Luis Antonio Belluga y Moncada
Luis Antonio Belluga y Moncada (1662–1743) was a prominent Spanish churchman and statesman who rose to the rank of cardinal. Born in Motril, Granada, he held several church roles in Córdoba, Zamora, and Granada before taking a political and religious path that aligned with the Bourbon side in the War of Spanish Succession.
In 1705 he was named Bishop of Cartagena and served as viceroy of Valencia and Murcia, where he helped secure the Battle of Murcia. Pope Clement XII created him Cardinal-Priest in 1719. He later held important duties in the College of Cardinals, including Camerlengo (1728–1729) and crown-cardinal around 1732.
Belluga carried out major urban development in Murcia and the Vega Baja del Segura, promoting the colonization of uncultivated lands, founding new towns, establishing a seminary, draining swamps, and building hospices and hospitals. In 1736 he supported Capuchin missionary Francesco Orazio della Penna in his mission to Tibet.
His legacy includes streets and squares named after him: a street in his hometown Motril and the Plaza del Cardenal Belluga in Murcia, where the Cathedral of Murcia, the episcopal palace, and the Town Hall are located on the square. He died in Rome on 22 February 1743 and was buried at Santa Maria in Vallicella.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 06:11 (CET).