New Advent
 Home   Encyclopedia   Summa   Fathers   Bible   Library 
 A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z 
New Advent
Home > Catholic Encyclopedia > T > Tunja

Tunja

Please help support the mission of New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download. Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more — all for only $19.99...

(TUNQUENENSIS).

Diocese established in 1880 as a suffragan of Bogotá, in the Republic of Colombia, South America. Its jurisdiction comprises the territory of the Department of Boyacá, with a Catholic population in 1911 of 400,000 souls; 145 priests; 153 parishes, and 159 churches and chapels. The capital of the department and see of the bishop is the City of Tunja, which before the arrival of the Spaniards was, under the name of Hunza, the residence of the zaque, the sovereign of the Muisca Indians. It was founded on 6 Aug., 1538, by Captain Gonzalo Suárez Rondón, by order of the conqueror Quesada. Emperor Charles V granted it the title of city in 1681. The wealth and luxury of its ancient founders can still be recognized in the coats-of-arms carved over the stone entrances of its beautiful mansions. Prominent among its public buildings are: the palace of the bishop, the cathedral, and the various churches; the monastery of the Dominicans, and the convent of the Santa Clara nuns. Public instruction in the Department of Boyacá is under the supervision of the governor of the department, assisted by a director of public instruction. There are in the department over 200 primary schools, with about 15,000 pupils of both sexes. Secondary instruction in Tunja is given at various colleges supported by the department, like the College of Boyacá and the normal school for women; and at several Catholic institutions such as the Christian Brothers' College, the Academy of Tertiary Sisters, and the College of the Presentation; for the education of the clergy there is the diocesan seminary. There are also several Catholic schools in other cities of the department, among them the College of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, under the Christian Brothers; the College of the Presentation, in charge of the Sisters of Charity; the College of Santa Rosa de Lima; and the College of St. Louis Gonzaga, in Chiquinquirá.

(See COLOMBIA.)

About this page

APA citation. Moreno-Lacalle, J. (1912). Tunja. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15090a.htm

MLA citation. Moreno-Lacalle, Julian. "Tunja." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15090a.htm>.

Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Vivek Gilbert John Fernandez. Dedicated to Catholic educational institutions.

Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.

Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is webmaster at newadvent.org. Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.

Copyright © 2023 by New Advent LLC. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

CONTACT US | ADVERTISE WITH NEW ADVENT