The
Diocese of Vincennes (in
Latin, Vincennapolis), the first Roman Catholic diocese in
Indiana, was erected 6 May 1834 by
Pope Gregory XVI. Its initial ecclesiastical jurisdiction encompassed
Indiana as well as the eastern third of
Illinois. In 1843 the
Diocese of Chicago was erected from the Illinois portion of the diocese, and in 1857
Diocese of Fort Wayne was erected from the northern half of Indiana. The seat of the episcopal see was transferred from
Vincennes, Indiana, to
Indianapolis, and on 28 March 1898 it became the
Diocese of Indianapolis.
Pope Pius XII elevated the Indianapolis diocese to an archdiocese in 1944, and erected two new Indiana dioceses: the
Diocese of Evansville and the
Diocese of Lafayette. The
Diocese of Gary, Indiana, was erected in 1956. The Evansville Diocese absorbed the city of Vincennes upon its creation.