During the Modern Age, Spain acquired numerous regional and provincial divisions. The different eras and reigns, especially in the 18th century, modified the jurisdictional divisions of the civil administration. The Enlightenment sought a more rationalised structure of Spain with criteria of convergence of interests. However, there was another division, parallel to the civil division, and equally important. This was the ecclesiastical division into archbishoprics. The Spanish ecclesiastical structure took shape during the Reconquest, with the archbishopric of Toledo being the greatest beneficiary on a territorial level due to its central location. Like the civil structure, it underwent changes, arriving at the end of the 18th century with the structures shown on the map. The archbishopric of Toledo was still the most important in the Peninsula and one of the largest, along with the archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela. These large areas were subdivided into dioceses and bishoprics and these, in turn, into vicariates, archpriestships and parishes. The complicated interweaving of civil and ecclesiastical jurisdictions meant that they did not coincide with each other until well into the contemporary period. Even some provinces, such as Albacete, did not have civil-religious concordance until the creation of its diocese in 1949.

Collection: Images

Project: 1. The European Spaces: Landscapes, economic inequality and environmental impact in the history of Europe., 3. Rural world and urban world in the formation of the European identity.

Chronology: XVIII

Scope: Secondary Education, Baccalaureate, University

Link: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=66375

Resource type: Image

Format: Map

Source: Martínez, M. (1994). “La organización del espacio diocesano en la Historia de Castilla y León”, en Investigaciones históricas: Época moderna y contemporánea, nº 14, p. 125.

Language: Spanish

Date: 1994

Owner: Pablo Ballesta Fernández (Modernalia)

Copyright: ©Universidad de Valladolid ©Mateo Martínez

Abstract: Division into archdioceses, dioceses, archpriestships and parishes in Spain

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