vicária

Vicária is a term primarily used in Iberian languages, notably Portuguese and Spanish, to denote a territorial jurisdiction or office overseen by a vicar. In ecclesiastical contexts, it corresponds to the English term vicariate and is used to describe areas or offices governed by a vicar on behalf of a bishop.

There are two main forms of vicariate in the Catholic Church. A territorial vicariate (vicariato territorial) is a jurisdiction established in regions where a diocese has not yet been formed, or where the Catholic population is small or difficult to organize. The vicar exercises ordinary authority in the name of the bishop and administers the territory, often guiding multiple parishes. An apostolic vicariate (vicariato apostólico) is a missionary jurisdiction directly under the Holy See, headed by a vicar apostolic (usually a priest with episcopal mandate or a titular bishop) and functionally similar to a diocese until the territory is elevated to a diocese.

In addition to formal jurisdictions, the term can refer more broadly to the vicar’s office or house in some languages, with “vicaria” or “vicariato” used to denote the parsonage or administrative offices associated with the church.

Beyond ecclesiastical use, vicária can appear in historical or scholarly texts as a designation related to church governance, and in secular contexts it may appear as a proper name or in discussions of ecclesiastical administration in Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking regions.

Note that the exact meaning and usage of vicária can vary by country, church tradition, and legal framework. In Portuguese, the related terms are vicaria and vicariato; in English scholarly works, vicariate or apostolic vicariate is typically used.