Roman Catholic Diocese of Dresden-Meissen
Encyclopedia
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 its patron saint is Benno
. It is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Berlin. Its cathedral is the Katholische Hofkirche
in Dresden
.
owes its origin to a castle built by King Henry I the Fowler about 928 to protect German colonists among the pagan Wends
. To insure the success of the Christian missions, Otto I
suggested at the Roman Synod of 962 the creation of an archiepiscopal see at Magdeburg
. Pope John XII
consented, and shortly before the execution of the plan in 968 it was decided at the Synod of Ravenna
(967) to create three bishoprics — Meissen, Merseburg
, and Zeitz
— as suffragans of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg
. The year in which the Diocese of Meissen was established is disputed, as the oldest extant records may be forgeries; however, the record of endowment by Otto I in 971 is genuine.
The first bishop, Burchard (died 969), established a foundation (monasterium) which in the course of the 11th century developed a chapter of canons. In 1346 the diocese stretched from the Erzgebirge in the south to the mouth of the Neiße and to the Queis, on the east to the Oder
, on the north to the middle course of the Spree
. It embraced the five provostries of Meissen, Riesa
, Wurzen
, Grossenhain and Bautzen, the four archdeaneries of Nisani (Meissen), Chemnitz
, Zschillen (Wechselburg
) and Lower Lusatia
, and the two deaneries of Meissen and Bautzen
. Poorly endowed in the beginning, it appears to have acquired later large estates under Otto III
and Henry II
.
The chief task of the bishops of the new see was the conversion of the Wends
, to which Bishops Volkold (died 992) and Eido (died 1015) devoted themselves with great zeal; but the slow evangelization was yet incomplete when the investiture conflict threatened to arrest it effectively. St. Benno
(1066–1106), bishop when these troubles were most serious, was appointed by Henry IV
and appears to have been in complete accord with the emperor until 1076; in that year, although he had taken no part in the Saxon revolt, he was imprisoned by Henry for nine months. Escaping, he joined the Saxon princes, espoused the cause of Pope Gregory VII
, and in 1085 took part in the Gregorian Synod of Quedlinburg
, for which he was deprived of his office by the emperor, a more imperially disposed bishop being appointed in his place. On the death of Gregory, Benno made peace with Henry, was reappointed to his former see in 1086, and devoted himself entirely to missionary work among the Slavs.
Among his successors, Herwig (died 1119) sided with the pope, Godebold with the emperor. In the 13th century the pagan Wends were finally converted to Christianity, chiefly through the efforts of the great Cistercian monasteries, the most important of which were Dobrilugk
and Neuzelle
. Among the convents of nuns, Heiligenkreuz
at Meissen, Mariental
near Zittau, Marienstern on the White Elster, and Mühlberg
deserve mention.
Among the later bishops, who ranked after the 13th century as prince-bishop
s (Fürst
en) of the Holy Roman Empire
, however, again and again disputed in that position by the Margraves of Meissen, the most notable are Wittigo I (1266–93) and John I of Eisenberg (1340–71). The former began the magnificent Gothic cathedral in Meissen
, in which are buried nine princes of the margravial House of Wettin; the latter, as notary and intimate friend of the Margrave of Meissen, afterwards the Emperor Charles IV, protected the interests of his church and increased the revenues of the diocese. During the latter's administration, in 1344, Prague
was made an archiepiscopal see.
In 1365 Pope Urban V
appointed the Archbishop of Prague
legatus natus, or perpetual representative of the Holy See, for the Dioceses of Meissen, Bamberg
and Regensburg (Ratisbon)
; the opposition of Magdeburg made it impossible to exercise in Meissen the privileges of this office, and Meissen remained, though under protest, subject to the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan
of Magdeburg. John's successor, John II of Jenstein (1376-9), who resigned Meissen on his election to the see of Prague, Nicholas I (1379–92), John III (1393-8), and Thimo of Colditz (1399–1410), were appointed directly from Rome
, which set aside the elective rights of the cathedral chapter
. Thimo, a Bohemia
n by birth, neglected the diocese and ruined it financially.
