‘What’s best for the country’.

Rodrigo Antonio de Orellana and the clergy in the Diocese of Cordoba, 1805-1818

Abstract

Rodrigo Antonio de Orellana was appointed bishop of Cordoba in 1805, after the death of bishop  Angel Mariano Moscoso. He was the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Cordoba. His government was signed by the revolutionary times opened in May 1810 at the Río de la Plata. This article analyzes the way in which Orellana governed and his relationship with diocesan clergy and central authorities in the revolutionary context through the reports of visits and the appointment of clergy in key positions inside the diocese. In this way, we will show the conflicts bishop Orellana had with the clergy as well as the way in which it affected his government and how it changed his attitude towards a confrontation with some part of the elite and with the revolutionary authorities. In order to observe these dynamics of the local politics, we will consult documents at the Archbishopric Archive of Cordoba and the General National Archive