Cristóbal Bencomo y Rodríguez

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Cristóbal Bencomo y Rodríguez, Luis de la Cruz
Grave slab in La Laguna Cathedral

Cristóbal Bencomo y Rodríguez (born August 30, 1758 in San Cristóbal de La Laguna , Tenerife , Spain , † April 15, 1835 in Seville ) was the Roman Catholic titular Archbishop and confessor of King Ferdinand VII of Spain .

family

Cristóbal Bencomo y Rodríguez's parents were Francisco Braulio Bencomo and Bárbara Rodríguez Fleitas. The name Bencomo goes back to the Mencey ( Guanche prince ) who was killed in the Battle of Aguere in 1495. Cristóbal Bencomo had two older brothers, Pedro José and Santiago who were both clerics.

Professional development

He attended school in the Franciscan monastery of San Miguel de las Victorias in his hometown. After being ordained a priest, he went to Madrid in 1784 to continue his language studies in Latin and Greek. In 1793 King Charles IV appointed him teacher of philosophy and politics at the “Caballeros Pajes”, a court school for the sons of the nobility. In 1796 Cristóbal Bencomo became the Latin teacher of the then Prince of Asturias , who later became King Ferdinand VII. In 1800 Ferdinand made him his confessor.

During Ferdinand's captivity in France 1808-1814 and the reign of Joseph Bonaparte in Spain, Cristóbal Bencomo lived in the Canary Islands. After Ferdinand's return, he called Cristóbal Bencomo back to Madrid. He became a member of the "Consejo de Cámara de Castilla" (Privy Council). In 1815 he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III. awarded. In November 1817 it appointed Pope Pius VII. To Titular Archbishop of Heraclea .

In the parts of Spain occupied by French troops, the Spanish Inquisition was dissolved in 1808, in the unoccupied parts in 1813. On his return from exile in France in 1814, King Ferdinand VII reinstated the Inquisition. In 1818, after the death of the Bishop of Almería Francisco Javier Mier Campillo, who had been Grand Inquisitor since 1814, Ferdinand wanted to propose the Pope Cristóbal Bencomo as his successor. Since Bencomo refused the office, Jerónimo Castillón y Salas was the last Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition.

In 1822, Cristóbal Bencomo went to Seville. As a member of the cathedral chapter, he took over the archdeaconate of Carmona (Andalusia) . He died on April 15, 1835 and was temporarily buried in Seville. His body was transferred to La Laguna in 1837. His grave lies there, with a simple tombstone, on the right side of the cathedral's chancel.

Commitment to San Cristóbal de La Laguna

King Ferdinand hands over the papal bulls to Archbishop Bencomo for the establishment of the diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Juan Abreu around 1830

The tower and the entrance facade of the parish church Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, today's cathedral of San Cristóbal de La Laguna , were in danger of collapsing at the beginning of the 19th century. Cristóbal Bencomo y Rodríguez and his brothers Pedro José and Santiago were baptized in this church. They took care of planning the renovations. It turned out that the building needed a new facade on the west side. The brothers obtained plans of Pamplona Cathedral as a template for the construction plans. Pedro Bencomo supervised the construction work on the new facade and paid for the missing funds from his own cash register. When he died, Cristóbal Bencomo made the cathedral chapter an offer to pay for the building costs if the members would contribute a further fixed rate (in kind). The facade of today's Cathedral of San Cristóbal de la Laguna was largely financed by the Bencomo brothers' personal funds.

The re-establishment of a university in San Cristóbal de La Laguna by a law of King Charles IV in 1792 is largely due to the activity of Cristóbal Bencomo. Another attempt to found a university in 1816 by decree of King Ferdinand VII can be traced back to Bencomo's influence.

The Canary Islands formed a single diocese since 1351. The bishopric had been Las Palmas de Gran Canaria since 1483 . Already Alonso Fernández de Lugo asked 1513 Queen Joan the Pope the establishment of a diocese in Tenerife to apply. At the meeting of the Cortes of Cadiz on September 6, 1813, the three delegates from Tenerife requested the creation of a diocese that should encompass the western islands. On December 14, 1818, King Ferdinand VII asked Pope Pius VII to establish a new diocese by dividing the diocese of the Canary Islands into an eastern and a western part. It is believed that the king's decision was greatly influenced by Cristóbal Bencomo, who used his position at court for the interests of his hometown. On February 1, 1819, the Pope complied with the king's request and created the diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna , which consists of the islands of Tenerife, La Palma , La Gomera and El Hierro .