Margrave William I of Meissen prevailed on Pope Boniface IX
in 1405 to free Meissen from the authority of the Magdeburg metropolitan and to place it as an exempt
diocese directly under the Holy See. The illustrious Bishop Rudolf von der Planitz (1411–27), through wise regulations and personal sacrifices, brought order out of chaos. The Hussite Wars
caused great damage to the diocese, then ruled over by John IV Hofmann (1427–51); under the government of the able brothers Caspar (1451–63) and Dietrich of Schönberg (1461–76), it soon recovered and on Dietrich's death there was a fund of 8,800 gold forms in the episcopal treasury. John V of Weißenbach (1476–87), through his mania for building and his travels, soon spent this money and left a heavy burden of debt on the diocese. John VI of Salhausen (1488–1518) further impoverished the diocese through his obstinate attempt to obtain full princely sovereignty in the temporal territories ruled by his see, which brought him into constant conflict with George, Duke of Saxony
; his spiritual administration was also open to censure.
John VII of Schleinitz (1518–37) was a resolute opponent of Martin Luther
, whose revolt began in neighbouring Wittenberg
, and, conjointly with George of Saxony, endeavored to crush the innovations. The canonization of Benno (1523), urged by him, was intended to offset the progress of the Lutheran
teaching. John VIII of Maltitz (1537–49) and Nicholas II of Carlowitz (1549–55) were unable to withstand the ever-spreading Protestant Reformation
, which after the death of Duke George (1539) triumphed in Saxony and gained ground even among the canons of the cathedral, so that the diocese was on the verge of dissolution.
The last bishop, John of Haugwitz (1555–81), placed his resignation in the hands of the cathedral chapter, in virtue of an agreement with Elector Augustus of Saxony
, went over to Lutheranism, married and retired to the castle of Ruhetal near Mögeln. The electors of Saxony took over the administration of the temporalities of the diocese within the Electorate of Saxony
which in 1666 were finally adjudged to them. The canons turned Protestant, and all remaining monasteries in Saxony were secularized, their revenues and buildings being devoted principally to educational works.
, competent for the Lusatian areas of the diocese outside of Saxony. Leisentrit failed to win the pope for establishing a new diocese comprising only the Lusatian areas of Meißen bishopric. However, in 1567 the Holy See separated the Lusatian areas from the Saxon parts of the diocese and established there the Apostolic Prefecture of Meißen, seated in Bautzen, with Leisentritt as its first prefect. In canon law
an apostolic prefecture is a diocese on approval.
According to its location and its seat the prefecture used to be called alternatively the Apostolic Prefecture of the Two Lusatias (Upper and Lower Lusatia) or Apostolic Prefecture of Bautzen. The then liege lord
of the Two Lusatias, the Catholic king of Bohemia (in personal union Holy Roman Emperor) did not effectively offend the spreading of the Reformation in the Two Lusatias. So it depended on the local vassal
s if Protestantism prevailed or not. When in 1635 Lutheran electoral Saxony annexed the Two Lusatias it guaranteed in the cession contract (Traditionsrezess) with Bohemia to leave the existing religious relations untouched. As a signatory of the Peace of Westphalia
of 1648 Saxony later agreed to maintain the religious status quo as given in the reference year of 1624 in all its territories acquired since.
After the Prussian annexation of Lower Lusatia (then assigned to Brandenburg
) and eastern Upper Lusatia, the latter then integrated into Silesia
, the Holy See assigned the Lower Lusatian and eastern Upper Lusatian areas of the prefecture of Meißen to the Prussian Prince-Bishopric of Breslau in 1821 (Bull De salute animarum). The remaining prefecture, which had maintained a strong Catholic identity, used to be also called since the Apostolic Prefecture of (Saxon) Upper Lusatia.
elevated the Apostolic Prefecture of Meißen to the Diocese of Meißen by his apostolic constitution
Sollicitudo omnium ecclesiarum and the former's seat in Bautzen thus became the seat of the diocese. In 1743 the Holy See had established the Apostolic Vicariate
in the Saxon Hereditary Lands , seated in Dresden, competent for the Catholic diaspora in the rest of Saxony without Lusatia and in three neighbouring principalities (Saxe-Altenburg
, Reuss elder
and Younger Line, which are now part of Thuringia). The vicariate was dissolved and its area and institutions integrated into the new Meißen diocese in 1921.
