Ancient Diocese There is a tradition that
James the Greater established the
ancient diocese of Cartagena in the first century AD, and there is a bishop documented during the
persecution of Diocletian. In 325, Cartagena was elevated to the status of a
Metropolitan Archdiocese Bigastro is now a
titular see. In 988, some time after the
Muslim invasion of Spain, a former bishop of Cartagena is noted. however the diocese was suppressed, around the year 1000, 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. 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, 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.
Fifteenth to Twentieth Century Until 1492, the
Diocese of Cartagena was a , as its antiquity and former rank caused various disputes with the archdioceses of
Toledo and
Tarragona. On July 9, 1492, it became part of the ecclesiastical province of the
Archdiocese of Valencia, On August 19, 1592, the bishop
Sancho Dávila founded the
Diocesan Seminary, named after , 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.
Orihuela-Alicante and
Diocese of Almería so that the diocese had the same boundaries as the
Region of Murcia On 18 May 2020, Cartagena Bishop announced the start of an "important inquiry" into sex abuse allegations spanning from 1950 to 2010. At least eight potential victims have publicly come forward, and Lorca urged more accusers to publicly come forward as well. ==Special churches==