Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/816

 SSAMORA

748

ZAMORA

inces of Valladolid and Salamanca. The See-city has 12,000 inhabitants.

Zamora belonged originally to the Vacceos, but it is doubtful to which of their cities it corresponds (Sentica, Sarabris, Sisapona, Orcelis) ; most probably it was the ancient capital, Oceloduri (Ocellus-Duri, "eye of the Duero"), which is mentioned in the "Itinerary" of Antonius as situated at the intersec- tion of the three roads and affording a resting place for travellers from Merida and Astorga to Saragossa. About a quarter of a mile from the ancient walls there have been found some curious sepulchres hewn out of the rocks with a cavity for the head to rest in. The foundations of the ancient bridge, now in a ruined condition, seem to be Roman, and in the portal of the city hall an ancient inscription to Viacus (Mercury) has been preser\-ed denoting its position at the cross- road.'^. In the Middle Ages, owing to the imperfect knowledge of geography, Zamora was confounded with the ancient Numantia, also situated on the Duero, but at a distance of fifty leagues, and, owing to this confusion, the Diocese of Zamora has been called Numantina in some documents. During the dis- persion of the Jews some of them settled in Zamora, and Christians inhabited it as early as the persecution of Diocletian, for several martyrs, among them St. BaudiUus, suffered martyrdom there. No record has been preserved of Zamora in the time of tlie Goths, but early in the Saracenic period the name of Medina Zamorati is found, which points clearly to Arabic etymology. From the eighth to the eleventh century the city was alternately in possession of the Moors and of the Christians. It was first reconquered by Alfonso I or his son Fruela, bvit Abderraman recon- quered it in 813. After its reconquest Alfonso III undertook its restoration in 893, but on 9 July, 901, the Mussulmans once more furiously attacked it. They were totally vanquished, and the day was henceforth known as el dia de Zamora.

In 905 Alfonso III estabhshed an episcopal see, whose first bishop was St. Atilanus (90.5-15). He had been the companion of St. Froilan of Leon, first in the desert and then in the monastery of Moreruela which they founded on the banks of the Esla. Sts. Atilanus and Froilan were consecrated on the same day. St. Atilanus was succeeded by Joannes, Dulcidius, Do- minicus, Joannes II, and Salomon, in whose time Za- mora fell once more into the hands of the Moors. In 981 it was besieged by the heutenant of Almanzor, Abdallah-ben-Abdallasis, and finally taken by Al- manzor himself, who completely destroyed it, and later (999) repopulated it with I\lo!iammedans. Fer- dinand I definitively reconquered it, and set about its restoration in 1062, granting a special charter to its colonizers. When he divided his territories among Ids children he gave the city of Zamora to his daughter Doiia Urraca. Her brother Don Sancho attempted to wrest it from her and held the city in a state of siege for seven months, but he was treacherously assas- sinated by BeUido Dolfos, who pretended to have deserted to his ranks. The Cid, Rui Diaz de Bivar, compelled King Alfonso Vl to swear pubUcly that he had no part in this treason, and on the spot where Don Sancho fell wouiulcd the monastery of San Miguel del Burgo was built. The see being vacant, Alfonso VI and Bernardo, Arehbishoji of Toledo, agreed to appoint .len'nimo, a native of Perigord and Bishop of Valencia, bu( after the death of the Cid he was not al)le to hold his see. Calixtus II .it once re-established the .see. and the line of bisho])s since then has come down iminterruptedly to the present day. After the rcslorution, the .Archbishop of Braga, to whose archdi{)c(>sc the territory had lielonged, and the Arch- bi.'<hi)p (if 'I'oledo, who had consecrated Bishop Jeri''- niino, dis]iuted fur the right of jin'isdiction over the new didi-esc. iMigenius III decided in favour of the Archbishop of Braga; Adrian IV and Alexander III

confirmed this decision, notwithstanding the fact that the Archbishop of Santiago had also put forward a claim to jurisdiction. It was not until after the separation of Portugal that Zamora recognized the claims of the Metropolitan of Santiago. Since the Concordat of 1851 it has belonged to the ecclesiastical province of Valladolid.

Jerenimo died in 1124, and was succeeded by Bernardo, a native of Aquitaine, in whose time

Alfonso \TI Iransl'erred the Church of S. Tonic with its holdings to the bishop, to be used in the construc- tion of the new cathedral, and granted to the canons of Zamora the privileges enjoyed by those of Santiago, Leon, and Palencia. Estcban, who succeeded Ber- nardo in 1149, laid the foundations, and on 15 Sept., 1174, the new cathedral was consecrated. This event was commemorated in verse by the bishop's successor, Guillermo. L'])on Pedro I (1239-54) was conferred the title of Familiar to the King St. Ferdinand III. In the time of his successor, Suero Perez, the body of St. Ildefonsus was foimd in the Church of San Pedro. Bishops Pedro Gomez Barroso (fourteenth century), Juan de Mela (fifteenth century), and Rodrigo de Castro (sixteenth century) -n-ere raised to the cardi- nahtial dignity. Gonzalo Rodriguez Osorio assisted n 1310 at the coimcil held at Salamanca to deal with the suppression of the Knights Templars. Alvaro was commissioned by Henry II to bring about a reconciUation between his daughter Dona Leonor and her husband Charles III of Navarre. Diego Fer- nandez de Fuen Salida (d. 1426) was sent to the Emperor Sigismtnid to endeavour to bring the schism to an end. Fray Diego de Deza, the' protector of Columbus, w!is also Bishop of Zamora. Antonio Aeuna wa.s executed in the castle of Simancas (1.526) for having taken ]iart in the rebellion of the Conni- neros against Charles I (V). Juan Coello de Rivera (1642) defended the city, with the aid of the secidar clergy and the monks, against the Portuguese. The Benedictine, Frav Alonzo de San Vitores, died a reputed saint in 'l60. In the time of the Calluilic sovereigns, the Court of la Beliraneja resided at Zamora during the war which the latter waged, sup-

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