In the years between 1945 and 1948 the number of parishioners in the Meißen diocese more than doubled because many Catholic refugees and expellees from former Eastern Germany and Czechoslovakia found refuge within its diocesan area. So many new parishes were established in the following years. Four Catholic parishes in Saxony east of the Lusatian Neisse
, whose parishioners had fled or were expelled by the authorities of annexing Poland, were lost. On 24 January 1948 Bishop Petrus Legge conveyanced his jurisdiction for that Polish-annexed diocesan area to Karol Milik, the apostolic administrator
of that part of the Breslau archdiocese outside of the Soviet Occupation Zone in Germany, which had also been annexed to Poland. When in 1972 Pope Paul VI
reduced the diocesan area of the Archdiocese of Wrocław to Polish territory only by the apostolic constitution Vratislaviensis - Berolinensis et aliarum also the Polish-annexed Meißen diocesan area became officially a part of that archdiocese. The then East German part of Breslau archdiocese was disentangled by the same apostolic constitution and became the exempt new Apostolic Administration of Görlitz.
, leading the diocese to be renamed Dresden-Meissen. Since 1994 the three formerly exempt jurisdictions of Berlin, Dresden-Meißen, and Görlitz form the new ecclesiastical province
of Berlin with the latter as metropolitan see.
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...
of Catholic Church in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Founded as the Bishopric of Meissen in 968, it was dissolved in 1539 during the Protestant Reformation
Protestant 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...
. The diocese was reestablished in 1921 and renamed Dresden-Meissen in 1980. The seat of the diocese is in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
and its patron saint is Benno
Benno
Saint Benno of Meissen was a Bishop of Meissen in Germany. Little is known of Benno's early life. It is unlikely that he was the scion of a Saxon noble family, the Woldenburgs.It is also unlikely that in his youth he entered and was educated at the monastery of St...
. It is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Berlin. Its cathedral is the Katholische Hofkirche
Katholische Hofkirche
The Katholische Hofkirche is a Roman Catholic Cathedral, located in the 'Altstadt' in the heart of Dresden, in Germany. Previously the most important Catholic parish church of the city, it was elevated to cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dresden-Meissen in 1964.-Overview:The Hofkirche...
in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
.
Ancient See of Meissen
The modern city of MeissenMeissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
owes its origin to a castle built by King Henry I the Fowler about 928 to protect German colonists among the pagan Wends
Wends
Wends is a historic name for West Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It does not refer to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it is used...
. To insure the success of the Christian missions, Otto I
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I the Great , son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of Germany, King of Italy, and "the first of the Germans to be called the emperor of Italy" according to Arnulf of Milan...
suggested at the Roman Synod of 962 the creation of an archiepiscopal see at Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
. Pope John XII
Pope John XII
Pope John XII , born Octavianus, was Pope from December 16, 955, to May 14, 964. The son of Alberic II, Patrician of Rome , and his stepsister Alda of Vienne, he was a seventh generation descendant of Charlemagne on his mother's side.Before his death, Alberic administered an oath to the Roman...
consented, and shortly before the execution of the plan in 968 it was decided at the Synod of Ravenna
Ravenna
Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...
(967) to create three bishoprics — Meissen, 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...
, and Zeitz
Zeitz
Zeitz is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Weiße Elster, in the middle of the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony.-History:...
— as suffragans of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg
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....
. The year in which the Diocese of Meissen was established is disputed, as the oldest extant records may be forgeries; however, the record of endowment by Otto I in 971 is genuine.
The first bishop, Burchard (died 969), established a foundation (monasterium) which in the course of the 11th century developed a chapter of canons. In 1346 the diocese stretched from the Erzgebirge in the south to the mouth of the Neiße and to the Queis, on the east to the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
, on the north to the middle course of the Spree
Spree
The Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
. It embraced the five provostries of Meissen, Riesa
Riesa
Riesa is a town in the district of Meißen in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is located at the river Elbe, approx. 40 km northwest of Dresden.The world's first 110 kV power line was inaugurated between Riesa and Lauchhammer in 1912....
