The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta (covering the cities of Kolkata and Howrah and adjoining regions) is the largest ecclesiastical jurisdiction in the state of West Bengal, India. It covers an area of 29,857 sq. kms. with a total population of 2,51,24,983 and counting. Catholics number about 1,37,000. read more
On 1 September 1886, when the Catholic hierarchy was created in British India by Pope Leo XIII, the Vicariate was elevated to the rank of metropolitan archdiocese and renamed as the "Archdiocese of Calcutta". Over the course of times the Archdiocese was frequently divided and new metropolitan provinces were created : Ranchi, Guwahati, and Patna. read more