Most Reverend Toribio Alfonso de Mogrovejo |
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Archbishop of Lima | |
Saint Toribio de Mogrovejo
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Church | Roman Catholic Church |
Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Diocese of Lima |
Predecessor | Diego Gómez de Lamadrid |
Successor | Bartolomé Lobo Guerrero |
Orders | |
Ordination | 1578 |
Consecration | August 1580 by Cristóbal Rojas Sandoval |
Rank | Bishop |
Personal details | |
Born |
Mayorga de Campos, Kingdom of León, Spain |
November 16, 1538
Died | March 23, 1606 Saña, Viceroyalty of Peru, Peru |
(aged 67)
Nationality | Spanish |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Sainthood | |
Feast day |
23 March 23 August |
Venerated in |
Roman Catholic Church Episcopal Church Anglican Communion |
Title as Saint | Archbishop, missionary |
Beatified | July 2, 1679 Rome, Papal States by Pope Innocent XI |
Canonized | 1726 Rome, Papal States by Pope Benedict XIII |
Patronage | Peru, Latin American bishops, native rights |
Turibius of Mogrovejo (or Toribio Alfonso de Mogrovejo or Toribio de Lima) (16 November 1538 – 23 March 1606) was a Spanish missionary Archbishop of Lima.
Born in Mayorga de Campos, Valladolid, Spain, of noble family and highly educated, Turibius was named after another Spanish saint, Turibius of Astorga. He became professor of law at the highly reputed University of Salamanca. His learning and virtuous reputation led to his appointment as Grand Inquisitor of Spain by King Philip II on the Court of the Inquisition at Granada. During this time, he was ordained priest in 1578 and sent to Peru. On May 16, 1579, he was named Archbishop of Lima by Pope Gregory XIII and consecrated bishop in August 1580 by Cristóbal Rojas Sandoval, Archbishop of Seville.
He arrived at Paita, Peru, 600 miles (970 km) from Lima, on 24 May 1581. He began his mission work by travelling to Lima on foot, baptizing and teaching the natives. His favourite topic was: "Time is not our own, and we must give a strict account of it." Three times he traversed the 450,000 square kilometers (170,000 sq mi) of his diocese, generally on foot, frequently defenceless and often alone; exposed to tempests, torrents, deserts, wild beasts, tropical heat, fevers and sometimes threats from hostile tribes; baptizing and confirming nearly one half million souls, among them St. Rose of Lima and St. Martin de Porres.
He built roads, schoolhouses and chapels, many hospitals and convents, and at Lima, in 1591, founded the first seminary in the western hemisphere. He inaugurated the first part of the third Lima Cathedral on 2 February 1604.