Diocese of Alcalá de Henares
diocese of the Catholic Church in Spain
The Diocese of Alcalá de Henares (Latin: Compluten(sis)) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Spain. Its episcopal see is Alcalá de Henares. The diocese is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Madrid.
History
An ancient diocese of Complutum (the current Alcala de Henares) was founded in the 4th or 5th century but it was abolished under the Muslim government (8th–11th century) and not restored by the Christian Kings and its territory given to the Archdiocese of Toledo. In 1885, a Diocese of Madrid and Alcala (suffragan of Toledo) was founded, now the Archdiocese of Madrid.
On July 23, 1991, it was established as Diocese of Alcalá de Henares from the Archdiocese of Madrid (as its suffragan diocese), with the latin name of Complutensis to remember the ancient diocese.
Bishops
Manuel Ureña Pastor (23 July 1991 – 1 July 1998)
Jesús Esteban Catalá Ibáñez (27 April 1999 – 10 October 2008)
Juan Antonio Reig Pla (7 March 2009 – 21 September 2022)
Antonio Prieto Lucena (1 April 2023 – present)
Curiosities
The diocese has a pop-rock group of Catholic music called The Voice of the Desert that is made up of three diocesan priests and four laymen. This musical group born in 2004 has given concerts throughout Spain, in the United States and in Panama, participating twice with their music in the World Youth Day.
“Diocese of Alcalá de Henares” enters the record as diocese of the Catholic Church in Spain. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Diocese, Alcalá and Henares can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Diocese of Alcalá de Henares” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Diocese, Alcalá and Henares provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q866792. VIAF identifies the subject as 264585249. Authority coordinates are 40.482, -3.370. 2 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1885, 1991, 1998 and 1999.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Diocese of Alcalá de Henares”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Diocese of Alcalá de Henares primary sources, Diocese of Alcalá de Henares archive and Diocese research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Diocese of Alcalá de Henares”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Diocese of Alcalá de Henares” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.