Patriarchate of Lisbon

The patriarchate pastorally served, as per 2014, 1,648,885 Catholics (86% of 1,924,650 total) on 3,735 km² in 285 parishes and 604 missions, with 543 priests (291 diocesan, 252 religious), 84 deacons, 1,505 lay religious (401 brothers, 1,104 sisters) and 54 seminarians.

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 when the city was captured by King Afonso I of Portugal during the Second Crusade in 1147 during 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.[1]

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.[2] 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.

Throughout history, many privileges have been granted to the patriarchate of Lisbon and its patriarch by the Holy See.[3][4]

• Patriarch of Lisbon's right to cardinal dignity:
  • Appointment as Cardinal in the Consistory following the rise to the patriarchal solid;
  • Right to wear cardinal garments even before he is created, such as cassock and purple coral robes, but unlike cardinals, the cap must have a tassel as is typical of bishops, all in purple; this privilege is shared with the patriarch of Venice and the archbishop of Salzburg;
  • Right to wear the purple tassel of 30 tassels on the coat of arms even before being created cardinal; this privilege is shared with the archbishop of Salzburg, although in his case with 12 tassels as is typical of the archbishops.
• Right to affix the papal Tiara to the patriarchate's and patriarch's coat of arms, an exclusive honour never granted to any other Catholic prelate; unlike the papal coat of arms instead of the keys of St. Peter, the patriarchal coat of arms has an archiepiscopal double cross and a decussed staff. Throughout history, the papal tiara has only been used on the coats of arms of two prelates, the pope and the patriarch of Lisbon. In liturgical acts, the patriarchs of Lisbon also wore the unique and precious miter-tiara, with three levels, in honour of the privilege granted.
• Concession of the use of some insignia and vestments exclusive to the Roman pontiff in Masses and pontifical processions chaired by the patriarch of Lisbon:
  • the right to use sedia gestatoria carried by 8 men, different from the pontifical sedia gestatoria carried by 12 men;
  • the right to use flabels, with the pope offering 2 of his 4 flabels;
  • right to use a pontifical falda;
  • right to use pontifical fanon;
• Right to anoint the kings of Portugal at the time of their acclamation, a privilege previously exercised by the archbishop primate of Braga.
• Right to have a Patriarchal Curia (similar but smaller than the Roman Curia).
• Right to have a Patriarchal Chapter divided into 3 orders in the likeness of the College of Cardinals, with the Canons of the 1st order having the right to use a miter, that is, being a Capido Mitrado.
• Right to a Guard of Honor similar to the extinct Pontifical Noble Guard.

These privileges were granted by Popes Clement XI, Innocent XIII, Benedict XIII and Clement XII. However, some have fallen into disuse over the centuries.

Mantius of Évora

Archbishop Martinho da Costa

Henry I of Portugal was Archbishop Henry I of Lisbon before becoming King.

Patriarch Tomás I of Lisbon

Patriarch Guilherme I of Lisbon

Patriarch José III of Lisbon

Patriarch António II of Lisbon

Lisbon, being one of the oldest cities in Iberia, has had a rich ecclesiastical history, in which the ordinaries of Lisbon have held different titles, partially depending on the country/city's rulers and their political/colonial power.

The suffragan sees of the Metropolitan are :

• Diocese of Angra
• Diocese of Funchal (on Madeira)
• Diocese of Guarda
• Diocese of Leiria-Fátima
• Diocese of Portalegre-Castelo Branco
• Diocese of Santarém
• Diocese of Setúbal.

• List of Catholic dioceses in Portugal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Patriarchate of Lisbon.

• GCatholic.org, with Google map – data for all sections
• Patriarch of Lisbon at catholic-hierarchy.org
• Official website (in Portuguese)
• Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Patriarchate of Lisbon" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
• Westermann, Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte