Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Germany
Encyclopedia
The Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Germany was known for most of its existence as the Vicariate Apostolic of the Northern (or Nordic) Missions , established on 28 April 1667. It was a Roman Catholic missionary
jurisdiction of a Vicar Apostolic in predominantly Protestant Northern Europe. On 7 August 1868, on the occasion of completing separate jurisdictions for all of Scandinavia
, the vicariate only continued to comprise small areas in Northern Germany
and was thus renamed. With the integration of these areas into other Roman Catholic diocese
s the vicariate ceased to exist on 13 August 1930.
in the sixteenth century caused the loss of almost all of Northern Europe to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1582 the stray Catholics of Denmark
, Finland, Northern Germany, Norway
, and Sweden
were placed under the jurisdiction of a papal nuncio in Cologne
. The Congregation de propaganda fide, on its establishment in 1622, took charge of the vast missionary field, which at its third session it divided among the nuncio of Brussels
(for the Catholics in Denmark and Norway), the nuncio at Cologne
(much of Northern Germany) and the nuncio of Poland
(Finland, Mecklenburg, and Sweden).
Following the organisational structure of the Church the apostolic vicariate included the diocesan areas of bishoprics, where Roman Catholic jurisdiction had effectively been abolished (see the list in section Dioceses comprised in the vicariate). This was partially due to (1) secular rulers or governments repressing Catholic faith and clergy in their territories, which comprised the diocesan areas, (2) due to the fact that incumbent bishops had converted to Lutheranism
, or (3) because the cathedral capitular canons
, responsible for electing new bishops, had adopted Lutheranism and thus chose fellow faithful candidates, who thus de facto ascended the sees
(typical for prince-bishoprics in Northern Germany).
So while the area under the jurisdiction of the vicar apostolic followed originally the diocesan boundaries of the de facto defunct bishoprics, the boundaries of new jurisdictions followed mostly the political borders relevant at the time of their establishment (See the list in the section States and territories covered by the vicariate below).
The scattered Catholics in Northern Europe were placed under the pastoral care of the Jesuits, Franciscans and Dominicans
. Catholics in many places had at their disposal only the chapels established in the houses of the diplomatic representatives of the Holy Roman
(becoming – as of 1806 – the Austrian) Emperor and of other Catholic Powers, France and Spain. Sometimes admission even to these chapels was rendered difficult, or entirely prohibited to native Catholics.
In some districts the conversion of the monarchs, e.g. Duke John Frederick of Brunswick and Lunenburg
, Prince of Calenberg (1651) and Duke Christian I Louis of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
(1663), brought Catholics some measure of freedom. The number of Catholics having increased in 1667, chiefly through the above-mentioned Prince of Calenberg, a vicariate Apostolic was established for Northern Germany.
The first vicar was Valerio Maccioni, titular Bishop
of Morocco
, who resided at Hanover
. He died in 1676, and was succeeded by the celebrated Danish convert Nicolaus Steno, who in 1680 was obliged to leave Hanover, was made Auxiliary Bishop
of Münster, and in 1683 returned to the Nordic Missions. He died at Schwerin
in 1686, and was followed in the vicariate successively by Friedrich von Hörde, Auxiliary Bishop of Hildesheim and titular Bishop of Joppe (1686–96), Jobst Edmund von Brabeck, Bishop of Hildesheim (1697–1702) and Otto von Bronckhorst, Auxiliary Bishop of Osnabrück.
The Northern Missions, viewed in a wider sense, included also the Apostolic Prefectures of Schleswig-Holstein
, coinciding with the Prussian province of that name, of Denmark and of Norway, which were placed under separate prelates in 1868. The vicariate and prefectures were under the permanent jurisdiction of the Bishop of Osnabrück
as administrator Apostolic.
In the vicariate Catholics numbered about 79,400 (with 1,925,000 members of other confessional denominations), under 47 secular priests having care of 17 parishes and 17 mission stations. The following religious congregations had houses in the vicariate: Sisters of Mercy of St. Charles Borromeo, 1; Sisters of St. Elizabeth (Grey Nuns
), 5; Franciscan Sisters
, 2; Ursulines
, 2.
The Prefecture Apostolic of Schleswig-Holstein had in 1909: 11 parishes, 31 mission stations, 34 secular priests, 35,900 Catholics, and 550,000 of other beliefs; 4 communities of Sisters of St. Elizabeth and 3 of Franciscan nuns.
In summer the Catholic population of the vicariate Northern Germany and prefecture of Schleswig-Holstein was increased by 17,000 to 20,000 labourers (chiefly Poles) from other parts of Germany, who return to their homes at the beginning of the winter. The spiritual interests of the faithful were inadequately attended to owing to the extent of the parishes, the lack of priests, the poverty of the majority of the Catholics and in many places the hostility of the Protestant state or municipal governments. A more encouraging picture was presented by the numerous Catholic societies and by the maintenance of private Catholic schools, despite the fact that the Catholics were often obliged to contribute also to the support of the state and parish schools. A very fruitful activity has been developed in these missions by the Boniface Association
.
The French Revolution
and the Napoleonic regime brought great relief to Catholics in many cities and states; but the equality granted them by law in some countries was often merely theoretical.
At the reorganisation of Catholic affairs in Germany after the Napoleonic era (see Rheinbund), the greater part of the Northern Missions was added to adjacent bishoprics. The only districts remaining mission territory were the Kingdom of Saxony
, the Principality of Anhalt, constituted separate vicariates Apostolic in 1816 and 1825 respectively, and the North, which in 1826 was placed temporarily under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Paderborn.
In 1839 Pope Gregory XVI wished to entrust the vicariate to a bishop with his see at Hamburg. Johann Theodor Laurent was appointed vicar and consecrated bishop. Lutheran opposition prevented the realisation of the plan and Laurent was denied to enter Hamburg. The pope thereupon gave the administration of the vicariate to the Auxiliary Bishop of Osnabrück, Karl Anton Lüppe (d. 1855). The Bishop of Osnabrück
was since then the regular Vicar Apostolic of the Northern Missions, and administrator of the Prefecture Apostolic of Schleswig-Holstein, since that was separated from the vicariate in 1868. In 1869 Denmark
and Norway were erected into apostolic prefectures of their own, and in 1892 into apostolic vicariates.
The list below records the bishoprics whose diocesan areas fell under the jurisdiction of the Nordic Missions (renamed into Nordic Missions of Northern Germany on 7 August 1868 on the occasion of completing separate jurisdictions for all of Scandinavia). The list shows when the various diocesan areas left the (and eventually returned to the) jurisdiction of the Nordic Missions, to which Roman Catholic jurisdictions the areas used to belong afterwards, and to which jurisdictions they belong today. Today the areas of some defunct dioceses are partitioned among several modern dioceses. By clicking on the buttons the list can be ordered along the categories given in each column. The list does not claim to record the correct affiliations for every area of the former dioceses.
Owing to its vast extent, Pope Clement XI
divided the old Vicariate Apostolic into two vicariates: the Vicariate Apostolic of Upper and Lower Saxony, embracing the portions of the old vicariate situated in the Palatinate and in Lower Saxon
Electoral Hanover
and the Duchy of Bremen (with the Westphalian
Principality of Verden), as well as in Upper Saxon
Anhalt (in its then four princely subdivisions), Electoral Brandenburg (comprising the March of Brandenburg and Farther Pomerania
), Swedish Hither Pomerania
, and Electoral Saxony
(still without the 1635-acquired Bohemian fief of Upper and Lower Lusatia). This new Apostolic Vicariate was seated in Hanover city
(and thus also called Apostolic Vicariate of Hanover). It was placed in charge of Agostino Steffani
, Bishop of Spiga and minister of the Elector Palatine, as vicar Apostolic.
So the rest of the original vicariate, comprising all of Northern Europe north of the Elbe
, and Bremen
, remained with the Nordic Missions, which retained the title of Vicariate of the North. It was placed under the Auxiliary Bishop of Osnabrück. Since 1743 the Roman Catholics in the Wettin-held imperial fief of Electoral Saxony were subject to the Apostolic Vicariate of the Saxon Hereditary Lands, later also acceded by Reuss Elder Line
, Reuss Younger Line, and Saxe-Altenburg
. Saxon Hereditary Lands merged with the Apostolic Prefecture of Upper Lusatia (comprising the post-Napoleonic remainder of Wettin-held Upper Lusatia) into the new Diocese of Meissen
on 24 June 1921.
The division between the Nordic Missions and the Upper and Lower Saxon vicariate lasted until 1779/80, when Friedrich Wilhelm von Westphalen, Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim, reunited under his administration the vicariates. On 11 February 1780 the territorially lessened Vicariate of Upper and Lower Saxony remerged into the Nordic Missions. Three years later the Apostolic Vicariate of Sweden was established, then competent for Roman Catholics in the Swedish Empire
with Finland and Sweden proper. The Swedish-held imperial fief in Hither Pomerania remained with the Nordic Missions, also after it became Prussian in 1815.
With Pomerania and the March of Brandenburg having ceased to be parts of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, but become provinces of Prussia
, the latter agreed with the Holy See to place the Prussian part of the Nordic Missions under the jurisdictions of neighbouring Prussian dioceses as of 16 August 1821. Thus the Prince-Bishop of Breslau took direct responsibility for the now Prussian-held part of Meissen's former diocesan areas in then Brandenburgian Lower Lusatia and then Silesian (eastern) Upper Lusatia. Breslau wielded its indirect jurisdiction in the remainder of Brandenburg (including Berlin) and most of Pomerania (except of Lauenburg and Bütow Land
) by its new Prince-Episcopal Delegation for Brandenburg and Pomerania (staffed in 1824). The diocesan areas of the defunct bishoprics in Prussian Saxony
came under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Paderborn, as was the case with the diocesan area of defunct Minden in Prussian Westphalia
.
Also in the Kingdom of Hanover
the diocesan areas of defunct bishoprics (Bremen, Verden) were assigned to the neighbouring existing dioceses of Hildesheim and of Osnabrück on 26 March 1824 (Bull "Impensa Romanorum Pontificum").
Also Brunswick
(succeeding Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel) and meanwhile only tripartite Anhalt left the Nordic Missions in 1825, but without a persisting domestic Catholic diocese and only few domestic Catholics they formed an Apostolic Vicariate of heir own, also acceded by Saxe-Gotha
, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
, and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
. In 1834 Brunswick, leaving Anhalt apostolic vicariate, merged into the jurisdiction of neighbouring Hanoveran Hildesheim diocese and Norway, leaving the Nordic Missions, became part of the Swedish vicariate the same year. In 1855 northern Norway switched to the Apostolic Prefecture of the North Pole, while the rest of Norway remained with Sweden until 1868. At this time all of Northern Europe formed separate Roman Catholic jurisdictions and had left the Nordic Missions:
Simultaneously with the establishment of the Danish and Norwegian apostolic prefectures the Nordic Missions had been reduced to small member states in the North German Confederation
(thus renamed to Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Germany on 7 August 1868), such as the Grand Duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
and Mecklenburg-Strelitz
, the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (part of Prussia as of 1876), the Hanseatic free cities of Bremen
(without Bremerhaven
), Hamburg
(still with Cuxhaven) and Lübeck, the Principalities of Lübeck (capital Eutin
), and Schaumburg-Lippe, and the British Island of Helgoland (joined Germany in 1891).
The table below shows the territories and states at the beginning of the 18th c. and how new jurisdictions developed over the centuries. The table can be sorted by the territories and states, the empires they used to belonged to, the years they bolonged to the Apostolic Vicariate of the Nordic Missions, and the names of the present jurisdictions by clicking on the buttons.
The remainder of the vicariate, after secession of Hereditary Saxony vicariate in 1743, remerged into the Nordic Missions in 1780.
In 1921 the Holy See elevated the Apostolic Prefecture of Upper Lusatia to the modern Diocese of Meissen (renamed Dresden-Meissen in 1980), followed by the investiture of Christian Schreiber as bishop, the Vicariate of the Saxon Hereditary Lands was then merged into this new diocese.
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
jurisdiction of a Vicar Apostolic in predominantly Protestant Northern Europe. On 7 August 1868, on the occasion of completing separate jurisdictions for all of Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, the vicariate only continued to comprise small areas in Northern Germany
Northern Germany
- Geography :The key terrain features of North Germany are the marshes along the coastline of the North Sea and Baltic Sea, and the geest and heaths inland. Also prominent are the low hills of the Baltic Uplands, the ground moraines, end moraines, sandur, glacial valleys, bogs, and Luch...
and was thus renamed. With the integration of these areas into other Roman Catholic diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
s the vicariate ceased to exist on 13 August 1930.
History
The ReformationProtestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
in the sixteenth century caused the loss of almost all of Northern Europe to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1582 the stray Catholics of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Finland, Northern Germany, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
were placed under the jurisdiction of a papal nuncio in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. The Congregation de propaganda fide, on its establishment in 1622, took charge of the vast missionary field, which at its third session it divided among the nuncio of Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
(for the Catholics in Denmark and Norway), the nuncio at Cologne
Apostolic Nuncio to Cologne
The Apostolic Nunciature to Cologne was an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church established in 1584. The nuncios were accredited to the Achbishop-Electorates of Cologne, Mainz and Trier...
(much of Northern Germany) and the nuncio of Poland
Apostolic Nuncio to Poland
The Apostolic Nuncio to Poland is one of the oldest nuncios, appointed by the Pope as apostolic representative to the Roman Catholic Church in Poland. Three nuncios to Poland went on to be elected pope...
(Finland, Mecklenburg, and Sweden).
Following the organisational structure of the Church the apostolic vicariate included the diocesan areas of bishoprics, where Roman Catholic jurisdiction had effectively been abolished (see the list in section Dioceses comprised in the vicariate). This was partially due to (1) secular rulers or governments repressing Catholic faith and clergy in their territories, which comprised the diocesan areas, (2) due to the fact that incumbent bishops had converted to Lutheranism
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
, or (3) because the cathedral capitular canons
Cathedral chapter
In accordance with canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese in his stead. These councils are made up of canons and dignitaries; in the Roman Catholic church their...
, responsible for electing new bishops, had adopted Lutheranism and thus chose fellow faithful candidates, who thus de facto ascended the sees
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
(typical for prince-bishoprics in Northern Germany).
So while the area under the jurisdiction of the vicar apostolic followed originally the diocesan boundaries of the de facto defunct bishoprics, the boundaries of new jurisdictions followed mostly the political borders relevant at the time of their establishment (See the list in the section States and territories covered by the vicariate below).
The scattered Catholics in Northern Europe were placed under the pastoral care of the Jesuits, Franciscans and Dominicans
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
. Catholics in many places had at their disposal only the chapels established in the houses of the diplomatic representatives of the Holy Roman
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
(becoming – as of 1806 – the Austrian) Emperor and of other Catholic Powers, France and Spain. Sometimes admission even to these chapels was rendered difficult, or entirely prohibited to native Catholics.
In some districts the conversion of the monarchs, e.g. Duke John Frederick of Brunswick and Lunenburg
John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
John Frederick was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled over the Principality of Calenberg, a subdivision of the duchy, from 1665 until his death....
, Prince of Calenberg (1651) and Duke Christian I Louis of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1348, when Albert II of Mecklenburg and his younger brother John were raised to Dukes of Mecklenburg by King Charles IV...
(1663), brought Catholics some measure of freedom. The number of Catholics having increased in 1667, chiefly through the above-mentioned Prince of Calenberg, a vicariate Apostolic was established for Northern Germany.
The first vicar was Valerio Maccioni, titular Bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, who resided at Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
. He died in 1676, and was succeeded by the celebrated Danish convert Nicolaus Steno, who in 1680 was obliged to leave Hanover, was made Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Münster, and in 1683 returned to the Nordic Missions. He died at Schwerin
Schwerin
Schwerin is the capital and second-largest city of the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The population, as of end of 2009, was 95,041.-History:...
in 1686, and was followed in the vicariate successively by Friedrich von Hörde, Auxiliary Bishop of Hildesheim and titular Bishop of Joppe (1686–96), Jobst Edmund von Brabeck, Bishop of Hildesheim (1697–1702) and Otto von Bronckhorst, Auxiliary Bishop of Osnabrück.
The Northern Missions, viewed in a wider sense, included also the Apostolic Prefectures of Schleswig-Holstein
Province of Schleswig-Holstein
The Province of Schleswig-Holstein was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1868 to 1946. It was created from the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, which had been conquered by Prussia and the Austrian Empire from Denmark in the Second War of Schleswig in 1864...
, coinciding with the Prussian province of that name, of Denmark and of Norway, which were placed under separate prelates in 1868. The vicariate and prefectures were under the permanent jurisdiction of the Bishop of Osnabrück
Bishop of Osnabrück
The Bishop of Osnabrück is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Osnabrück, the current incumbent is Franz-Josef Hermann Bode. Theodor Kettmann is his auxiliary bishop.- List of Bishops of Osnabrück :*Paul Ludolf Melchers...
as administrator Apostolic.
In the vicariate Catholics numbered about 79,400 (with 1,925,000 members of other confessional denominations), under 47 secular priests having care of 17 parishes and 17 mission stations. The following religious congregations had houses in the vicariate: Sisters of Mercy of St. Charles Borromeo, 1; Sisters of St. Elizabeth (Grey Nuns
Grey Nuns
The Order of Sisters of Charity of Montreal, formerly called The Order of Sisters of Charity of the Hôpital Général of Montreal and more commonly known as the Grey Nuns of Montreal, is a Canadian order of Roman Catholic religious sisters...
), 5; Franciscan Sisters
Franciscan Sisters
Franciscan Sisters can refer to:* Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity* Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist* Franciscan Sisters of Mary* Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration* Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart...
, 2; Ursulines
Ursulines
The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order for women founded at Brescia, Italy, by Saint Angela de Merici in November 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.-History:St Angela de Merici spent 17 years leading a...
, 2.
The Prefecture Apostolic of Schleswig-Holstein had in 1909: 11 parishes, 31 mission stations, 34 secular priests, 35,900 Catholics, and 550,000 of other beliefs; 4 communities of Sisters of St. Elizabeth and 3 of Franciscan nuns.
In summer the Catholic population of the vicariate Northern Germany and prefecture of Schleswig-Holstein was increased by 17,000 to 20,000 labourers (chiefly Poles) from other parts of Germany, who return to their homes at the beginning of the winter. The spiritual interests of the faithful were inadequately attended to owing to the extent of the parishes, the lack of priests, the poverty of the majority of the Catholics and in many places the hostility of the Protestant state or municipal governments. A more encouraging picture was presented by the numerous Catholic societies and by the maintenance of private Catholic schools, despite the fact that the Catholics were often obliged to contribute also to the support of the state and parish schools. A very fruitful activity has been developed in these missions by the Boniface Association
Boniface Association
The Boniface Association, in German Bonifatiuswerk, is a Roman Catholic organization whose primary aim is to support Catholicism in largely Protestant areas of Germany and areas formerly part of the German empire...
.
The French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and the Napoleonic regime brought great relief to Catholics in many cities and states; but the equality granted them by law in some countries was often merely theoretical.
At the reorganisation of Catholic affairs in Germany after the Napoleonic era (see Rheinbund), the greater part of the Northern Missions was added to adjacent bishoprics. The only districts remaining mission territory were the Kingdom of Saxony
Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War...
, the Principality of Anhalt, constituted separate vicariates Apostolic in 1816 and 1825 respectively, and the North, which in 1826 was placed temporarily under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Paderborn.
In 1839 Pope Gregory XVI wished to entrust the vicariate to a bishop with his see at Hamburg. Johann Theodor Laurent was appointed vicar and consecrated bishop. Lutheran opposition prevented the realisation of the plan and Laurent was denied to enter Hamburg. The pope thereupon gave the administration of the vicariate to the Auxiliary Bishop of Osnabrück, Karl Anton Lüppe (d. 1855). The Bishop of Osnabrück
Bishop of Osnabrück
The Bishop of Osnabrück is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Osnabrück, the current incumbent is Franz-Josef Hermann Bode. Theodor Kettmann is his auxiliary bishop.- List of Bishops of Osnabrück :*Paul Ludolf Melchers...
was since then the regular Vicar Apostolic of the Northern Missions, and administrator of the Prefecture Apostolic of Schleswig-Holstein, since that was separated from the vicariate in 1868. In 1869 Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Norway were erected into apostolic prefectures of their own, and in 1892 into apostolic vicariates.
Defunct dioceses comprised in the vicariate
On its establishment the Apostolic Vicariate comprised first only the Diocese of Minden. The other former Catholic dioceses followed at three later dates (given in the list). The date in the second column refers to the year, when last time a catholic bishop could effectively wield his pontificate, not an eventual later appointment or continued titulature in exile. Some last Catholic bishops (like in Minden and Verden) had already been preceded by Lutheran incumbents.The list below records the bishoprics whose diocesan areas fell under the jurisdiction of the Nordic Missions (renamed into Nordic Missions of Northern Germany on 7 August 1868 on the occasion of completing separate jurisdictions for all of Scandinavia). The list shows when the various diocesan areas left the (and eventually returned to the) jurisdiction of the Nordic Missions, to which Roman Catholic jurisdictions the areas used to belong afterwards, and to which jurisdictions they belong today. Today the areas of some defunct dioceses are partitioned among several modern dioceses. By clicking on the buttons the list can be ordered along the categories given in each column. The list does not claim to record the correct affiliations for every area of the former dioceses.
| Diocese (D)/ Archdiocese (A) | Last Catholic episcopate ended in | Jurisdiction by Northern Missions | Later jurisdiction(s) (Apostolic Administration Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration... / ~ Prefecture Apostolic prefect An apostolic prefect is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a missionary area where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese.... / ~ Vicariate = AA/AP/AV; territorial prelature Territorial Prelate A territorial prelate is, in Catholic usage, a prelate whose geographic jurisdiction, called territorial prelature, does not belong to any diocese and is considered a particular church.... = TP) |
Today's jurisdiction(s) | Pre-Reformation ecclesiastical province; remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minden (D) Bishopric of Minden The Bishopric of Minden was a Roman Catholic diocese and a state, Prince-bishopric of Minden , of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Minden which is in modern day Germany.-History:... |
1648 | 1667–1709, and again 1780–1821 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 (seated in Hanover Hanover Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg... , thus also called Apostolic Vicariate of Hanover) |
Paderborn (D/A as of 1930) since 1821 | |
| Halberstadt (D) Bishopric of Halberstadt The Bishopric of Halberstadt was a Roman Catholic diocese from 804 until 1648 and an ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire from the late Middle Ages... |
1552 | 1669–1709, and again 1780–1821 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 Paderborn (D/A as of 1930) 1821–1994 |
Magdeburg (D) Diocese of Magdeburg The Diocese of Magdeburg is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church located in the Germany. Its seat is Magdeburg; it is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Paderborn.... since 1994 |
|
| Verden (D) | 1631 | 1669–1709, and again 1780–1821/24 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 (western , i.e. Hanoveran Electorate of Hanover The Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the ninth Electorate of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation... part) Paderborn (D/A as of 1930) 1821–1994 (Old March Altmark The Altmark is a historic region in Germany, comprising the northern third of Saxony-Anhalt. As the initial territory of the Brandenburg margraves, it is sometimes referred to as the "Cradle of Prussia", as by Otto von Bismarck, a native from Schönhausen near Stendal.- Geography :The Altmark is... ) |
Hildesheim (D) since 1824 (western, i.e. Lower Saxon Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany... part) Magdeburg (D) Diocese of Magdeburg The Diocese of Magdeburg is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church located in the Germany. Its seat is Magdeburg; it is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Paderborn.... since 1994 (Old March) |
|
| Bremen (A) | 1566 | 1670–1821/24, partially till 1868 and 1930 | Schleswig-Holstein (AP) 1868–1930 (Holstein Holstein Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany.... ) Osnabrück (D) 1930–1994 (Hamburg Hamburg -History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808... and Holstein) |
Hildesheim (D) since 1824 (Elbe-Weser Triangle Elbe-Weser Triangle The region between Bremen , Hamburg and Cuxhaven forms the Elbe-Weser Triangle in northern Germany. It is also colloquially referred to as the Nasses Dreieck or "Wet Triangle"... ) Osnabrück (D) since 1930 (Bremen city w/o Bremen Nord Bremen The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is... ) Münster (D) since 1821 (west part, i.e. Oldenburg Oldenburg (state) Oldenburg — named after its capital, the town of Oldenburg — was a state in the north of present-day Germany. Oldenburg survived from 1180 until 1918 as a county, duchy and grand duchy, and from 1918 until 1946 as a free state. It was located near the mouth of the River Weser... ) Hamburg (A) since 1994 (Holstein and Hamburg) |
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| 1561 | 1670–1930 | Osnabrück (D) 1930–1994 | Hamburg (A) since 1994 | ||
| Ratzeburg (D) Bishopric of Ratzeburg The Bishopric of Ratzeburg , centered on Ratzeburg in Northern Germany, was originally a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Hamburg, which transformed into the Archdiocese of Bremen in 1072.- History :... |
1554 | 1670–1930 | Osnabrück (D) 1930–1994 | Hamburg (A) since 1994 | |
| Schwerin (D) | 1533 | 1670–1930 | Osnabrück (D) 1930–1994 | Hamburg (A) since 1994 | |
| Magdeburg (A) Archbishopric of Magdeburg The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese and Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River.... |
1552 | 1670–1709, and again 1780–1821, Anhalt Anhalt Anhalt was a sovereign county in Germany, located between the Harz Mountains and the river Elbe in Middle Germany. It now forms part of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.- Dukes of Anhalt :... till 1825 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 Paderborn (D/A as of 1930) 1821–1994 (Prussian part) Anhalt (AV) 1825–1921 (Anhalt) Paderborn (D/A as of 1930) 1921–1994 (Anhalt) |
Magdeburg (D) Diocese of Magdeburg The Diocese of Magdeburg is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church located in the Germany. Its seat is Magdeburg; it is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Paderborn.... since 1994 |
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| Brandenburg (D) | 1539 | 1670–1709, and again 1780–1821 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 Breslau's (D) Prince-Episcopal Delegation for Brandenburg and Pomerania 1821–1930 |
Berlin (D/A as of 1994) since 1930 | |
| Havelberg (D) Bishopric of Havelberg The Bishopric of Havelberg was a Roman Catholic diocese founded by King Otto I, King of the Germans, in 946. The diocese was suffragan to the Archbishopric of Magdeburg. Its most famous bishop was Anselm of Havelberg. Its seat was in Havelberg in the Northern March and it roughly covered the... |
1548 | 1670–1709, and again 1780–1821 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 Breslau's (D) Prince-Episcopal Delegation for Brandenburg and Pomerania 1821–1930 |
Berlin (D/A as of 1994) since 1930 | |
| Lebus (D) Bishopric of Lebus The Bishopric of Lebus was a Roman Catholic diocese and later an ecclesiastical territory of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed from 1125 until 1598... |
1555 | 1670–1709, and again 1780–1821 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 Breslau's (D) Prince-Episcopal Delegation for Brandenburg and Pomerania 1821–1930 Berlin (D) 1930–1951 (eastern part) Cammin, Lebus and Schneidemühl Prelature (AA) 1951–1972 (eastern, i.e. Polish part) |
Berlin (D/A as of 1994) since 1930 (western part) (Zielona Góra-)Gorzów (D) Roman Catholic Diocese of Zielona Góra-Gorzów The Roman Catholic Diocese of Zielona Góra-Gorzów is an diocese located in the cities of Zielona Góra and Gorzów Wielkopolski in the Ecclesiastical province of Szczecin-Kamień in Poland.-History:... since 1972 (eastern, i.e. Polish part) |
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| Merseburg (D) Bishopric of Merseburg The Bishopric of Merseburg was a episcopal see on the eastern border of the mediæval Duchy of Saxony with its centre in Merseburg, where Merseburg Cathedral was constructed... |
1544 | 1670–1709 | Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1743 Saxon Hereditary Lands (AV) 1743–1921 (eastern part) Saxon Hereditary Lands (AV) 1743–1821 (western part) Paderborn (D/A as of 1930) 1821–1994 (western, i.e. Prussian part) |
Magdeburg (D) Diocese of Magdeburg The Diocese of Magdeburg is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church located in the Germany. Its seat is Magdeburg; it is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Paderborn.... since 1994 (western, i.e. Saxony-Anhalt part) |
|
| Naumburg (D) | 1564 | 1670–1709 | Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1743 Saxon Hereditary Lands (AV) 1743–1921 (eastern part) Saxon Hereditary Lands (AV) 1743–1821 (western part) Paderborn (D/A as of 1930) 1821–1994 (western, i.e. Prussian part) |
Magdeburg (D) Diocese of Magdeburg The Diocese of Magdeburg is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church located in the Germany. Its seat is Magdeburg; it is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Paderborn.... since 1994 (western, i.e. Saxony-Anhalt part) |
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| Cammin (D) | 1544 | 1688–1709, and again 1780–1821, M.-Strelitz Mecklenburg-Strelitz Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy and later grand duchy in northern Germany, consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district , and the western exclave of the former Bishopric of Ratzeburg in modern... till 1930 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 Breslau's (D) Prince-Episcopal Delegation for Brandenburg and Pomerania 1821–1930 (New March and Pomerania Province of Pomerania The Province of Pomerania was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 until 1945. Afterwards its territory became part of Allied-occupied Germany and Poland.... ) Berlin (D) 1930–1951 (Farther Pomerania Farther Pomerania Farther Pomerania, Further Pomerania, Transpomerania or Eastern Pomerania , which before the German-Polish border shift of 1945 comprised the eastern part of the Duchy, later Province of Pomerania, roughly stretching from the Oder River in the West to Pomerelia in the East... ) Cammin, Lebus and Schneidemühl Prelature (AA) 1951–1972 (Farther Pomerania) Osnabrück (D) 1930–1994 (Mecklenburg-Strelitz Mecklenburg-Strelitz Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy and later grand duchy in northern Germany, consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district , and the western exclave of the former Bishopric of Ratzeburg in modern... ) |
Berlin (D/A as of 1994) since 1930 (Hither Pomerania Hither Pomerania Western Pomerania, Cispomerania or Hither Pomerania are terms used in English to translate the German Vorpommern the western extremity of the historic region of the duchy, later Province of Pomerania, nowadays divided between the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Poland.Forming part of... ) Szczecin-Kamień (D/A as of 1992) since 1972 (western Farther Pomerania) Koszalin-Kołobrzeg (D) since 1972 (eastern Farther Pomerania) Hamburg (A) since 1994 (Mecklenburg-Strelitz) |
Cammin was an exempt Exemption (church) In the Roman Catholic Church, exemption is the whole or partial release of an ecclesiastical person, corporation, or institution from the authority of the ecclesiastical superior next higher in rank.... diocese since 1140 |
