Diocese of Västerås
Encyclopedia
The Diocese of Västerås
Västerås
Västerås is a city in central Sweden, located on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province Västmanland, some 100 km west of Stockholm...

is a division of the Church of Sweden
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...

. Its home is in the Västerås Cathedral.

History

The diocese existed as a Catholic diocese from the eleventh to the sixteenth century. The see was founded at Munktorp
Munktorp
Munktorp is a locality situated in Köping Municipality, Västmanland County, Sweden with 485 inhabitants in 2005.Munktorp is the site of the historic Munktorp Church . The church is associated with St. David of Munktorp , an Anglo-Saxon monk of the 11th century. The oldest parts of the church date...

, then removed about 1100 (not 1050) to Västerås by the English Cluniac missionary David, Abbot of Munktorp (David of Sweden), Bishop of Västerås, and one of the patron saints of Västerås Cathedral.

Before 1118 the Diocese of Sigtuna
Diocese of Sigtuna
A Diocese of Sigtuna was founded in the middle of the 11th century, when the town of Sigtuna, north of Lake Mälaren and south of Uppsala in the Swedish province of Uppland, had been the centre of Royal power for some decades, and existed until the middle of the 12th century...

 was divided into the Diocese of Uppsala and that of Västerås, and Henry, Bishop of Sigtuna (1134), was transferred to Västerås. Heathenism was not extinct by 1182. Charles (1257–1277) was a great benefactor, and Israel Erlandsson, O.S.B. (1260–1332; bishop, 1309–1332), mined copper in Dalecarlia and wrote "De Vita et Miraculis S. Erici" (Ser. rev. Svec., II, I, 272-276).

Otto (1501–1522) completed the cathedral. Peter Sunnanvader (1522–1523), formerly chancellor to Sten Sture, was executed for alleged treason in 1527. The last Catholic bishop, Petrus Magni (1524–1534), was consecrated on 1 May 1524, at Rome. In 1527 a Diet was held at Västerås which Protestantized the Swedish Church and separated it from Rome. Petrus Magni consecrated various bishops in 1528 and 1531 under protest. Though subjected latterly to humiliating tutelage by Gustavus Vasa
Gustavus Vasa
Gustavus Vasa may refer to:* King Gustav I of Sweden* The play Gustavus Vasa by Henry Brooke, first English play to be banned under the Licensing Act 1737* Alternate name of Olaudah Equiano, African ex-slave living in 18th century Britain...

, he retained the see until his death. The Dalecarlians rose repeatedly in defence of their religion, but were overcome by the cunning and violence of Gustavus I.

The cathedral of Västerås and the parish church of Mora were the only important churches in the diocese. At Westeraas there were a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....

 convent (founded 1234) and a Hospital of the Holy Spirit (founded 1345). Munktorp Abbey was extinct before 1318. The Cistercian Abbey of Husby (Gudsberga, Mons Domini) in Dalecarlia, founded in 1477, and colonized from Aalvastra in 1486, lasted until 1544.
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