Diocese of Crete

Diocese of Crete

*Dioecesis Candiensis*

Επισκοπή Κρήτης
Diocese of Crete; Dioecesis Candiensis; Επισκοπή Κρήτης
Catholic
	Interior of Assumption Cathedral
Location
Country	Greece
Metropolitan	Archdiocese of Naxos, Andros, Tinos and Mykonos
Headquarters	Heraklion, Crete, Greece
Statistics
Area	8,393 km2 (3,241 sq mi)
Population Total; Catholics;	(as of 2023); 509,000; 4,200 (0.8%);
Parishes	3
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	1213; (As Archdiocese of Candia); 28 August 1874; (As Diocese of Crete)
Cathedral	Cathedral of the Assumption, Chania
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Bishop	Sede vacante
Metropolitan Archbishop	Josif Printesis
Apostolic Administrator	Georgios Altouvas; Sevastianos Rossolatos

The Diocese of Crete (Latin: Dioecesis Candiensis) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church located on the island of Crete in the ecclesiastical province of Naxos, Andros, Tinos and Mykonos in Greece.

History

Roman Catholic presence on the island of Crete dates to its conquest by the Republic of Venice in the years after the Fourth Crusade (1204), and its establishment as a Venetian colony in 1212. Immediately after that, the first Latin Rite Archbishop of Crete was appointed, with a succession of holders until the Ottoman conquest of the island in the Cretan War (1645–1669). Thereafter the see remained vacant, until re-established as a simple bishopric on 28 August 1874, initially a suffragan of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of İzmir, but today a suffragan of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Naxos, Andros, Tinos and Mykonos.

Present day Catholic Churches in Heraklion (Saint John The Baptist), Chania, Rethymnon (St. Antony of Padua)

Bishops

Venetian period

anonymous (1213 – ?), took part in the Fifth Crusade in 1220
Giovanni Querini (? – 17 July 1252, named Bishop of Ferrara with the personal rank of archbishop)
Angelo Maltraverso, OP (1252 – 28 May 1255, named Patriarch of Grado)
Leonardo Pantaleo (1260 – 1268)
anonymous (mentioned 10 May 1282)
Matteo, OP (31 January 1289 – ?)
Angelo Beacqua (7 April 1294 – ?, deceased)
- See united with the Latin Patriarchate of Constantinople (1302–1314)
Alessandro di Sant'Elpidio, OESA (2 March 1314 – 1334, dismissed)
Egidio di Gallutiis, OP (11 May 1334 – 6 December 1340, deceased)
Francesco Michiel (before 25 September 1342 – ?, named Bishop of Patara with the personal rank of archbishop)
Orso Dolfin (30 March 1349 – 5 November 1361, named patriarch of Grado)
- Orso Dolfin (5 November 1361 – 1363), apostolic administrator
Pietro Tommaso, OCarm (6 March 1363 – 5 July 1364, named patriarch of Constantinople)
Francesco Querini (5 July 1364 – 22 December 1367, named patriarch of Grado)
Antonio Negri (15 January 1369 – ?)
Pietro (April 1375 – ?)
Matteo (19 March 1378 – ?)
Cristoforo Gallina ?
Antonio Contarini (6 April 1386 – 16 March 1387, deceased)
Leonardo Dolfin (7 May 1387 – 29 April 1392, named Bishop of Castello with the personal rank of archbishop)
Marco Giustiniani (31 August 1392 – 1405, deceased)
Francesco Pavoni (13 February 1406 – 1407?, deceased)
Marco Marin (18 October 1407 – ?, deceased)
Leonardo Dolfin (14 September 1408 – 1415, deceased)
Pietro Donà (18 April 1415 – 1425, named Bishop of Castello with the personal rank of archbishop)
Fantino Valaresso (5 December 1425 – 18 May 1443, deceased)
Fantino Dandolo (4 September 1444 – 8 January 1448, named bishop of Padua with the personal rank of archbishop)
Filippo Paruta (arcivescovo)|Filippo Paruta (20 February 1448 – 1458, deceased)
Gerolamo Lando (29 March 1458 – 1493/1494, dismissed)
Andrea Lando (4 July 1494 – 1505, deceased)
Giovanni Lando (2 March 1506 – 1534 ?)
- Lorenzo Campeggio (17 June 1534 – 1535), apostolic administrator
Pietro Lando (28 January 1536 – 1575, dismissed)
Lorenzo Vitturi (6 February 1576 – 5 February 1597, deceased)
Tommaso Contarini (4 July 1597 – 7 February 1604, deceased)
Aloisio Grimani (7 January 1605 – 21 February 1620, deceased)
Pietro Valier (18 May 1620 – 2 October 1623, named Bishop of Ceneda with the personal rank of archbishop)
Luca Stella (4 December 1623 – 24 November 1632, named Bishop of Vicenza with the personal rank of archbishop)
Leonardo Mocenigo (20 June 1633 – 1644, deceased)
Giovanni Querini (19 November 1644 – ?, deceased)

See vacant from 1669.