| Lund (A) Catholic diocese of Lund The Catholic diocese of Lund was formed in 1060, in what was then Danish territory, by separation from the Diocese of Roskilde, then both suffragans of the Archdiocese of Hamburg-Bremen... |
1536 | 1688–1783, Bornholm Bornholm Bornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea located to the east of the rest of Denmark, the south of Sweden, and the north of Poland. The main industries on the island include fishing, arts and crafts like glass making and pottery using locally worked clay, and dairy farming. Tourism is... till 1868 |
Sweden (AV) 1783–1953 (Swedish part) Denmark (AP) 1868–1892 (Bornholm) Denmark (AV) 1892–1953 (Bornholm) |
Stockholm (D) Roman Catholic diocese of Stockholm -External links:** at the Catholic-Hierarchy.org website.... since 1953 (Swedish part) Copenhagen (D) since 1953 (Bornholm) |
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| Aarhus (D) Ancient See of Aarhus The Ancient See of Aarhus was a pre-reformation Catholic diocese in Denmark.The diocese included the counties of Aarhus and Randers, the islands of Samsø and Tunø, and, after 1396, part of the county of Viborg.... |
1536 | 1688–1868 | Denmark (AP) 1868–1892 Denmark (AV) 1892–1953 |
Copenhagen (D) since 1953 | |
| 1536 | 1688–1868 | Denmark (AP) 1868–1892 Denmark (AV) 1892–1953 |
Copenhagen (D) since 1953 | ||
| Odense (D) Roman Catholic bishopric of Odense The former Roman Catholic bishopric of Odense was a bishopric on the Danish islands that included the islands of Funen , Langeland, Tåsinge, Lolland, Falster, Als and Ærø. The diocese was disputed as suffragan between the archdioceses of Hamburg-Bremen and Canterbury... |
1529 | 1688–1868 | Denmark AP) 1868–1892 Denmark (AV) 1892–1953 |
Copenhagen (D) since 1953 | |
| Ribe (D) | 1536 | 1688–1868 | Denmark (AP) 1868–1892 Denmark (AV) 1892–1953 |
Copenhagen (D) since 1953 | |
| Roskilde (D) Roskilde (titular see) Roskilde is a Catholic titular see. The former see, suppressed in the sixteenth century, was Roskilde in Denmark.... |
1529 | 1688–1868, Rügen Rügen Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea... only till 1821 |
Denmark (AP) 1868–1892 (Danish part) Denmark (AV) 1892–1953 (Danish part) Breslau's (D) Prince-Episcopal Delegation for Brandenburg and Pomerania 1821–1930 (Rügen) |
Copenhagen (D) since 1953 (Danish part) Berlin (D/A as of 1994) since 1930 (Rügen) |
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| Schleswig (D) | 1542 | 1688–1868 | Schleswig-Holstein (AP) 1868–1920 Schleswig-Holstein (AP) 1920–1930 (South Schleswig) Osnabrück (D) 1930–1994 (South Schleswig) Denmark (AV) 1920–1953 (North Schleswig) |
Copenhagen (D) since 1953 (North Schleswig) Hamburg (A) since 1994 (South Schleswig) |
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| Viborg (D) Ancient Diocese of Viborg The former Roman Catholic diocese of Viborg, in Denmark existed from 1065 to the Protestant Reformation. It was created from the Diocese of Ribe.-History:... |
1536 | 1688–1868 | Denmark (AP) 1868–1892 Denmark (AV) 1892–1953 |
Copenhagen (D) since 1953 | |
| Meissen (D) | 1559/1581 | 1688–1709 (western part) | Meissen (AA) 1560–1567 (eastern part, i.e. Lower Lower Lusatia Lower Lusatia is a historical region stretching from the southeast of the Brandenburg state of Germany to the southwest of the Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Important towns beside the historic capital Lübben include Calau, Cottbus, Guben , Luckau, Spremberg, Finsterwalde, Senftenberg and Żary... and Upper Lusatia Upper Lusatia Upper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz... , seated in Bautzen Bautzen Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161... ) Upper Lusatia (AP) 1567–1921 (Upper Lusatia, reduced for Lower Lusatia and Silesian Upper Lusatia in 1821) Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1743 (western part) Saxon Hereditary Lands (AV) 1743–1921 (western part) Breslau (D/A as of 1930) 1821–1972 (Silesian Upper Lusatia and Lower Lusatia) Görlitz (AA) 1972–1994 |
Görlitz (D) since 1994 (Lower Lusatia and Silesian Upper Lusatia) |
Meissen was an exempt diocese (1399–1560), and since re-establishment in 1921, renamed to Dresden-Meissen in 1980, it is suffragan to Berlin (A) since 1994. |
| Trondheim (A) Archdiocese of Nidaros The Archdiocese of Nidaros was the metropolitan see covering Norway in the later Middle Ages. The see was the Nidaros Cathedral, in the city of Nidaros... |
1546 | 1688–1834 | Sweden (AV) 1834–1855 North Pole (AP) 1855–1869 (Norway north of polar circle Polar circle A polar circle is either the Arctic Circle or the Antarctic Circle. On Earth, the Arctic Circle is located at a latitude of N, and the Antarctic Circle is located at a latitude of S.... ) Sweden (AV) 1855–1868 (central Norway) Norway (AP) 1868–1892 Norway (AV) 1892–1931 Missionary District of Central Norway 1931–1935 (central Norway) Central Norway (AP) 1935–1953 (central Norway) Central Norway (AV) 1953–1979 (central Norway) Missionary District of Northern Norway 1931–1944 (Norway north of polar circle) Northern Norway (AP) 1944–1955 (Norway north of polar circle) Northern Norway (AV) 1955–1979 (Norway north of polar circle) |
Trondheim (TP) Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Trondheim Trondheim, Norway is the seat of the Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Trondheim, which before March 1979 was the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Norway. The prelature leadership is currently vacant following the resignation of Bishop Georg Müller in 2009 and is being administered by Bernt... since 1979 (central Norway) Tromsø (TP) Territorial Prelature of Tromsø The Territorial Prelature of Tromsø is a Roman Catholic territorial prelature located in the city of Tromsø in Norway.-History:* April 8, 1931: Established as Mission “sui iuris” of Northern Norway from the Apostolic Vicariate of Norway... since 1979 (Norway north of Polar circle) |
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| Bergen (D) Ancient Diocese of Bergen The Catholic Diocese of Bergen in Norway existed from the eleventh century to the Protestant Reformation , and included the counties of Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane .... |
1535 | 1688–1834 | Sweden (AV) 1834–1868 Norway (AP) 1868–1892 Norway (AV) 1892–1931 Oslo (AV) 1931–1953 |
Oslo (D) Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo is an exempt diocese located in the city of Oslo in Norway.-History:* 1070?: Established as Diocese of Oslo* 1537: Suppressed... since 1953 |
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| Faroe (D) Ancient Diocese of the Faroe Islands The former Catholic Diocese of the Faroe Islands existed from the eleventh century to the Protestant Reformation. The Faroe Islands are now included in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Copenhagen.-History:... |
1538 | 1688–1855 | North Pole (AP) 1855–1869 Denmark (AP) 1869–1892 Denmark (AV) 1892–1953 |
Copenhagen (D) since 1953 | |
| Garðar Gardar, Greenland Garðar was the seat of the bishop in the Norse settlements in Greenland.-Diocese of Garðar:In the sagas it is told that Sokki Þórisson, a wealthy farmer of the Brattahlíð area launched the idea of a separate bishop for Greenland in the early 12th century. He got the approval of the Norwegian King.... (D) |
1537 (however, sede vacante Sede vacante Sede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church... in 16th c.) |
1688–1855 | North Pole (AP) 1855–1869 Denmark (AP) 1869–1892 Denmark (AV) 1892–1953 |
Copenhagen (D) since 1953 | |
| Hamar (D) Ancient Diocese of Hamar The former Norwegian Catholic diocese of Hamar existed from 1152 to the Protestant Reformation. The see was at Hamar, and the diocese included the counties of Hedmark , Oppland , and the middle part of Buskerud The former Norwegian Catholic diocese of Hamar existed from 1152 to the Protestant... |
1537 | 1688–1834 | Sweden (AV) 1834–1868 Norway (AP) 1868–1892 Norway (AV) 1892–1931 Oslo (AV) 1931–1953 |
Oslo (D) Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo is an exempt diocese located in the city of Oslo in Norway.-History:* 1070?: Established as Diocese of Oslo* 1537: Suppressed... since 1953 |
|
| 1550 | 1688–1855 | North Pole (AP) 1855–1869 Denmark (AP) 1869–1892 Denmark (AV) 1892–1923 Iceland (AP) 1923–1929 Iceland (AA) 1929–1968. |
Reykjavík (D) since 1968 | ||
| Oslo (D) | 1537 | 1688–1834 | Sweden (AV) 1834–1868 Norway (AP) 1868–1892 Norway (AV) 1892–1931 Oslo (AV) 1931–1953 |
Oslo (D) Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo is an exempt diocese located in the city of Oslo in Norway.-History:* 1070?: Established as Diocese of Oslo* 1537: Suppressed... since 1953 |
|
| 1541 | 1688–1855 | North Pole (AP) 1855–1869 Denmark (AP) 1869–1892 Denmark (AV) 1892–1923 Iceland (AP) 1923–1929 Iceland (AA) 1929–1968. |
Reykjavík (D) since 1968 | ||
| Stavanger (D) Ancient Diocese of Stavanger The former Catholic Diocese of Stavanger, in Norway, included the counties of Rogaland, Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder - together with the regions of Valdres and Hallingdal... |
1537 | 1688–1834 | Sweden (AV) 1834–1868 Norway (AP) 1868–1892 Norway (AV) 1892–1931 Oslo (AV) 1931–1953 |
Oslo (D) Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo is an exempt diocese located in the city of Oslo in Norway.-History:* 1070?: Established as Diocese of Oslo* 1537: Suppressed... since 1953 |
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| Uppsala (A) | 1524 | 1688–1783 | Sweden (AV) 1783–1953 | Stockholm (D) Roman Catholic diocese of Stockholm -External links:** at the Catholic-Hierarchy.org website.... since 1953 |
|
| 1550 | 1688–1783 | Sweden (AV) 1783–1809 Mohilev (A) Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mohilev The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mohilev was a territorial division of the Roman Catholic Church, covering a significant proportion of the territory of the Russian empire.... 1809–1920 (then seated in St. Petersburg) Finland (AV) 1920–1955 |
Helsinki (D) Roman Catholic Diocese of Helsinki The Roman Catholic Diocese of Helsinki is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church based in Helsinki, which comprises the whole of Finland... since 1955 |
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| Linköping (D) | 1527 | 1688–1783 | Sweden (AV) 1783–1953 | Stockholm (D) Roman Catholic diocese of Stockholm -External links:** at the Catholic-Hierarchy.org website.... since 1953 |
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| Skara (D) Diocese of Skara The Diocese of Skara is a diocese of the Church of Sweden , with its seat at Skara in Västergötland... |
1529 | 1688–1783 | Sweden (AV) 1783–1953 | Stockholm (D) Roman Catholic diocese of Stockholm -External links:** at the Catholic-Hierarchy.org website.... since 1953 |
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| 1520 | 1688–1783 | Sweden (AV) 1783–1953 | Stockholm (D) Roman Catholic diocese of Stockholm -External links:** at the Catholic-Hierarchy.org website.... since 1953 |
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| 1534 | 1688–1783 | Sweden (AV) 1783–1953 | Stockholm (D) Roman Catholic diocese of Stockholm -External links:** at the Catholic-Hierarchy.org website.... since 1953 |
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| 1530 | 1688–1783 | Sweden (AV) 1783–1953 | Stockholm (D) Roman Catholic diocese of Stockholm -External links:** at the Catholic-Hierarchy.org website.... since 1953 |
States and territories covered by the vicariate
The states and territories covered by the vicariate altered over the long duration of its existence. So the table below tries to present those states and territories which were part of the vicariate before it was territorially reduced for the first time on 6 April 1709.Owing to its vast extent, Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI , born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was Pope from 1700 until his death in 1721.-Early life:...
