The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Barquisimeto (
Latin: Archidioecesis Barquisimetensis) is a Latin Catholic Metropolitan
archdiocese in northwestern
Venezuela's
Lara state.
History
Established on 7 March 1863 as Diocese of Barquisimeto, on territory split off from the then
Diocese of Mérida (now Metropolitan)
Suppressed on 14 August 1867, its territory reassigned to the new, short-lived
Diocese of Coro y Barquisimeto (in fact a see transfer to Coro)
Restored on 22 October 1869 as Diocese of Barquisimeto from that (suppressed) Diocese of Coro y Barquisimeto
Lost territory on 12 October 1922 to establish the
Diocese of Coro and on 7 June 1954 to establish the
Diocese of Guanare, its own suffragan
Promoted on 30 April 1966 as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Barquisimeto.
Its
cathedral episcopal see is the very modern Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in
Barquisimeto. There is also a
Minor Basilica : Basílica el Santo Cristo de la Gracia, also in Barquisimeto.
Antonio José López Castillo (22 December 2007 – 25 March 2020); previously
Titular Bishop of
Theuzi (26 February 1988 – 1 August 1992) & Auxiliary Bishop of
Maracaibo (Venezuela) (26 February 1988 – 1 August 1992), Bishop of
Barinas (Venezuela) (1 August 1992 – 27 December 2001), Metropolitan Archbishop of
Calabozo (Venezuela) (27 December 2001– 22 December 2007)