Archdiocese of San Francisco
archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the United States
The Archdiocese of San Francisco (Latin: Archdiœcesis Sancti Francisci; Spanish: Arquidiócesis de San Francisco) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States. It was erected in 1853. Its cathedral is the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption.
Territory
The Archdiocese of San Francisco covers San Francisco, Marin County, and San Mateo County. It is the metropolitan see of a province that includes the following suffragan dioceses:
Diocese of Honolulu
Diocese of Oakland
Diocese of San Jose
Diocese of Santa Rosa
Diocese of Sacramento
Diocese of Stockton
History
1776 to 1853
The first Catholic church in the Archdiocese of San Francisco is older than the archdiocese itself; Mission San Francisco de Asís (Mission Dolores) was founded in 1776 by Franciscan Friars. The friars built the current mission building in 1791.
After the end of the Mexican–American War in 1848, California and the Intermountain West became part of the United States. The Vatican erected the new Diocese of Monterey in 1849 to remove these areas from the jurisdiction of the Mexican Catholic hierarchy. The new diocese covered the California Territory east to the Colorado River. St.
“Archdiocese of San Francisco” enters the record as archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Archdiocese, Francisco and archdiocese can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Archdiocese of San Francisco” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Archdiocese, Francisco and archdiocese 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 Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q936952. Authority coordinates are 37.786, -122.424. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1853, 1776, 1791 and 1848.
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 “Archdiocese of San Francisco”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Archdiocese of San Francisco primary sources, Archdiocese of San Francisco archive and Archdiocese 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 “Archdiocese of San Francisco”?
- 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 “Archdiocese of San Francisco” 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.