• Established on 1563.05.22 as
Diocese of La Imperial (Spanish) / Civitatis Imperialis (Latin, actually corresponding to 'Ciudad Imperial') on territory split off (with border at the river
Maule) from the only two year older
Diocese of Santiago de Chile (now Metropolitan, in the Chilean national capital) as
Suffragan of the (
Peruvian)
Archdiocese of Lima • Suppressed in 1603, as the city was destroyed in 1600, its territory being reassigned to establish (at present
Penco) the then
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Concepción (now Metropolitan). ;
Suffragan bishops of La Imperial • Antonio de San Miguel Avendaño y Paz,
Friars Minor (O.F.M.) (1563.03.22 – 1588.03.09), next Bishop of
Quito (
Ecuador) (1588.03.09 – death 1590.11.07) • Agustín de Cisneros Montesa (1589.03.09 – death 1596) • Reginaldo de Lizárraga,
Dominican Order (O.P.) (Spaniard) (1598.08.31 – 1603), next first Bishop of successor see
Concepción (Chile) (1603 – 1609.07.20), Bishop of
Paraguay (Paraguay) (1609.07.20 – 1609.11.10).
Titular see The diocese was nominally restored in 2000 as Latin
Titular bishopric of La Imperial (Spanish) / Civitatis Imperialis (Latin) It has had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank : •
Ricardo Ezzati Andrello,
Salesians (S.D.B.) (Italian) (10 July 2001 - 27 Dec 2006) as
Auxiliary Bishop of
Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile (Chile) (2001.07.10 – 2006.12.27); previously Bishop of
Roman Catholic Diocese of Valdivia (Chile) (1996.06.28 – 2001.07.10); later Metropolitan Archbishop of
Concepción (Chile) (2006.12.27 – 2010.12.15), President of Episcopal Conference of Chile (2010.11 – 2016.11.11), Metropolitan Archbishop of above Santiago (de Chile) (2010.12.15 – ...), created
Cardinal-Priest of
SS. Redentore a Valmelaina (2014.02.22 [2014.10.11] – ...) • Pedro Ossandón Buljevic (4 Nov 2008 - ...) first as Auxiliary Bishop of
Archdiocese of Concepción (Chile) (2008.11.04 – 2012.07.10), then as Auxiliary Bishop of
Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile (Chile) (2012.07.10 – ...). == References ==