The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Visakhapatnam () is an archdiocese located in the city of Visakhapatnam in India.
History
- 16 March 1845: Established as the Apostolic Pro-Vicariate of Vizagapatam from the Apostolic Vicariate of Madras
- 3 April 1850: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Vizagapatam
- 1 September 1886: Promoted as Diocese of Vizagapatam
- 21 October 1950: Renamed as Diocese of Visakhapatnam
- 16 October 2001: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Visakhapatnam
Claretian Missionary Fathers (CMF) entered the diocese in the year 1888. In 1845, Rome entrusted a vast area of Eastern and Central India to the MSFS, who set their headquarters in Visakhapatnam. The first group of MSFS landed on the East coast of India on 8 September 1845. The order of Friars Minor Capuchins. A novitiate was opened in India in 1922 thus planting the order in the Indian soil.
Bishops
Pro-Vicars Apostolic
- Fr. Jacques Henri Gailhot, (16 March 1845 â 1847)
- Fr. Theophile Sebastian Neyret, M.S.F.S. (1847âÂÂ1850); continued as Vicar Apostolic
Vicars Apostolic
- Bishop Theophile Sebastian Neyret, M.S.F.S. (1850âÂÂ1862)
- Bishop Jean Marie Tissot, M.S.F.S. (1862âÂÂ1886); continued as the first bishop
Bishops of Visakhapatnam (Vizagapatam until 1950)
- Bishop Jean Marie Tissot, M.S.F.S. (1886âÂÂ1890)
- Bishop Jean-Marie Clerc, M.S.F.S. (1891âÂÂ1926)
- Bishop Pierre Rossillon, M.S.F.S. (1926âÂÂ1947)
- Bishop Joseph-Alphonse Baud, M.S.F.S. (1947âÂÂ1966)
- Bishop Ignatius Gopu, M.S.F.S. (1966âÂÂ1981)
- Bishop Kagithapu Mariadas, M.S.F.S. (1982âÂÂ2001); continued as Archbishop
Metropolitan Archbishops of Visakhapatnam
- Archbishop Kagithapu Mariadas, M.S.F.S. (2001âÂÂ2012)
- Archbishop Prakash Mallavarapu (2012âÂÂ2024)
- Archbishop Udumala Bala Showreddy (2025-Present)
Suffragan dioceses
References
Sources