, Wurzen
Wurzen
Wurzen is a town in the Leipzig district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Mulde, here crossed by two bridges, 25 km east of Leipzig, by rail N.E. of Leipzig on the main line to Dresden...
, Grossenhain and Bautzen, the four archdeaneries of Nisani (Meissen), Chemnitz
Chemnitz
Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle...
, Zschillen (Wechselburg
Wechselburg
Wechselburg is a municipality in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. It is well known for its twelfth century Benedictine monastery, theWechselburg Priory.- References :...
) and 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...
, and the two deaneries of Meissen and 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...
. Poorly endowed in the beginning, it appears to have acquired later large estates under Otto III
Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto III , a King of Germany, was the fourth ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire. He was elected King in 983 on the death of his father Otto II and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 996.-Early reign:...
and Henry II
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...
.
The chief task of the bishops of the new see was the conversion of the Wends
Wends
Wends is a historic name for West Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It does not refer to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it is used...
, to which Bishops Volkold (died 992) and Eido (died 1015) devoted themselves with great zeal; but the slow evangelization was yet incomplete when the investiture conflict threatened to arrest it effectively. St. Benno
Benno
Saint Benno of Meissen was a Bishop of Meissen in Germany. Little is known of Benno's early life. It is unlikely that he was the scion of a Saxon noble family, the Woldenburgs.It is also unlikely that in his youth he entered and was educated at the monastery of St...
(1066–1106), bishop when these troubles were most serious, was appointed by Henry IV
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
and appears to have been in complete accord with the emperor until 1076; in that year, although he had taken no part in the Saxon revolt, he was imprisoned by Henry for nine months. Escaping, he joined the Saxon princes, espoused the cause of Pope Gregory VII
Pope Gregory VII
Pope St. Gregory VII , born Hildebrand of Sovana , was Pope from April 22, 1073, until his death. One of the great reforming popes, he is perhaps best known for the part he played in the Investiture Controversy, his dispute with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor affirming the primacy of the papal...
, and in 1085 took part in the Gregorian Synod of Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg is a town located north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In 1994 the medieval court and the old town was set on the UNESCO world heritage list....
, for which he was deprived of his office by the emperor, a more imperially disposed bishop being appointed in his place. On the death of Gregory, Benno made peace with Henry, was reappointed to his former see in 1086, and devoted himself entirely to missionary work among the Slavs.
Among his successors, Herwig (died 1119) sided with the pope, Godebold with the emperor. In the 13th century the pagan Wends were finally converted to Christianity, chiefly through the efforts of the great Cistercian monasteries, the most important of which were Dobrilugk
Dobrilugk Abbey
Dobrilugk Abbey was a Cistercian monastery in Lower Lusatia in the territory of the present town of Doberlug-Kirchhain, Brandenburg, Germany.-History:...
and Neuzelle
Neuzelle
Neuzelle is a municipality in the Oder-Spree district, Brandenburg, Germany, along the border with Poland. The settlement in the historic Lower Lusatia region is probably best known for Neuzelle Abbey and its Neuzeller Kloster Brewery.-History:...
. Among the convents of nuns, Heiligenkreuz
Heiligenkreuz
Heiligenkreuz, which in German means "Holy Cross", can refer to:*Heiligenkreuz, Lower Austria, a municipality in Lower Austria, Austria**Heiligenkreuz Abbey in this municipality*Heiligenkreuz im Lafnitztal, a municipality in Burgenland, Austria...
at Meissen, Mariental
Mariental
-settlements:*Mariental, Germany, in the district of Helmstedt, Lower Saxony, Germany*Mariental, Namibia, in the Hardap Region, Namibia-other places:*Mariental, a valley near the Katzenbuckel located in Elztal, Germany...
near Zittau, Marienstern on the White Elster, and Mühlberg
Mühlberg
There are communes and places that have the name Mühlberg in Germany:*Mühlberg, Brandenburg, a town in the Elbe-Elster district, Brandenburg*Mühlberg, Thuringia, a municipality in the Gotha district, Thuringia...
deserve mention.
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
s (Fürst
Fürst
Fürst is a German title of nobility, usually translated into English as Prince.The term refers to the head of a principality and is distinguished from the son of a monarch, who is referred to as Prinz...
en) of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, however, again and again disputed in that position by the Margraves of Meissen, the most notable are Wittigo I (1266–93) and John I of Eisenberg (1340–71). The former began the magnificent Gothic cathedral in Meissen
Meissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
, in which are buried nine princes of the margravial House of Wettin; the latter, as notary and intimate friend of the Margrave of Meissen, afterwards the Emperor Charles IV, protected the interests of his church and increased the revenues of the diocese. During the latter's administration, in 1344, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
was made an archiepiscopal see.
In 1365 Pope Urban V
Pope Urban V
Pope Urban V , born Guillaume Grimoard, was Pope from 1362 to 1370.-Biography:Grimoard was a native of Grizac in Languedoc . He became a Benedictine and a doctor in Canon Law, teaching at Montpellier and Avignon...
appointed the Archbishop of Prague
Archbishop of Prague
The following is a list of bishops and archbishops of Prague. The bishopric of Prague was established in 973, and elevated to an archbishopric on 30 April 1344. The today's Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Prague is the continual successor of the bishoprie established in 973...
legatus natus, or perpetual representative of the Holy See, for the Dioceses of Meissen, Bamberg
Archdiocese of Bamberg
The Archdiocese of Bamberg is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bavaria and is one of 27 Roman Catholic dioceses in Germany. About a third of the population is Catholic. With 15.6% this diocese has one of higher numbers of worshippers on Sunday in Germany...
and Regensburg (Ratisbon)
Diocese of Regensburg
The Diocese of Regensburg is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory seated in Regensburg, Germany. Its district covers parts of northeastern Bavaria; it is subordinate to the archbishop of Munich and Freising. The diocese has 1.3 million Catholics, constituting 81% of its population...
; the opposition of Magdeburg made it impossible to exercise in Meissen the privileges of this office, and Meissen remained, though under protest, subject to the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
of Magdeburg. John's successor, John II of Jenstein (1376-9), who resigned Meissen on his election to the see of Prague, Nicholas I (1379–92), John III (1393-8), and Thimo of Colditz (1399–1410), were appointed directly from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, which set aside the elective rights of the cathedral chapter
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...
. Thimo, a Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
n by birth, neglected the diocese and ruined it financially.
Margrave William I of Meissen prevailed on Pope Boniface IX
Pope Boniface IX
Pope Boniface IX , born Piero Tomacelli, was the second Roman Pope of the Western Schism from November 2, 1389, until October 1, 1404...
in 1405 to free Meissen from the authority of the Magdeburg metropolitan and to place it as 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 directly under the Holy See. The illustrious Bishop Rudolf von der Planitz (1411–27), through wise regulations and personal sacrifices, brought order out of chaos. The Hussite Wars
Hussite Wars
The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars involved the military actions against and amongst the followers of Jan Hus in Bohemia in the period 1419 to circa 1434. The Hussite Wars were notable for the extensive use of early hand-held gunpowder weapons such as hand cannons...
caused great damage to the diocese, then ruled over by John IV Hofmann (1427–51); under the government of the able brothers Caspar (1451–63) and Dietrich of Schönberg (1461–76), it soon recovered and on Dietrich's death there was a fund of 8,800 gold forms in the episcopal treasury. John V of Weißenbach (1476–87), through his mania for building and his travels, soon spent this money and left a heavy burden of debt on the diocese. John VI of Salhausen (1488–1518) further impoverished the diocese through his obstinate attempt to obtain full princely sovereignty in the temporal territories ruled by his see, which brought him into constant conflict with George, Duke of Saxony
George, Duke of Saxony
George the Bearded, Duke of Saxony , was duke of Saxony from 1500 to 1539.Duke George was a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece.-Early life:...
; his spiritual administration was also open to censure.
John VII of Schleinitz (1518–37) was a resolute opponent of Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
, whose revolt began in neighbouring Wittenberg
Wittenberg
Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the river Elbe. It has a population of about 50,000....
