The diocese of
Lisbon was created in the 4th century, but it lay vacant after 716 when the city was captured by the
Moors, notwithstanding that there are references to
Mozarabic bishops of the
Mozarabic Rite in that period. The diocese was restored during the
Second Crusade in 1147 when the city was captured by King
Afonso I of Portugal after the
siege of Lisbon. A crusader's account of that event refers to the local "elderly Bishop of the city" being slain "against all right and justice", by marauding Flemish and German crusaders, in direct defiance of the terms of the city's rendition. As Portugal grew in political importance and colonial possessions the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan of Lisbon expanded; Stadel says in his
Compendium geographiae ecclesiasticae universalis (1712) that
Coimbra,
Leiria,
Portalegre,
Elvas,
Funchal,
Angra,
Congo,
St. James of Cape Verde,
São Tomé, and
Baia of All Saints were suffragans of Lisbon. As a reward for its assistance against the
Turks,
Pope Clement XI in 1708 raised the Chapel of the Royal Palace to Collegiate rank and associated with it three parishes in the dioceses of Bragança and Lamego. Later, yielding to the request of King
John V, he issued the Bull
In Supremo Apostolatus Solio (22 October 1716) – known as the Golden Bull because the seal or
bulla was affixed with gold instead of lead – giving the collegiate chapel cathedral rank, with metropolitical rights, and conferring on its titular the rank of patriarch. The city of
Lisbon was ecclesiastically divided into Eastern and Western Lisbon. The former archbishop of Lisbon retained jurisdiction over Eastern Lisbon, and had as
suffragan dioceses those of
Guarda, Portalegre, St. James of Cape Verde, São Tomé, and
São Salvador in Congo. Western Lisbon and metropolitan rights over Leiria,
Lamego, Funchal and Angra, together with elaborate privileges and honours, were granted to the new patriarch and his successors. It was further agreed between pope and king that the patriarch of Lisbon should be made a cardinal at the first consistory following his appointment (
Inter praecipuas apostolici ministerii, 1737). The first patriarch of Lisbon was Tomás de Almeida (1670–1754), formerly bishop of Porto; he was raised to the cardinalate on 20 December 1737 by
Pope Clement XII. There thus existed side by side in the city of Lisbon two metropolitical churches. To obviate the inconvenience of this arrangement
Pope Benedict XIV (13 December 1740) united East and West Lisbon into one single archdiocese under Patriarch Almeida, who ruled the see until his death in 1754. The double chapter however remained until 1843, when the old cathedral chapter was dissolved by
Pope Gregory XVI. It was during the patriarchate of Cardinal Almeida (1746) that the famous Chapel of Saint John the Baptist was built in Rome (1742–1747) at the expense of
King John V and consecrated by Pope Benedict XIV, and then transported to and reconstructed in the
Church of St. Roch in Lisbon. Patriarch Almeida is buried in the chancel of that church. At what date the patriarchs of Lisbon began to quarter the tiara with three crowns, though without the keys, on their coat of arms is uncertain and there are no documents referring to the grant of such a privilege. By apostolic letters dated 30 September 1881 the metropolitan of Lisbon claims as suffragans the dioceses of
Angola, St. James of Cape Verde, São Tomé, Egitan,
Portalegre,
Angra, and
Funchal. == Privileges of the patriarchate ==