divided the old Vicariate Apostolic into two vicariates: the Vicariate Apostolic of Upper and Lower Saxony, embracing the portions of the old vicariate situated in the Palatinate and in Lower Saxon
Lower Saxon Circle
The Lower Saxon Circle was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. Covering much of the territory of the mediæval Duchy of Saxony , firstly the circle used to be called the Saxon Circle , only to be later better differentiated from the Upper Saxon Circle the more specific name prevailed.An...
Electoral Hanover
Electorate of Hanover
The Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the ninth Electorate of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation...
and the Duchy of Bremen (with the Westphalian
Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle
The Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. It comprised territories of the former Duchy of Lower Lorraine, Frisia and the Westphalian part of the former Duchy of Saxony....
Principality of Verden), as well as in Upper Saxon
Upper Saxon Circle
The Upper Saxon Circle was an Imperial Circle of the Holy Roman Empire, created in 1512.The circle was dominated by the electorate of Saxony and the electorate of Brandenburg. It further comprised the Saxon Ernestine duchies and Pomerania...
Anhalt (in its then four princely subdivisions), Electoral Brandenburg (comprising the March of Brandenburg and Farther Pomerania
Farther Pomerania
Farther Pomerania, Further Pomerania, Transpomerania or Eastern Pomerania , which before the German-Polish border shift of 1945 comprised the eastern part of the Duchy, later Province of Pomerania, roughly stretching from the Oder River in the West to Pomerelia in the East...
), Swedish Hither Pomerania
Swedish Pomerania
Swedish Pomerania was a Dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815, situated on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held extensive control over the lands on the southern Baltic coast, including Pomerania and parts...
, and Electoral Saxony
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
(still without the 1635-acquired Bohemian fief of Upper and Lower Lusatia). This new Apostolic Vicariate was seated in Hanover city
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
(and thus also called Apostolic Vicariate of Hanover). It was placed in charge of Agostino Steffani
Agostino Steffani
Agostino Steffani was an Italian ecclesiastic, diplomat and composer.-Biography:Steffani was born at Castelfranco Veneto. At a very early age he was admitted as a chorister at San Marco, Venice...
, Bishop of Spiga and minister of the Elector Palatine, as vicar Apostolic.
So the rest of the original vicariate, comprising all of Northern Europe north of the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
, and Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, remained with the Nordic Missions, which retained the title of Vicariate of the North. It was placed under the Auxiliary Bishop of Osnabrück. Since 1743 the Roman Catholics in the Wettin-held imperial fief of Electoral Saxony were subject to the Apostolic Vicariate of the Saxon Hereditary Lands, later also acceded by Reuss Elder Line
Reuss Elder Line
The Principality of Reuss Elder Line was a state in Germany, ruled by members of the House of Reuss. The Counts Reuss of Greiz, Lower- and Upper Greiz , were elevated to princely status in 1778. Its members bore the title Prince Reuss, Elder Line, or Prince Reuss of Greiz...
, Reuss Younger Line, and Saxe-Altenburg
Saxe-Altenburg
Saxe-Altenburg was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in present-day Thuringia.-History:The duchy originated from the medieval Burgraviate of Altenburg in the Imperial Pleissnerland , a possession of the Wettin Margraves of Meissen since 1243...
. Saxon Hereditary Lands merged with the Apostolic Prefecture of Upper Lusatia (comprising the post-Napoleonic remainder of Wettin-held Upper Lusatia) into the new Diocese of Meissen
Roman Catholic Diocese of Dresden-Meissen
The Diocese of Dresden-Meissen is a Diocese of Catholic Church in Germany. Founded as the Bishopric of Meissen in 968, it was dissolved in 1539 during the Protestant Reformation. The diocese was reestablished in 1921 and renamed Dresden-Meissen in 1980. The seat of the diocese is in Dresden and...
on 24 June 1921.
The division between the Nordic Missions and the Upper and Lower Saxon vicariate lasted until 1779/80, when Friedrich Wilhelm von Westphalen, Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim, reunited under his administration the vicariates. On 11 February 1780 the territorially lessened Vicariate of Upper and Lower Saxony remerged into the Nordic Missions. Three years later the Apostolic Vicariate of Sweden was established, then competent for Roman Catholics in the Swedish Empire
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
with Finland and Sweden proper. The Swedish-held imperial fief in Hither Pomerania remained with the Nordic Missions, also after it became Prussian in 1815.
With Pomerania and the March of Brandenburg having ceased to be parts of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, but become provinces of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
, the latter agreed with the Holy See to place the Prussian part of the Nordic Missions under the jurisdictions of neighbouring Prussian dioceses as of 16 August 1821. Thus the Prince-Bishop of Breslau took direct responsibility for the now Prussian-held part of Meissen's former diocesan areas in then Brandenburgian Lower Lusatia and then Silesian (eastern) Upper Lusatia. Breslau wielded its indirect jurisdiction in the remainder of Brandenburg (including Berlin) and most of Pomerania (except of Lauenburg and Bütow Land
Lauenburg and Bütow Land
Lauenburg and Bütow Land formed a historical region in eastern in eastern Pomerania. Composed of two districts centered around the towns of Lauenburg and Bütow , it was on the western periphery of Pomerelia...
) by its new Prince-Episcopal Delegation for Brandenburg and Pomerania (staffed in 1824). The diocesan areas of the defunct bishoprics in Prussian Saxony
Province of Saxony
The Province of Saxony was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1945. Its capital was Magdeburg.-History:The province was created in 1816 out of the following territories:...
came under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Paderborn, as was the case with the diocesan area of defunct Minden in Prussian Westphalia
Province of Westphalia
The Province of Westphalia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946.-History:Napoleon Bonaparte founded the Kingdom of Westphalia, which was a client state of the First French Empire from 1807 to 1813...
.
Also in the Kingdom of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
the diocesan areas of defunct bishoprics (Bremen, Verden) were assigned to the neighbouring existing dioceses of Hildesheim and of Osnabrück on 26 March 1824 (Bull "Impensa Romanorum Pontificum").
Also Brunswick
Duchy of Brunswick
Brunswick was a historical state in Germany. Originally the territory of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in the Holy Roman Empire, it was established as an independent duchy by the Congress of Vienna in 1815...
(succeeding Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel) and meanwhile only tripartite Anhalt left the Nordic Missions in 1825, but without a persisting domestic Catholic diocese and only few domestic Catholics they formed an Apostolic Vicariate of heir own, also acceded by Saxe-Gotha
Saxe-Gotha
Saxe-Gotha was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine of the Wettin dynasty in the former Landgraviate of Thuringia. The ducal residence was erected at Gotha....
, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was a small historic state in present-day Thuringia, Germany with its capital at Rudolstadt.-History:Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was established in 1599 in the course of a resettlement of Schwarzburg dynasty lands...
, and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a small principality in Germany, in the present day state of Thuringia, with capital at Sondershausen.-History:...
. In 1834 Brunswick, leaving Anhalt apostolic vicariate, merged into the jurisdiction of neighbouring Hanoveran Hildesheim diocese and Norway, leaving the Nordic Missions, became part of the Swedish vicariate the same year. In 1855 northern Norway switched to the Apostolic Prefecture of the North Pole, while the rest of Norway remained with Sweden until 1868. At this time all of Northern Europe formed separate Roman Catholic jurisdictions and had left the Nordic Missions:
- Apostolic Vicariate of Sweden (already est. on 23 September 1783)
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of MohilevMetropolitan Archdiocese of MohilevThe Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mohilev was a territorial division of the Roman Catholic Church, covering a significant proportion of the territory of the Russian empire....
(competent for Finland since the Russian takeover in 1809) - Apostolic Prefecture of Schleswig-HolsteinProvince of Schleswig-HolsteinThe Province of Schleswig-Holstein was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1868 to 1946. It was created from the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, which had been conquered by Prussia and the Austrian Empire from Denmark in the Second War of Schleswig in 1864...
(est. on 29 July 1868; however, yet without Saxe-Lauenburg, Lübeck free city and Lübeck principality), - Apostolic Prefecture of DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
(est. on 7 August 1868; with Faroe Islands, Greenland and Iceland) - Apostolic Prefecture of NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
(est. on 7 August 1868)
Simultaneously with the establishment of the Danish and Norwegian apostolic prefectures the Nordic Missions had been reduced to small member states in the North German Confederation
North German Confederation
The North German Confederation 1866–71, was a federation of 22 independent states of northern Germany. It was formed by a constitution accepted by the member states in 1867 and controlled military and foreign policy. It included the new Reichstag, a parliament elected by universal manhood...
(thus renamed to Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Germany on 7 August 1868), such as the Grand Duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1348, when Albert II of Mecklenburg and his younger brother John were raised to Dukes of Mecklenburg by King Charles IV...
and Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy and later grand duchy in northern Germany, consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district , and the western exclave of the former Bishopric of Ratzeburg in modern...
, the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (part of Prussia as of 1876), the Hanseatic free cities of Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
(without Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
), Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
(still with Cuxhaven) and Lübeck, the Principalities of Lübeck (capital Eutin
Eutin
Eutin is the district capital of Eastern Holstein located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As of 2005, it had some 17,000 inhabitants....
), and Schaumburg-Lippe, and the British Island of Helgoland (joined Germany in 1891).
The table below shows the territories and states at the beginning of the 18th c. and how new jurisdictions developed over the centuries. The table can be sorted by the territories and states, the empires they used to belonged to, the years they bolonged to the Apostolic Vicariate of the Nordic Missions, and the names of the present jurisdictions by clicking on the buttons.
| Territory or state | Defunct dioceses comprised (totally/ mostly/ partially: t/m/p) |
Jurisdiction by Northern Missions | Later jurisdiction(s) (Apostolic Administration Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration... / ~ Prefecture Apostolic prefect An apostolic prefect is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a missionary area where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese.... / ~ Vicariate = AA/AP/AV; territorial prelature Territorial Prelate A territorial prelate is, in Catholic usage, a prelate whose geographic jurisdiction, called territorial prelature, does not belong to any diocese and is considered a particular church.... = TP) |
Today's jurisdiction(s) | In early 18th c. affiliated with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anhalt-Bernburg Anhalt-Bernburg Anhalt-Bernburg was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire and a duchy of the German Confederation ruled by the House of Ascania with its residence at Bernburg in present-day Saxony-Anhalt... |
Halberstadt Bishopric of Halberstadt The Bishopric of Halberstadt was a Roman Catholic diocese from 804 until 1648 and an ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire from the late Middle Ages... (p) Magdeburg (A) Archbishopric of Magdeburg The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese and Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River.... (p) |
1669–1709, 1670–1709 (Magdeburg) and both again 1780–1825 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 Anhalt (AV) 1825–1921 Paderborn (D/A as of 1930) 1921–1994 |
Magdeburg (D) Diocese of Magdeburg The Diocese of Magdeburg is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church located in the Germany. Its seat is Magdeburg; it is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Paderborn.... since 1994 |
|
| Anhalt-Dessau Anhalt-Dessau Anhalt-Dessau was a principality and later a duchy located in Germany. It was created in 1396 following the partition of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst. The capital of the state was Dessau. Anhalt-Dessau experienced a number of partitions throughout its existence with Anhalt-Köthen being... |
Halberstadt Bishopric of Halberstadt The Bishopric of Halberstadt was a Roman Catholic diocese from 804 until 1648 and an ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire from the late Middle Ages... (p) Magdeburg (A) Archbishopric of Magdeburg The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese and Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River.... (p) |
1669–1709, 1670–1709 (Magdeburg) and both again 1780–1825 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 Anhalt (AV) 1825–1921 Paderborn (D/A as of 1930) 1921–1994 |
Magdeburg (D) Diocese of Magdeburg The Diocese of Magdeburg is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church located in the Germany. Its seat is Magdeburg; it is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Paderborn.... since 1994 |
|
| Anhalt-Köthen Anhalt-Köthen Anhalt-Köthen has existed on two separate occasions. The first state was created in 1396 when the Anhalt-Zerbst was partitioned between Anhalt-Dessau and Anhalt-Köthen. The first creation lasted until 1552 when it was inherited by Anhalt-Dessau.... |
Halberstadt Bishopric of Halberstadt The Bishopric of Halberstadt was a Roman Catholic diocese from 804 until 1648 and an ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire from the late Middle Ages... (p) Magdeburg (A) Archbishopric of Magdeburg The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese and Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River.... (p) |
1669–1709, 1670–1709 (Magdeburg) and both again 1780–1825 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 Anhalt (AV) 1825–1921 Paderborn (D/A as of 1930) 1921–1994 |
Magdeburg (D) Diocese of Magdeburg The Diocese of Magdeburg is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church located in the Germany. Its seat is Magdeburg; it is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Paderborn.... since 1994 |
|
| Anhalt-Zerbst Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst Anhalt-Zerbst was a principality located in Germany. It was established for the first time in 1252 following the partition of the principality of Anhalt. The capital of the state was located at Zerbst. Anhalt-Zerbst ceased to exist in 1396 when it was partitioned between Anhalt-Dessau and... |
Bremen (A) (p: Jever) Halberstadt Bishopric of Halberstadt The Bishopric of Halberstadt was a Roman Catholic diocese from 804 until 1648 and an ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire from the late Middle Ages... (p) Magdeburg (A) Archbishopric of Magdeburg The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese and Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River.... (p) |
1669–1709, 1670–1709 (Magdeburg) and both again 1780–1821/25 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 Anhalt (AV) 1825–1921 Paderborn (D/A as of 1930) 1921–1994 |
Münster (D) since 1821 (Jever, meanwhile Oldenburgian) Magdeburg (D) Diocese of Magdeburg The Diocese of Magdeburg is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church located in the Germany. Its seat is Magdeburg; it is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Paderborn.... since 1994 (Anhalt proper) |
|
| Brandenburg, (electorate) (March of Brandenburg proper and Brandenburgian Pomerania Province of Pomerania (1653–1815) The Province of Pomerania was a province of Brandenburg-Prussia, the later Kingdom of Prussia. After the Thirty Years' War, the province consisted of Farther Pomerania. Subsequently, the Lauenburg and Bütow Land, Draheim, and Swedish Pomerania south of the Peene river were joined into the province... ), in personal union with Prussia Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire... |
Brandenburg (D) (t) Cammin (m: New March and Farther Pomerania Farther Pomerania Farther Pomerania, Further Pomerania, Transpomerania or Eastern Pomerania , which before the German-Polish border shift of 1945 comprised the eastern part of the Duchy, later Province of Pomerania, roughly stretching from the Oder River in the West to Pomerelia in the East... ) Havelberg Bishopric of Havelberg The Bishopric of Havelberg was a Roman Catholic diocese founded by King Otto I, King of the Germans, in 946. The diocese was suffragan to the Archbishopric of Magdeburg. Its most famous bishop was Anselm of Havelberg. Its seat was in Havelberg in the Northern March and it roughly covered the... (t) Lebus Bishopric of Lebus The Bishopric of Lebus was a Roman Catholic diocese and later an ecclesiastical territory of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed from 1125 until 1598... (t) Verden (D) (p: Old March Altmark The Altmark is a historic region in Germany, comprising the northern third of Saxony-Anhalt. As the initial territory of the Brandenburg margraves, it is sometimes referred to as the "Cradle of Prussia", as by Otto von Bismarck, a native from Schönhausen near Stendal.- Geography :The Altmark is... ) |
1670–1709, 1688–1708 (Cammin), and all again 1780–1821 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 Breslau's (D) Prince-Episcopal Delegation for Brandenburg and Pomerania 1821–1930 (Brandenburg w/o Lower Lusatia Lower Lusatia Lower Lusatia is a historical region stretching from the southeast of the Brandenburg state of Germany to the southwest of the Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Important towns beside the historic capital Lübben include Calau, Cottbus, Guben , Luckau, Spremberg, Finsterwalde, Senftenberg and Żary... , Pomerania, both later reduced for Polish-annexed areas east of Oder-Neisse line Oder-Neisse line The Oder–Neisse line is the border between Germany and Poland which was drawn in the aftermath of World War II. The line is formed primarily by the Oder and Lusatian Neisse rivers, and meets the Baltic Sea west of the seaport cities of Szczecin and Świnoujście... ) Cammin, Lebus and Schneidemühl Prelature (AA) 1951–1972 (Polish East Brandenburg and Polish Farther Pomerania Farther Pomerania Farther Pomerania, Further Pomerania, Transpomerania or Eastern Pomerania , which before the German-Polish border shift of 1945 comprised the eastern part of the Duchy, later Province of Pomerania, roughly stretching from the Oder River in the West to Pomerelia in the East... ) |
Berlin (D/A as of 1994) since 1930 (Berlin city-state Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... , Brandenburg w/o Lower Lusatia, and Prussian Pomerania, the latter two later reduced to modern Brandenburg Brandenburg Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam... and Hither Pomerania Hither Pomerania Western Pomerania, Cispomerania or Hither Pomerania are terms used in English to translate the German Vorpommern the western extremity of the historic region of the duchy, later Province of Pomerania, nowadays divided between the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Poland.Forming part of... after Polish annexations) (Zielona Góra-)Gorzów (D) Roman Catholic Diocese of Zielona Góra-Gorzów The Roman Catholic Diocese of Zielona Góra-Gorzów is an diocese located in the cities of Zielona Góra and Gorzów Wielkopolski in the Ecclesiastical province of Szczecin-Kamień in Poland.-History:... since 1972 (Polish East Brandenburg) Szczecin-Kamień (D/A as of 1992) since 1972 (western Farther Pomerania) Koszalin-Kołobrzeg (D) since 1972 (eastern Farther Pomerania) |
|
| Bremen, free imperial city Bremen The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is... (w/o Bremen Nord and Bremerhaven Bremerhaven Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham... ) |
Bremen (A) (p) | 1670–1709, and again 1780–1930 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 | Osnabrück (D) since 1930 | |
| Bremen, duchy, in personal union with Sweden | Verden (D) (p) Bremen (A) (p) |
1669–1721, 1670–1721 (Bremen), and both again 1780–1824 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 | Hildesheim (D) since 1824 | |
| Brunswick and Lunenburg, electorate (Hanover), in personal union with Great Britain Kingdom of Great Britain The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign... |
Verden (D) (m) Halberstadt (D) Bishopric of Halberstadt The Bishopric of Halberstadt was a Roman Catholic diocese from 804 until 1648 and an ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire from the late Middle Ages... (p) |
1669–1709, 1670–1709 (Halberstadt), and both again 1780–1824 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 | Hildesheim (D) since 1824 | |
| Brunswick and Lunenburg, duchy (Wolfenbüttel) | Minden (D) Bishopric of Minden The Bishopric of Minden was a Roman Catholic diocese and a state, Prince-bishopric of Minden , of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Minden which is in modern day Germany.-History:... (p) Halberstadt (D) Bishopric of Halberstadt The Bishopric of Halberstadt was a Roman Catholic diocese from 804 until 1648 and an ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire from the late Middle Ages... (p) Hildesheim's (D) (p), jurisdiction denied since 1568 Mainz' (A) (p), jurisdiction denied since 1568 Paderborn's (D) (p), jurisdiction denied since 1568 |
1667–1709, 1669–1709 (Halberstadt), and all again 1780–1834 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 | Hildesheim (D) since 1834 | |
| Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... |
Aarhus Ancient See of Aarhus The Ancient See of Aarhus was a pre-reformation Catholic diocese in Denmark.The diocese included the counties of Aarhus and Randers, the islands of Samsø and Tunø, and, after 1396, part of the county of Viborg.... (t) Børglum Ancient See of Børglum The ancient bishopric of Børglum, sometimes also known as the bishopric of Vendsyssel, seated latterly at Børglum in Denmark, comprised the ancient districts of Vendsyssel and Thy, which between them included the whole of the north of the Jutland peninsula beyond the Limfjord.The see was first... (t) Lund Catholic diocese of Lund The Catholic diocese of Lund was formed in 1060, in what was then Danish territory, by separation from the Diocese of Roskilde, then both suffragans of the Archdiocese of Hamburg-Bremen... (p: Bornholm Bornholm Bornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea located to the east of the rest of Denmark, the south of Sweden, and the north of Poland. The main industries on the island include fishing, arts and crafts like glass making and pottery using locally worked clay, and dairy farming. Tourism is... ) Odense Roman Catholic bishopric of Odense The former Roman Catholic bishopric of Odense was a bishopric on the Danish islands that included the islands of Funen , Langeland, Tåsinge, Lolland, Falster, Als and Ærø. The diocese was disputed as suffragan between the archdioceses of Hamburg-Bremen and Canterbury... (t) Ribe (t) Roskilde Roskilde (titular see) Roskilde is a Catholic titular see. The former see, suppressed in the sixteenth century, was Roskilde in Denmark.... (m: w/o Rügen Rügen Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea... ) Viborg Ancient Diocese of Viborg The former Roman Catholic diocese of Viborg, in Denmark existed from 1065 to the Protestant Reformation. It was created from the Diocese of Ribe.-History:... (t) |
1688–1868 | Denmark (AP) 1868–1892 Denmark (AV) 1892–1953 |
Copenhagen (D) since 1953 | |
| Faroe Islands Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland... |
Faroe (D) Ancient Diocese of the Faroe Islands The former Catholic Diocese of the Faroe Islands existed from the eleventh century to the Protestant Reformation. The Faroe Islands are now included in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Copenhagen.-History:... (t) |
1688–1855 | North Pole (AP) 1855–1869 Denmark (AP) 1869–1892 Denmark (AV) 1892–1953 |
Copenhagen (D) since 1953 | |
| Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
1688–1783 | Sweden (AV) 1783–1809 Mohilev (A) Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mohilev The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mohilev was a territorial division of the Roman Catholic Church, covering a significant proportion of the territory of the Russian empire.... 1809–1920 (then in St. Petersburg) Finland (AV) 1920–1955 |
Helsinki (D) Roman Catholic Diocese of Helsinki The Roman Catholic Diocese of Helsinki is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church based in Helsinki, which comprises the whole of Finland... since 1955 |
||
| Greenland Greenland Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for... |
Garðar Gardar, Greenland Garðar was the seat of the bishop in the Norse settlements in Greenland.-Diocese of Garðar:In the sagas it is told that Sokki Þórisson, a wealthy farmer of the Brattahlíð area launched the idea of a separate bishop for Greenland in the early 12th century. He got the approval of the Norwegian King.... (D) (t) |
1688–1855 | North Pole (AP) 1855–1869 Denmark (AP) 1869–1892 Denmark (AV) 1892–1953 |
Copenhagen (D) since 1953 | |
| Hamburg, free imperial city Hamburg -History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808... (in its pre-1937 borders) |
Bremen (A) (p) | 1670–1709; and again 1780–1930 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 Osnabrück (D) 1930–1994 |
Hamburg (A) since 1994 | |
| Holstein, a royal Danish-ducal Gottorpian condominium | Bremen (A) (p) | 1670–1868 | Schleswig-Holstein (AP) 1868–1930 Osnabrück (D) 1930–1994 |
Hamburg (A) since 1994 | |
| Iceland Iceland Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population... |
1688–1855 | North Pole (AP) 1855–1869 Denmark (AP) 1869–1892 Denmark (AV) 1892–1923 Iceland (AP) 1923–1929 Iceland (AA) 1929–1968. |
Reykjavík (D) since 1968 | ||
| 1670–1930 | Osnabrück (D) 1930–1994 | Hamburg (A) since 1994 | |||
| 1670–1930 | Osnabrück (D) 1930–1994 | Hamburg (A) since 1994 | |||
| Mecklenburg-Schwerin Mecklenburg-Schwerin Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1348, when Albert II of Mecklenburg and his younger brother John were raised to Dukes of Mecklenburg by King Charles IV... |
Ratzeburg (D) Bishopric of Ratzeburg The Bishopric of Ratzeburg , centered on Ratzeburg in Northern Germany, was originally a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Hamburg, which transformed into the Archdiocese of Bremen in 1072.- History :... (p) Schwerin (D) (t)? |
1670–1930 | Osnabrück (D) 1930–1994 | Hamburg (A) since 1994 | |
| Mecklenburg-Strelitz Mecklenburg-Strelitz Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy and later grand duchy in northern Germany, consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district , and the western exclave of the former Bishopric of Ratzeburg in modern... |
Ratzeburg (D) Bishopric of Ratzeburg The Bishopric of Ratzeburg , centered on Ratzeburg in Northern Germany, was originally a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Hamburg, which transformed into the Archdiocese of Bremen in 1072.- History :... (p) Cammin (p) |
1670–1930 1688–1930 (Cammin) |
Osnabrück (D) 1930–1994 | Hamburg (A) since 1994 | |
| Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
Bergen (D) Ancient Diocese of Bergen The Catholic Diocese of Bergen in Norway existed from the eleventh century to the Protestant Reformation , and included the counties of Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane .... (t) Hamar (D) Ancient Diocese of Hamar The former Norwegian Catholic diocese of Hamar existed from 1152 to the Protestant Reformation. The see was at Hamar, and the diocese included the counties of Hedmark , Oppland , and the middle part of Buskerud The former Norwegian Catholic diocese of Hamar existed from 1152 to the Protestant... (t) Oslo (D) (t) Stavanger (D) Ancient Diocese of Stavanger The former Catholic Diocese of Stavanger, in Norway, included the counties of Rogaland, Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder - together with the regions of Valdres and Hallingdal... (t) Trondheim Archdiocese of Nidaros The Archdiocese of Nidaros was the metropolitan see covering Norway in the later Middle Ages. The see was the Nidaros Cathedral, in the city of Nidaros... (t) |
1688–1834 | Sweden (AV) 1834–1855 North Pole (AP) 1855–1869 (Norway north of polar circle Polar circle A polar circle is either the Arctic Circle or the Antarctic Circle. On Earth, the Arctic Circle is located at a latitude of N, and the Antarctic Circle is located at a latitude of S.... ) Sweden (AV) 1855–1868 (central and southern Norway) Norway (AP) 1868–1892 Norway (AV) 1892–1931 Oslo (AV) 1931–1953 (southern Norway) Missionary District of Central Norway 1931–1935 (central Norway) Central Norway (AP) 1935–1953 (central Norway) Central Norway (AV) 1953–1979 (central Norway) Missionary District of Northern Norway 1931–1944 (Norway north of polar circle) Northern Norway (AP) 1944–1955 (Norway north of polar circle) Northern Norway (AV) 1955–1979 (Norway north of polar circle) |
Oslo (D) Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo is an exempt diocese located in the city of Oslo in Norway.-History:* 1070?: Established as Diocese of Oslo* 1537: Suppressed... since 1953 (southern Norway) Trondheim (TP) Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Trondheim Trondheim, Norway is the seat of the Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Trondheim, which before March 1979 was the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Norway. The prelature leadership is currently vacant following the resignation of Bishop Georg Müller in 2009 and is being administered by Bernt... since 1979 (central Norway) Tromsø (TP) Territorial Prelature of Tromsø The Territorial Prelature of Tromsø is a Roman Catholic territorial prelature located in the city of Tromsø in Norway.-History:* April 8, 1931: Established as Mission “sui iuris” of Northern Norway from the Apostolic Vicariate of Norway... since 1979 (Norway north of polar circle) |
|
| Oldenburg, duchy, in personal union with Denmark-Norway | Bremen (A) (p) | 1670–1709, and again 1780–1821 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 | Münster (D) since 1821 | |
| Pomerania, Swedish Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania was a Dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815, situated on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held extensive control over the lands on the southern Baltic coast, including Pomerania and parts... , in personal union with Sweden |
Cammin (p) Roskilde Roskilde (titular see) Roskilde is a Catholic titular see. The former see, suppressed in the sixteenth century, was Roskilde in Denmark.... (p: Rügen Rügen Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea... ) |
1688–1709, and again 1780–1821 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 Breslau's (D) Prince-Episcopal Delegation for Brandenburg and Pomerania 1821–1930 |
Berlin (D/A as of 1994) since 1930 | |
| Saxe-Lauenburg, in personal union with Hanover-Britain | Ratzeburg (D) Bishopric of Ratzeburg The Bishopric of Ratzeburg , centered on Ratzeburg in Northern Germany, was originally a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Hamburg, which transformed into the Archdiocese of Bremen in 1072.- History :... (p) |
1670–1930 | Osnabrück (D) 1930–1994 | Hamburg (A) since 1994 | |
| Saxony, electorate Electorate of Saxony The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356... |
Meissen (D) (t) Merseburg Bishopric of Merseburg The Bishopric of Merseburg was a episcopal see on the eastern border of the mediæval Duchy of Saxony with its centre in Merseburg, where Merseburg Cathedral was constructed... (p) Naumburg (p) |
1677–1709, 1688–1709 (Meissen western part), and all again 1780–1821 |
Meissen (AA) 1560–1567 (Lower Lower Lusatia Lower Lusatia is a historical region stretching from the southeast of the Brandenburg state of Germany to the southwest of the Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Important towns beside the historic capital Lübben include Calau, Cottbus, Guben , Luckau, Spremberg, Finsterwalde, Senftenberg and Żary... and Upper Lusatia Upper Lusatia Upper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz... , seated in Bautzen Bautzen Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161... ) Upper Lusatia (AP) 1567–1921 (Upper Lusatia, w/o Silesian Upper ~ + Lower Lusatia since 1821) Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1743 (rest of Saxony) Saxon Hereditary Lands (AV) 1743–1921 (rest of Albertine Saxony Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War... , reduced by Prussian annexations in 1815) Breslau (D/A as of 1930) 1821–1972 (Silesian Upper Lusatia and Lower Lusatia) Görlitz (AA) 1972–1994 (Lower Lusatia and Silesian Upper Lusatia) Paderborn (D/A as of 1930) 1821–1994 (Prussian Saxony Province of Saxony The Province of Saxony was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1945. Its capital was Magdeburg.-History:The province was created in 1816 out of the following territories:... ) |
Görlitz (D) Roman Catholic Diocese of Görlitz The Diocese of Görlitz is a diocese of the Roman Catholic church in Germany. The current ordinary is Wolfgang Ipolt-History:For the history until 1972 see the History of the See of Breslau.... since 1994 (Lower Lusatia and Silesian Upper Lusatia) Magdeburg (D) Diocese of Magdeburg The Diocese of Magdeburg is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church located in the Germany. Its seat is Magdeburg; it is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Paderborn.... since 1994 (Saxony-Anhalt) |
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| Schaumburg-Lippe Schaumburg-Lippe Schaumburg-Lippe was until 1946 a small state in Germany, located in the present day state of Lower Saxony, with its capital at Bückeburg.- History :... |
Minden (D) Bishopric of Minden The Bishopric of Minden was a Roman Catholic diocese and a state, Prince-bishopric of Minden , of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Minden which is in modern day Germany.-History:... (p) |
1667–1930 | Osnabrück (D) 1930–1965 | Hildesheim (D) since 1965 | |
| Schleswig, duchy | Schleswig (D) (t) | 1688–1868 | Schleswig-Holstein (AP) 1868–1920 Schleswig-Holstein (AP) 1920–1930 (South Schleswig) Osnabrück 1930–1994 (South Schleswig) Denmark (AV) 1920–1953 (North Schleswig) |
Hamburg (A) since 1994 (South Schleswig) Copenhagen (D) since 1953 (North Schleswig) |
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| Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
Linköping (D) Lund (A) Catholic diocese of Lund The Catholic diocese of Lund was formed in 1060, in what was then Danish territory, by separation from the Diocese of Roskilde, then both suffragans of the Archdiocese of Hamburg-Bremen... (w/o Bornholm Bornholm Bornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea located to the east of the rest of Denmark, the south of Sweden, and the north of Poland. The main industries on the island include fishing, arts and crafts like glass making and pottery using locally worked clay, and dairy farming. Tourism is... ) Skara (D) Diocese of Skara The Diocese of Skara is a diocese of the Church of Sweden , with its seat at Skara in Västergötland... Strängnäs (D) Diocese of Strängnäs The Diocese of Strängnäs is a part of the Church of Sweden and has its seat in Strängnäs Cathedral in Strängnäs, south of Lake Mälaren. The diocese is made up of the two provinces Närke and Södermanland .The diocese was first a suffragan of the Diocese of Lund, which in 1104 was elevated to... Uppsala (A) Västerås (D) Växjö (D) |
1688–1783 | Sweden (AV) 1783–1953 | Stockholm (D) Roman Catholic diocese of Stockholm -External links:** at the Catholic-Hierarchy.org website.... since 1953 |
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| Verden, principality, in personal union with Sweden | Verden (D) (p) | 1669–1721, and again 1780–1824 |
Upper and Lower Saxony (AV) 1709–1780 | Hildesheim (D) since 1824 | |
| Wismar Wismar Wismar , is a small port and Hanseatic League town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,about 45 km due east of Lübeck, and 30 km due north of Schwerin. Its natural harbour, located in the Bay of Wismar is well-protected by a promontory. The... , in personal union with Sweden |
Ratzeburg (D) Bishopric of Ratzeburg The Bishopric of Ratzeburg , centered on Ratzeburg in Northern Germany, was originally a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Hamburg, which transformed into the Archdiocese of Bremen in 1072.- History :... (p) |
1670–1930 | Osnabrück (D) 1930–1994 | Hamburg (A) since 1994 |
Vicars Apostolic
- Francis of Wartenberg (1645–1661; for the former Archdiocese of Bremen only)
Vicars Apostolic for the Nordic Missions
- 1667–1676: Valerio Maccioni
- 1677–1686: Nicolas StenoNicolas StenoNicolas Steno |Latinized]] to Nicolaus Steno -gen. Nicolai Stenonis-, Italian Niccolo' Stenone) was a Danish pioneer in both anatomy and geology. Already in 1659 he decided not to accept anything simply written in a book, instead resolving to do research himself. He is considered the father of...
- 1680–1683: Ferdinand von Fürstenberg (for Bremen, HalberstadtBishopric of HalberstadtThe Bishopric of Halberstadt was a Roman Catholic diocese from 804 until 1648 and an ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire from the late Middle Ages...
, MagdeburgArchbishopric of MagdeburgThe Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese and Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River....
and the MecklenburgMecklenburgMecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
ian duchies, former dioceses of Ratzeburg and Schwerin), simultaneously Prince-Bishop of Paderborn (1661–1683) and Münster (1678–1683, died)
- 1680–1683: Ferdinand von Fürstenberg (for Bremen, Halberstadt
- 1687–1696: Friedrich von Tietzen called Schlüter
- 1697–1702: Jobst Edmund von Brabeck, simultaneously Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim (1688–1702, died)
- 1702–1713: Otto von Bronckhorst-Gronsfeldt
- 1713–1715: Sede vacanteSede vacanteSede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...
- 1715–1716: Johann Hugo von Gärtz
- 1716–1718: Sede vacante
- 1718–1719: Hyazinth Petit (died in 1719), simultaneously auxiliary bishop of Osnabrück and bishop of the titular seeTitular seeA titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular bishop", "titular metropolitan", or "titular archbishop"....
of Heliopolis in Augustamnica - 1719–1722: Sede vacante
- 1722–1761: Johann Friedrich Adolf von Hörde, simultaneously canon at OsnabrückOsnabrückOsnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
's St. Peter's Cathedral and bishop of the titular see of Flaviopolis (1723–1761, died) - 1761–1774: Franz Josef von Gondola
- 1775–1789: Friedrich Wilhelm von Westphalen, simultaneously Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim (1763–1789) and Paderborn (1782–1789)
- 1789–1825: Franz Egon von Fürstenberg, simultaneously Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim (1789–1825) and Paderborn (1825–1839)
- 1825–1839: Sede vacante
- 1839–1841: Johann Theodor Laurent (resigned after Prussian obstruction), simultaneously bishop of the titular see of Chersonesus in Creta, Vicar Apostolic of Luxemburg (1841–1848, deposed after Luxemburgian pressure, resigned in 1856)
- 1841–1921: Sede vacante
- 1858–1895: Paulus Melchers as provicar per pro
- 1899–1914: Heinrich Hubert Aloysius Voß as provicar per pro, simultaneously Bishop of Osnabrück (1899–1914, died)
- 1914–1921: Hermann Wilhelm Berning as provicar per pro
- 1921–1930: Hermann Wilhelm Berning, simultaneously Bishop of Osnabrück (1914–1955, died)
Vicars Apostolic for Upper and Lower Saxony
In 1709 the Vicariate Apostolic for Upper and Lower Saxony was disentangled from the Nordic Missions.- 1709–1722: Agostino SteffaniAgostino SteffaniAgostino Steffani was an Italian ecclesiastic, diplomat and composer.-Biography:Steffani was born at Castelfranco Veneto. At a very early age he was admitted as a chorister at San Marco, Venice...
(resigned in protest of lacking financial support from the Vatican) - 1722–1726: Sede vacanteSede vacanteSede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...
- 1722–1723: Ludolf Wilhelm von Majus as provicar per pro
- 1726–1728: Agostino Steffani (returned after fulfillment of his claims)
- 1730–1745: Leopold Heinrich Wilhelm von Schorror (resigned)
- 1745–1757: Johann Wilhelm von Twickel (died in 1757)
- 1757–1760: Sede vacante
- 1757–1759: Volradus Christian Müller as provicar per pro
- 1759–1760: Jodokus Joseph Walmer as provicar per pro
- 1760–1779: Johann Theodor von Franken-Siersdorf (died in 1779)
- 1779–1780: Sede vacante
The remainder of the vicariate, after secession of Hereditary Saxony vicariate in 1743, remerged into the Nordic Missions in 1780.
Vicars Apostolic for the Saxon Hereditary Lands
In 1743 the Vicariate Apostolic for Saxon Hereditary Lands was disentangled from the Upper and Lower Saxony vicariate.- 1743–1749: Ludwig Li(e)geritz
- 1749–1763: Leo Rauch
- 1763–1764: Augustin Eggs
- 1764–1800: Franz Herz (died in 1800)
- 1801–1818: Johann Aloys Schneider, bishop of the titular see of Argos (1816–1818, died)
- 1819–1841: Ignaz Bernhard Mauermann (brother of the next), simultaneously bishop of the titular see of Pella, also Apostolic Prefect of Upper Lusatia (1831–1841, died; i.e. the Upper Lusatian share of defunct ancient Meissen diocese)
- 1841–1845: Franz Laurenz Mauermann (died in 1845; brother of the former), simultaneously bishop of the titular see of Rama
- 1846–1853: Joseph Dittrich (died in 1853), simultaneously Apostolic Prefect of Upper Lusatia, and bishop of the titular see of Corycus.
- 1854–1875: Ludwig Forwerk (died in 1875), simultaneously Apostolic Prefect of Upper Lusatia, and bishop of the titular see of Leontopolis in Augustamnica.
- 1876–1890: Franz Bernert (died in 1890), simultaneously Apostolic Prefect of Upper Lusatia, and bishop of the titular see of Azotus (Ashdod)
- 1890–1900: Ludwig Wahl (resigned), simultaneously Apostolic Prefect of Upper Lusatia, and bishop of the titular see of Cucusus
- 1900–1903: Sede vacanteSede vacanteSede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...
- 1900–1903: Carl Maaz as provicar per pro
- 1903–1905: Georg Wuschanski, simultaneously bishop of the titular see of Samos, further Apostolic Prefect of Upper Lusatia (1904–1905, died)
- 1906–1914: Louis-Philippe Schaefer (died in 1914)
- 1915–1920: Franz Löbmann (died in 1920)
- 1920–1921: Sede vacante
- 1920–1921: Jakub Skala as provicar per pro (resigned), simultaneously Apostolic Prefect of Upper Lusatia
In 1921 the Holy See elevated the Apostolic Prefecture of Upper Lusatia to the modern Diocese of Meissen (renamed Dresden-Meissen in 1980), followed by the investiture of Christian Schreiber as bishop, the Vicariate of the Saxon Hereditary Lands was then merged into this new diocese.