Cristóbal Bencomo y Rodríguez bequeathed his library with around 13,000 books to the cathedral chapter of La Laguna Cathedral.

Literary works

  • Instituciones Filosóficas para la enseñanza del Príncipe
  • Carta a una señorita que le participó su estado de matrimonio (1804)
  • Informe presentado a SM sobre el establecimiento de la Universidad en Canarias (1816)

He translated the New Testament from Greek into Spanish and also the texts Sueño de Luciano and Tabla de Cebes . He wrote several lesson letters.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Francisco García-Talavera Casañas: Siete apellidos guanches. Eldia.es, October 28, 2014, accessed June 25, 2016 (Spanish).
  2. ↑ Juan J. Arrenciba de Torres: 500 personajes de Canarias . Diccionario biográfico. Ed .: Casino de Santa Cruz SA Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2008, ISBN 978-84-930385-3-3 , p. 29 (Spanish).
  3. ^ Alberto Darias Príncipe, Teresa Purriños Corbella: La Catedral de La Laguna . Arte, Religón y sociedad en Canarias. San Cristóbal de La Laguna 1997, ISBN 84-88919-33-6 , p. 118 (Spanish).
  4. ^ Archbishop Cristóbal Bencomo Rodríguez †. David M. Cheney, 2015, accessed June 25, 2016 .
  5. ↑ Santiago Broto Aparicio: Ponzano: Gerónimo Castillón y Salas, obispo de Tarazona. Archivo Diocesano. Huesca., 2006, Retrieved June 25, 2016 (Spanish).
  6. ↑ Juan J. Arrenciba de Torres: 500 personajes de Canarias . Diccionario biográfico. Ed .: Casino de Santa Cruz SA Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2008, ISBN 978-84-930385-3-3 , p. 29 (Spanish).
  7. ^ Alberto Darias Príncipe, Teresa Purriños Corbella: La Catedral de La Laguna . Arte, Religón y sociedad en Canarias. San Cristóbal de La Laguna 1997, ISBN 84-88919-33-6 , p. 132 (Spanish).
  8. ↑ Juan J. Arrenciba de Torres: 500 personajes de Canarias . Diccionario biográfico. Ed .: Casino de Santa Cruz SA Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2008, ISBN 978-84-930385-3-3 , p. 29 (Spanish).
  9. ^ Alberto Darias Príncipe, Teresa Purriños Corbella: La Catedral de La Laguna . Arte, Religón y sociedad en Canarias. San Cristóbal de La Laguna 1997, ISBN 84-88919-33-6 , p. 105 (Spanish).
  10. ^ Alberto Darias Príncipe, Teresa Purriños Corbella: La Catedral de La Laguna . Arte, Religón y sociedad en Canarias. San Cristóbal de La Laguna 1997, ISBN 84-88919-33-6 , p. 105 (Spanish).
  11. ↑ Juan J. Arrenciba de Torres: 500 personajes de Canarias . Diccionario biográfico. Ed .: Casino de Santa Cruz SA Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2008, ISBN 978-84-930385-3-3 , p. 30 (Spanish).
  12. ↑ BENCOMO RODRÍGUEZ, Cristóbal (1758-1835).

literature

  • Juan J. Arrenciba de Torres: 500 personajes de Canarias . Diccionario biográfico. Ed .: Casino de Santa Cruz SA Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2008, ISBN 978-84-930385-3-3 , p. 29 (Spanish).
  • Alberto Darias Príncipe, Teresa Purriños Corbella: La Catedral de La Laguna . Arte, Religón y sociedad en Canarias. San Cristóbal de La Laguna 1997, ISBN 84-88919-33-6 (Spanish).
personal data
SURNAME Bencomo y Rodríguez, Cristóbal
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish Catholic priest, confessor of King Ferdinand VII of Spain
DATE OF BIRTH August 30, 1758
PLACE OF BIRTH San Cristóbal de La Laguna , Tenerife , Spain
DATE OF DEATH April 15, 1835
Place of death Seville , Spain