restored again in 1922, and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Coro in 1998.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Ann in Coro was built between 1583 and 1634 in a Renaissance style.  It replaced a cathedral destroyed by Sir Francis Drake.  The Cathedral has a gabled wood roof and a square bell tower.  Pope Paul VI designated the cathedral as a minor basilica in 1977. 

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

The Province has one suffragan diocese.

• The Diocese of Punto Fijo was created in 1997.

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 missionary territories below the level of a diocese, including apostolic vicariates and territorial prelatures. 

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, a diocese might be called an eparchy and is led by an eparch.  A vicariate apostolic is called an exarchy and is led by an exarch. 

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.