Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 8.djvu/880

 LA PLATA LA PLATA Attempts at conversion were certainly made during the Mitldle Ages from Upsala, the archbishop of which was the protector of the nomads of the northern prov- inces, tributary to Sweden; the missions, however, made no real progress, though at the time of the t'al- mar Union (1397) the rich Lapp, Margarethe, took a lively interest in them and a priest named Tolsti was sent to preach the Gospel and erect churches for them. After the schism, Gustavus I Vasa took the matter up again and is said to have sent Brigittine monks from Vadstena to these northern missions. Charles IX had some chapels built, caused the Lapp lang;uage to be used by preachers, and laid the foundations for much of the work done later. In Norway, instruction in their native language were first given the Lapps in 1714 at the instigation of Thomas of Westen. This brought about conversions, but in 1774 when the in- structions were once more confined to Danish, the neophytes fell away. In the middle of the eighteenth century an unsuccessful mission was undertaken by the Moravian Brotherhood. Since then much has been done to Christianize and civilize these people. Numerous grammars, dictionaries, and readers have been written, religious tracts disseminated, and even portions of the Holy Scriptures translated into their language. Since the repeal of adverse legislation, the Catholic Church has likewise endeavoured to gain an influence over these poor nomads. Unlike the Prot- estant missionaries, fathers of families, the unmarried Catholic priests have chosen the severe winter season for their work. The results, indeed, are yet moderate, though the future offers relatively favourable pros- pects. ScHEFFER, Hi^loire de la Laponir, tr. from the Latin (167S): Hartdmq and Dulk, Fahrtrn duTch Norwcgen und die Lapp- viark (1877): Escard, Le prince Roland Bonaparte en Lapponie (1886): RoLAVD Bonaparte, Note on the Lapps of Finmark (1886); Baomqarten, Nordische Fahrlen. I (Freiburg, 1889); Idem, Durch Skandinavien nach St. Petershura (Freiburg, 1890); KalhoUsche Missionen (1897-8 and 1900-1); Schulze, Abriss einer Geschicbte der Brilderfjemnnden (1901); Vahl, Lappcme OQ den lapske Mission (1866); Friis, Lappisk Mytkologi, Eventyr og Folkesagn (Christiania, 1871); Idem. Ler-ikon Lap- ponicum (1885 — ); Storm, Hist. top. skrifter forfattede i Norge i det 16''* aarhundrede (1895); Holfberg, Genom Sveriger byjder (188:j); Svenska Turistforeninqens Reschandbiicker. VI: Schweden (1900); Svenska TuriMforeningens aroskrifter (1882 — ) givea full instruction on Lapland, it3 nature and in- habitants, as far as they coacera .Sweden. Each volume is furnished with an index. A systematic summary of works on Lapland previous to 1899 appears in the Ann.als for 1899 (pp. 416, 418); see Hazelius, Meddelanden fran Nordiska Meeseei (1898); Lalin, Nord. Muaeets Fataburen (1906) with the criti- cism of Fellman, .inteckningar under min vistclse i Lappinar- ken (Helsingfors, 1906), of especial value for Russian Finland. PiDS WiTTMANN. La Plata, Diocese of (De Plata).— The city of La Plata, capital of the Argentine Province of Buenos Aires, is situated on the right bank of the Rio de la Plata, about 3.5 miles south-east of the city of Buenos Aires. In 1895 the inhabitants numbered 45,410, and 80,000 in 1907, most of them foreigners, with Italians predominating. When, in 1880, the city of Buenos .4ires was ceded to the Federal Government, the national Congress resolved to build a new capital for the Province of Buenos Aires. The foundation stone of this new capital was laid 19 November, 1882; it was named La Plata, and grew rapidly in the 80's, but came to a standstill in 1890, and has not recovered yet. The far-famed artificial harbour assures the town an important future, though its nearness to Buenos Aires has temporarily checked its develop- ment. Among the important buildings belonging to the town are those of the National University of La Plata, which was developed, in 1905, out of the pro- vincial university, and now (1909) has four faculties and a yearly budget of 1 ,080,000 pesos(about $440,000). Attached to the university are the library and univer- sity e.tension, containing 41,000 volumes, the Museo de la Plata, founded in 1877, with valuable anthro- pological, palajontological, zoological, and mineral collections, and an astronomical observatory erected in 1882. The parish church of San Ponciano, built in 1883, served as pro-cathedral until 1901, when the present large Gothic cathedral took its place. The See of La Plata, by wish of the Argentine Gov- ernment, was founded at the same time as the Sees of Santa IM and Tucumdn, by Bull of Leo XIII, "In Petri Cathedra", 15 February, 1897, and canonically established 30 May, 1897, by an edict of Archbishop Udalislao Castellano of Buenos Aires. It is a suffra- gan of Buenos Aires, with jurisdiction over the Prov- ince of Buenos Aires and the Territory of Pampa Central, both of these formerly belonging to the Arch- diocese of Buenos Aires. The diocese and the cathe- dral are under the patronage of the Immaculate Con- ception, while the Province of Buenos Aires is under the patronage of St. Martin of Tours. The Arch- bishop of Buenos Aires took charge of the new diocese until the appointment, in 1898, of the first bishop, Mgr. Mariano Antonio Espinosa. The present bishop (1909), Mgr. Nepomuceno Terrero y Escalada, was appointed in 1900. There is also an auxiliary bishop, Mgr. Francisco Alberti, titular Bishop of Siunia. On 29 December, 1909, the diocese numbered 1,700,000 inhabitants, mostly Catholics; 130 parishes; 260 secular priests and 60 religious. The communi- ties of men are represented in the diocese by: Fran- ciscans, Dominicans, Fathers of the Sacred Heart from the Diocese of Bayonne, Pallottines, Community of the Divine Word, Passionists, Salesians — to whom, since 1896, the Mission of Pampa Central has been en- trusted (see Patagonia) — as also Brothers of the Christian Doctrine and Marists. The female com- munities are: Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy, Sis- ters of Mary Help of Christians, Poor Sisters of St. Joseph of Buenos Aires, Sisters of the Divine Saviour, of the Blessed Sacrament, of St. Anthony, of the Di- vine Master, Vincentians, Sisters of the Garden, of Our Lady of Lujar, of the Rosary (native and French), of the Child Jesus, of Mercy, of the Good Shepherd, Franciscan Tertiaries. Sisters of the Cross, of St. Cam- illus, of the Immaculate Conception, Capuchins, Sis- ters of the Holy Ghost, Little Sisters of the Poor, French Sisters of St. Joseph, Ser^■ants of Mary, of the Holy Union, Dominicanesses of the Annunciation, Franciscans of Charity, of Saint Martha, and Sisters of the Poor of St. Catherine of Siena. Boletfn Eclesidstico de la diocesis de la Plata (1898—); La Lee- iura del Domingo, Publicacion senianol de instruccidn religiosa, etc. (La Plata, 1883— ) ; Scbcpp, Bin Besuch am La Plata (Frei- burg, 1891), 211-32, reprinted in part by Spillman, In der Neuer Welt, I (2nd ed., Freiburg, 1904), 227-31; Salesianische Nachrichten, XV (Trent and Turin, 1909), 249-64 (Reports of the Salesian Missionaries of Don Bosco in Pampa Central). CiREGOR ReINHOLD. La Plata (or Charcas), ARCHoiorESE of (de Plata). — La Plata, besides being the metropolitan see of Bolivia, is one of the three principal cities of that republic. The other two are La Paz and Cocha- bamba. The city owes its origin to the famous sil- ver mines of Potosf, which are nearby. Owing to the chill climate of Potosi, which is about 13,(X)0 feet above the level of the sea, the wealthy mine-owners conceived the idea of seeking a more pleasant habita- tion for their families, in a milder temperature, about sixty miles to the north-east. The city is said to have been founded as early as 1536, under the name of Villa de la Plata (Silver City); it was also long called, from the district in which it is situated, Charcas, or popu- larly, Chmiuisaca (Golden Gate). After the victory of General Sucre near Ayacucho (1824), it was named in his honour, Sucre. La Plata is built on a plateau, 8837 feet above the level of the sea, on the Cochimayo, a tributarj' of the Pilcomayo, flowing into it from the left, and is the metropolis of the department of Chu- guisaca, numbering 20,907 inhabitants (1900), chiefly Indians and Mestizos. The city is the residence of the archbishop, has a medical institute founded in 1905,