Apostolic Vicariate of Herzegovina Vicariatus Apostolicus in Hercegovina Apostolski vikarijat u Hercegovini | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | Ottoman Empire (1846–78)Austria-Hungary (1878–81) |
| Residence | Mostar |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin |
| Rite | Roman |
| Established | 30 April 1846 |
| Dissolved | 25 July 1881 |
| Cathedral | Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Mostar |
Apostolic Vicariate of Herzegovina (Latin: Vicariatus Apostolicus in Hercegovina; Croatian: Apostolski vikarijat u Hercegovini) was an apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church in the Ottoman Herzegovina that existed between 1846 and 1881, when it was abolished with the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno established on its place.
The date when the Apostolic Vicariate of Herzegovina was established is unknown, but it was sometime in 1846. It was established on the initiative of the Herzegovinian Franciscans and with aid from Ali Pasha Rizvanbegović, the vizier of Herzegovina. Its first apostolic vicar was Bishop Rafael Barišić, a Franciscan, previously apostolic vicar of Bosnia. The establishment of the vicariate in Herzegovina reinvigorated the religious life of Catholics.
The vicariate was abolished on 5 July 1881 by Pope Leo XIII, who established the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno in its place. Paškal Buconjić, the last apostolic vicar of Herzegovina, was named the first bishop of Mostar-Duvno.