The Faculty of Theology Saint Isidore of Seville will hold the 19th Conference on the History of the Church in Andalusia next Tuesday, 28 April, at 6.00 pm, in the “Juan Guillén” Conference Hall, the 19th Conference on the History of the Church in Andalusia, which this year will hold particular significance as it is conceived as an academic event to pay tribute to and recognise Professor Dr Manuel Martín Riego, who has devoted a significant part of his life as a priest, teacher and researcher to the study of the history of the Church and to the service of this institution.
Entitled “Professor Dr Manuel Martín Riego’s Final Lecture”, the event will feature a series of presentations highlighting the honouree’s life as a man, a priest and an academic. The event will be presided over by His Excellency and Most Reverend Monsignor José Ángel Saiz Meneses, Archbishop of Seville and Grand Chancellor of the Faculty, who will open the session with the presentation “Dr Manuel Martín Riego: priest, historian and teacher”. Next, Prof. Dr. José Leonardo Ruiz Sánchez, professor at the University of Seville and current director of the Blessed Marcelo Spínola Chair and of the journal Anuario de Historia de la Iglesia Andaluza, will speak on the topic “Education and training in the research career of Dr. Manuel Martín Riego”. The highlight of the day will be a lecture by the honouree himself, entitled “Church History and Education: A Personal Journey”.
Furthermore, as part of this conference, there will be a presentation of Professor Martín Riego’s book, *The Historical Archive of the Faculty of Theology Saint Isidore of Seville (1968–2019)*, a publication closely linked to his work as the Faculty’s archivist and his dedication to preserving the institution’s documentary heritage. The event will be attended by Prof. Dr Manuel Palma Ramírez, President and Dean of the Faculty, and Mr Antonio Cerdera del Castillo, President of the Caja Rural de Utrera Foundation.
Manuel Martín Riego holds a PhD in Geography and History from the University of Seville. He was a lecturer in Church History at what was then the Centre for Theological Studies in Seville – now the Faculty of Theology Saint Isidore of Seville – from 1986 to 2019, and remains associated with the institution as a visiting lecturer. In addition to this long-standing commitment to teaching, he has made a decisive contribution to the centre’s academic and research life, having been the founder and first editor of the journal Isidorianum between 1992 and 1996, alongside Antonio María Calero de los Ríos, rector of the Centre for Theological Studies in Seville. He also served as director of the ‘Blessed Marcelo Spínola’ Chair and of the Yearbook of the History of the Andalusian Church from 2007 until October 2023. To this is added his work as archivist of the Faculty, through which he has made an outstanding contribution to the organisation, safekeeping and promotion of the centre’s documentary heritage.
His academic career has been characterised by a deep commitment to research into the history of the Church, particularly in Andalusia and, more specifically, in the Archdiocese of Seville, with works focusing on the relationship between the Church and society, the parish and cathedral clergy, seminaries and centres of ecclesiastical studies, education, religious orders and congregations, and archives. Author of a dozen books, around a hundred articles in specialist journals, as well as numerous chapters and reviews, Professor Martín Riego has produced a body of work that serves as a reference for understanding Andalusian ecclesiastical history. His teaching has also extended to congresses and lectures delivered at universities and academic centres in Spain, Europe and Latin America. Among his most recent publications is the book Fray Carlos Amigo Vallejo, Archbishop of Seville (1982–2009). A Franciscan in the Service of the Church (1932–2022), published in December 2023 and co-authored with Pablo Noguera Aledo, who was Cardinal Amigo’s personal secretary.
The holding of this 19th Conference on the History of the Church in Andalusia also provides a fitting opportunity for the Faculty to publicly express its gratitude and appreciation to Professor Martín Riego for his distinguished academic career and his close ties with this institution.