Modern period

Bishop Petros Stefanou, (Apostolic Administrator);
Bishop Frangkiskos Papamanolis, OFMCap (Apostolic Administrator 1974.06.27 – 2014.05.13)
Bishop Georges Xenopulos, SJ (Apostolic Administrator 1952 – 1974)
Fr. Arsenio da Corfù, OFMCap (Apostolic Administrator 1951 – 1952)
Fr. Amedeo Marcantonio Speciale da Gangi, OFMCap (Apostolic Administrator 1945? – 1951)
Fr. Roberto da Gangi, OFMCap (Apostolic Administrator 1939 – 1945?)
Bishop Lorenzo Giacomo Inglese, OFMCap (1934.02.01 – 1935.05.05)
Fr. Isidoro da Smirne, OFMCap (Apostolic Administrator 1926 – 1933?)
Bishop Francesco Giuseppe Seminara, OFMCap (1910.06.22 – 1926.03.15)
Bishop Luigi Canavo, OFMCap (1874.12.22 – 1889.05.10)

References

↑ Louise Buenger Robbert, "Venetian Participation in the Crusade of Damietta", Studi veneziani, Ser. NS, vol. 30 (1995), pp. 15–34, at 25. The archbishop arrived after the siege of Damietta along with Archbishop Henry of Milan and probably brought with him a small Venetian contingent.

Sources

35°30′56″N 24°01′03″E / 35.5155°N 24.0176°E / 35.5155; 24.0176

[1] Louise Buenger Robbert, "Venetian Participation in the Crusade of Damietta", Studi veneziani, Ser. NS, vol. 30 (1995), pp. 15–34, at 25. The archbishop arrived after the siege of Damietta along with Archbishop Henry of Milan and probably brought with him a small Venetian contingent.

v t e Catholic Church in Greece
Holy Synod of Catholic Bishops of Greece
Active dioceses	Archdiocese of Naxos, Tinos, Andros and Mykonos (Diocese of Chios Diocese of Crete Santorini Syros and Milos) Archdiocese of Corfu, Zakynthos, and Cephalonia Archdiocese of Athens Archdiocese of Rhodes Apostolic Vicariate of Thessaloniki
Historical	Archbishopric of Corinth Argos Archbishopric of Larissa Archbishopric of Neopatras Archbishopric of Traianopolis Archbishopric of Patras Coron (Koroni) Modon (Methoni) Archbishopric of Thebes Bishopric of Salona Bishopric of Christopolis Bishopric of Berrhœa Bishopric of Chalcis Bishopric of Hierissus/Geriso Bishopric of Carpathus Bishopric of Kastoria Bishopric of Olena Diocese of Cea Diocese of Tinos and Mykonos Diocese of Milos Diocese of Lacedaemon Diocese of Cidonia Diocese of Massimianopolis Diocese of Chiron/Chersonesus Diocese of Hierapetra and Sitia Diocese of Marmaritzana Diocese of Cardica Diocese of Cephalonia and Zakynthos Diocese of Aulon Diocese of Amyclae Diocese of Andros Apostolic Prefecture of Rhodes and adjacent islands
Major churches	Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite (Athens) Saint George's Cathedral (Syros) Cathedral of Saint James and Saint Christopher (Corfu) Assumption Cathedral (Chania) St. John the Baptist Cathedral (Santorini) St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral (Rhodes) Immaculate Conception Cathedral (Thessaloniki) St. Andrew Cathedral (Patras) Catholic Church of Metamorphosis, Nafplio St. Paul Church (Piraeus) Church of Assumption of Theotokos (Mytilene) St. Paul Church (Kavala) Sacred Heart of Jesus (Larissa) St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church (Zakynthos) Church of Presentation of the Lord (Naxos) Catholic Church of Theotokos (Samos) Cathedral of St. Nicholas, Chios St. Nicolaus Church (Argostoli) St. Nicolaus Church (Tinos) St. Antonios Church (Rethymno) St. Joseph (Alexandroupoli) Three Bells of Fira
Greek/Byzantine (Eastern Rite)	Greek Byzantine Catholic Church Greek Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Greece Holy Trinity Cathedral, Athens
Armenian (Oriental) Rite	Armenian Catholic Church Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Greece St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, Athens
See also	Greece–Holy See relations Apostolic Nunciature to Greece Popes from Greece Pentarchy
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