Francisco de la Cuesta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Su Excelencia Reverendísima Francisco de la Cuesta
Arzobispo de Manila
Province	Manila
See	Manila
Enthroned	August 12, 1707
Reign ended	July 25, 1721
Predecessor	Diego Camacho y Ávila
Successor	Ángel Rodríguez, O.SS.T.
Personal details
Born	1661 Colmenar, outskirt of Madrid
Died	May 30 1724 (aged 62–63) Michoacan, Mexico
Nationality	Spanish
Denomination	Roman Catholic

Styles of Arzobispo Francisco de la Cuesta
Reference style	Monseñor
Spoken style	Su Excelencia Reverendísima
Religious style	Reverendísimo

Francisco de la Cuesta (born in 1661 – died May 30, 1724) was an important Spanish leader. He was the 12th Archbishop of Manila from 1707 to 1722. He also served as the Governor-General of the Philippines from 1719 to 1721. He was a member of the Order of Saint Jerome.

Biography of Francisco de la Cuesta

Francisco de la Cuesta was born in 1661 in Colmenar, a town near Madrid, Spain. He was a very smart student and became a master of theology. This means he was an expert in religious studies. He also served as a preacher for the King of Spain.

Archbishop of Manila

In 1706, Francisco de la Cuesta was chosen to be the Archbishop of Manila. This is a very high position in the Roman Catholic Church. He was officially made archbishop in Mexico on August 12, 1707.

As archbishop, he tried to make sure that churches and religious groups were following rules. He wanted to do something called an episcopal visitation. This means he wanted to visit and check on the friars (religious brothers) in the Philippines. However, many friars did not agree with this. Because of their disagreement, he had to wait for them to send their reports directly to Rome.

Conflict with Governor Bustamante

Archbishop de la Cuesta had a big disagreement with Fernando Bustamante. Bustamante was the Governor-General of the Philippines at that time. Their conflict became very serious.

One day, the governor's soldiers went into the Manila Cathedral. This was a problem because the cathedral was considered a safe place, known as a "right of sanctuary." The soldiers were trying to get government papers from a public official who was hiding there.

Because of this event and other problems with church leaders, Governor Bustamante had the archbishop arrested. Many other church leaders who supported the archbishop were also put in prison.

On October 11, 1719, many people gathered outside the Governor's Palace. They were angry and wanted the archbishop to be released. During this time, Governor Bustamante and his son died. After these events, Archbishop de la Cuesta was set free.

However, a respected historian named Fr. Prof. Dr. Fidel Villarroel has studied this event. He believes that some stories about the friars causing the governor's death are not correct. He says that the friars were actually in prison with the archbishop when the governor died.

Governor-General of the Philippines

After his release, Francisco de la Cuesta became the acting Governor-General. He served in this role for two years. He took on this job because other officials in Manila did not want to be the next Governor-General.

During his time as Governor-General, several important church positions were empty. The archbishop positions in Cebu, Nueva Segovia, and Caceres were all vacant. They remained empty until de la Cuesta moved to Mexico.

Later Life and Death

On July 25, 1721, the King of Spain removed Francisco de la Cuesta from his position. This was because of the death of Governor Bustamante. De la Cuesta was then moved to Michoacan, Mexico.

He became the Bishop of Michoacán on April 18, 1724. He died just one month later, on May 30, 1724, at the age of 63.

Interesting Facts

• The story of Governor Bustamante's death is mentioned in Jose Rizal's famous novel, Noli Me Tangere.
• A painting called “Assassination of Governor Bustamante” shows the friars pulling Bustamante down a staircase. This painting was created by Félix Resurrección Hidalgo. It is considered a National Treasure of the Philippines. You can see it at the National Museum in Manila.

See also

In Spanish: Francisco de la Cuesta para niños