Spain, Diocese of Santander, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Registros Católicos de la Diócesis de Santander, España

Record Description
This collection will include records from 1585-1984

This collection includes digital copies of records of baptisms, marriages, and burials of the parishes of the Diocese of Santander in Spain. Some records have been indexed and are searchable as part of this collection. The text of the records is in Spanish. Additional indexed records will be published as they become available.

Parish priests performed the baptisms, marriages, deaths, burials, and other holy sacraments in their assigned parish or parishes. All the original parish records were kept in the parish archive, and a duplicate copy was and is centralized in the corresponding diocesan archive. Most of these records have been preserved relatively well, but some older entries may have some damage.

The Diocese of Santander contained the most important documents in the province. During the war of 1936, a large part of the records were destroyed. What was left of the records was transported to the Papelera de Arangueren to be preserved on paper.

For a list of records by localities, document type and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browselink from the collection landing page.

Record Content
Baptism records usually include:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Name and gender of person baptized
 * Date of birth
 * Parents’ names, their residence and origin
 * Names of paternal grandparents, their residence and origin
 * Names of maternal grandparents, their residence and origin
 * Names of godparents’ their residence and origin

Marriage records usually include:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's name and age
 * Groom's marital status and origin
 * Names of groom's parents, their residence and origin
 * Bride's name and age
 * Bride's marital status and origin
 * Names of bride's parents, their residence and origin
 * Names of witnesses’ and their origin

Death records usually include:


 * Name and age of deceased
 * Date, time and place of death
 * Marital status, residence and origin of deceased
 * Name of the spouse if married
 * Names of parents if a minor
 * Cause of death
 * Burial information

How to Use the Record
To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Province" category ⇒Select the "City or Town" category ⇒Select the "Parish" category ⇒Select the "Record Type and Years" category which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:

Spanish Genealogical Word List

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Diocesis de Santander
 * Leadership of the Diocese of Santander
 * Guía de los Archivos de la Iglesia en España

Related Wiki Articles

 * Spain, Cantabria, Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Spain
 * Spain Websites

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the “Show Citation” box. Spain, Diocese of Santander, Catholic Church Records, 1538-1984

When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.