In 552 Byzantine troops established the province of Spania with its capital at Cartagena wresting it from Visigothic control and the primary status for the Visigothic territories went to Toledo.[1] In 623 Byzantine Cartagena was destroyed by the Visigoths with the bishop of Cartagena fleeimg to the fortified Begastri[es], and setting up the see there.[5] Bigastro is now a titular see.[6]
In 988, some time after the Muslim invasion of Spain, a former bishop of Cartagena is noted.[7][8] however the diocese was suppressed, around the year 1000,[1] partly due to Muslim rule and partly Cartagena's lesser importance.
The city of Cartagena at that time was significantly diminished, having lost the importance it once held under Carthage and the Roman Empire. However, it was one of the few fully Castilian jurisdictions in a kingdom still largely under protectorate. The restoration of the episcopal see, according to Rubio Paredes and other scholars, was driven more by sentimental and historical reasons such as the former importance of the city and the primacy of the diocese over other dioceses in Spain, rather than the city's status at the time. The restoration of the episcopal seat also aligned with Alfonso's aspirations to restore the old Roman order as both part of his imperial policy and his ambition to be crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
However, the situation changed from 1266 onwards. In that year, after the Mudéjar Revolt of 1264–1266 was suppressed by James I of Aragon, Castiletook control of the entire Kingdom of Murcia, including its capital. This led to a gradual inclination to transfer religious institutions to that city, as evidenced by the privilege granted by Alfonso X and signed in Burgos in 1277, in which he ordered the transfer of the Royal Monastery of Santa María that he founded from Cartagena to the Alcázar of Murcia.[9] In 1266, the diocesan boundaries were established: since the ancient boundaries were unknown, the diocese was assigned the territory of the Kingdom of Murcia.
In 1271 and 1293, some portions of territory that were still under Arab domination were donated to the diocese, laying the foundations for the diocese's expansion throughout the following century.
Transfer to Murcia
The bishop elect Diego de Magaz (who didn't live long enough to be consecrated) decided to request the transfer of the episcopal see to Murcia in 1278, which was first refused by Pope Nicholas III. The prelate then waited, eventually renewing his request to Pope Nicholas IV. The pope entrusted two clerics under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Tarragona to inquire into the matter.
It would be under Bishop Diego Martínez Magaz that the transfer of the diocesan capital to Murcia would be formalized in 1291 with the consent of King Sancho IV.[10] The bishop had already been residing de facto in Murcia for some time and now the episcopal seat and chapter was moved to Murcia. But Sancho had been excommunicated for opposing his father Alfonso X and bigamously marrying María de Molina. The king also could not transfer a diocese that directly answered to the pope. As a result, the diocese although based in Murcia retained the name Carthaginensis,[11] and continues to do so.
As a result of the transfer, the old mosque of Murcia, converted into the main church of Santa María in 1266, now became Murcia Cathedral. In 1394, the construction of the current Gothic cathedral began.
Since its restoration, the diocesan geographical boundaries had corresponded to those of the Castilian Kingdom of Murcia. However, following the Treaty of Torrellas in 1304, the area of Orihuela, Elche, and Alicante became part of the Kingdom of Valencia, although they continued to belong ecclesiastically to the Diocese of Cartagena.
On July 14, 1564, through the bull Pro excellenti Sedis Apostolicae, the diocese ceded the current Province of Alicante to establish the Diocese of Orihuela (now Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante) by Pope Pius V.[1] This separation also resulted in the transfer of the Diocese of Cartagena's affiliation from the Archdiocese of Valencia to that of Toledo.[12]
On August 19, 1592, the bishop Sancho Dávila founded the Diocesan Seminary, named after Saint Fulgencio[es], one of the four Cartagena saints, a bishop of Cartagena during the Visigothic period.
The tenure of the powerful Cardinal Belluga as bishop of Cartagena between 1705 and 1724 marked substantial progress in the diocesan structure including the founding of colleges. The 18th century also saw the construction of a new facade and the tower of Murcia Cathedral.
By virtue of the Concordat of 1851, the Diocese of Cartagena became a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Granada.[1] The same concordat ordered the cessation of territorial jurisdiction by the military orders, which was sanctioned by Pope Pius IX with the bull Quo gravius on July 14, 1873. As a consequence, the vicariates of Beas and Segura were divided between the dioceses of Cartagena and Jaén.
Basilica of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, in Yecla
On 18 May 2020, Cartagena Bishop José Manuel Lorca Planes[es] announced the start of an "important inquiry" into sex abuse allegations spanning from 1950 to 2010.[16] At least eight potential victims have publicly come forward, and Lorca urged more accusers to publicly come forward as well.[16]
↑ González Cavero, Ignacio (2013). "El antiguo alcázar de Murcia: ámbito de poder y reflejo de la soberanía castellana durante los siglos XIII y XIV". Anales de Historia del Arte (in Spanish). 23: 450–451.
↑ Torres Fontes, Juan (1953). El Obispado de Cartagena en el Siglo XIII. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Instituto Jerónimo Zurita. p.75.
↑ Negueruela, Iván (2008). Murcia por una mitra: la ilegalidad del traslado del obispado de Cartagena a Murcia por Sancho IV (in Spanish). Editorial Áglaya. ISBN978-84-9566-904-9.
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