The Archdeaconries of the Diocese of León in the First Half of the 18th Century

In the first half of the 18(th) century, bishops fray Jose de Lupia y Roger and D. Alonso Fernandez de Velasco y Pantoja visited most of the parishes in diocese of Leon, the former doing so on several occasions. The objective of these visits was to learn about the spiritual state of the territory they oversaw. Within the current province of Leon, these two bishops visited the archdeaconries of Mayorga and Cea as well as four of the ten vicariates. They recorded their observations and the information they gathered in ledgers. These documents constitute an invaluable source of information concerning matters in which the bishops felt it necessary to intervene, for instance, to correct customs and behaviours -among laypeople and clergy- that did not adhere to official religious practices. Furthermore, these ledgers also detail who held church patronages and the devotions and pious works carried out.