 It has 473 parishes, 990 priests (791 diocesan, 199 religious), 56 deacons, 1,660 lay religious (286 brothers, 1,374 sisters), 36 seminarians.The great majority of the parishes of the diocese are in the administrative Province of Brescia; the remaining twelve are in the Province of Bergamo and in Lombardy.Legend traces the beginnings of Christianity in Brescia to Saint Barnabas, who is said to have made Saint Anatolus bishop.