Montanus of Toledo clearly reprimands the clergy of Palencia as a metropolitan bishop. Palencia was already a bishopric, but according to the text (donec et consuetus vobis a Domino praeparatur antistes) it was vacant when Montanus wrote his letter. The "alien bishops" mentioned by Montanus were most probably the bishops of the neighbouring province of Galicia in the kingdom of the Suevi (however, we have only the information about one episcopal see in this region, that is Astorga, see Martin 2006). According to the research of Torres Rodriguez (1949: 367-383) from the 4th c. on the territory of Palencia most certainly belonged to the ecclesiastical province of Galicia and was controlled by the Suevi. Only at the end of the 5th c. did the Visigoths take it over and clearly the authority of the bishop of Toledo was not widely recognized in Palencia.