, and, conjointly with George of Saxony, endeavored to crush the innovations. The canonization of Benno (1523), urged by him, was intended to offset the progress of the Lutheran
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...
teaching. John VIII of Maltitz (1537–49) and Nicholas II of Carlowitz (1549–55) were unable to withstand the ever-spreading Protestant Reformation
Protestant 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...
, which after the death of Duke George (1539) triumphed in Saxony and gained ground even among the canons of the cathedral, so that the diocese was on the verge of dissolution.
The last bishop, John of Haugwitz (1555–81), placed his resignation in the hands of the cathedral chapter, in virtue of an agreement with Elector Augustus of Saxony
Augustus, Elector of Saxony
Augustus was Elector of Saxony from 1553 to 1586.-First years:Augustus was born in Freiberg, the youngest child and third son of Henry IV, Duke of Saxony, and Catherine of Mecklenburg. He consequently belonged to the Albertine branch of the Wettin family...
, went over to Lutheranism, married and retired to the castle of Ruhetal near Mögeln. The electors of Saxony took over the administration of the temporalities of the diocese within the Electorate of 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...
which in 1666 were finally adjudged to them. The canons turned Protestant, and all remaining monasteries in Saxony were secularized, their revenues and buildings being devoted principally to educational works.
Apostolic Prefecture of Meissen
Before his resignation and conversion Haugwitz appointed Johann Leisentrit as diocesan administrator, seated in BautzenBautzen
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...
, competent for the Lusatian areas of the diocese outside of Saxony. Leisentrit failed to win the pope for establishing a new diocese comprising only the Lusatian areas of Meißen bishopric. However, in 1567 the Holy See separated the Lusatian areas from the Saxon parts of the diocese and established there the Apostolic Prefecture of Meißen, seated in Bautzen, with Leisentritt as its first prefect. In canon law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
an apostolic prefecture is a diocese on approval.
According to its location and its seat the prefecture used to be called alternatively the Apostolic Prefecture of the Two Lusatias (Upper and Lower Lusatia) or Apostolic Prefecture of Bautzen. The then liege lord
Liege Lord
Liege Lord was an American speed/power metal band, active in the 1980s and considered to be a pioneer of the genre. It was formed by Matt Vinci, Anthony Truglio and Frank Cortese....
of the Two Lusatias, the Catholic king of Bohemia (in personal union Holy Roman Emperor) did not effectively offend the spreading of the Reformation in the Two Lusatias. So it depended on the local vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
s if Protestantism prevailed or not. When in 1635 Lutheran electoral Saxony annexed the Two Lusatias it guaranteed in the cession contract (Traditionsrezess) with Bohemia to leave the existing religious relations untouched. As a signatory of the Peace of Westphalia
Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October of 1648 in Osnabrück and Münster. These treaties ended the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire, and the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic, with Spain formally recognizing the...
of 1648 Saxony later agreed to maintain the religious status quo as given in the reference year of 1624 in all its territories acquired since.
After the Prussian annexation of Lower Lusatia (then assigned to Brandenburg
Province of Brandenburg
The Province of Brandenburg was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946.-History:The first people who are known to have inhabited Brandenburg were the Suevi. They were succeeded by the Slavonians, whom Henry II conquered and converted to Christianity in...
) and eastern Upper Lusatia, the latter then integrated into Silesia
Province of Silesia
The Province of Silesia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1815 to 1919.-Geography:The territory comprised the bulk of the former Bohemian crown land of Silesia and the County of Kladsko, which King Frederick the Great had conquered from the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th...
, the Holy See assigned the Lower Lusatian and eastern Upper Lusatian areas of the prefecture of Meißen to the Prussian Prince-Bishopric of Breslau in 1821 (Bull De salute animarum). The remaining prefecture, which had maintained a strong Catholic identity, used to be also called since the Apostolic Prefecture of (Saxon) Upper Lusatia.
The new Diocese of Meissen
On 24 June 1921 Pope Benedict XVPope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV , born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, reigned as Pope from 3 September 1914 to 22 January 1922...
elevated the Apostolic Prefecture of Meißen to the Diocese of Meißen by his apostolic constitution
Apostolic constitution
An apostolic constitution is the highest level of decree issued by the Pope. The use of the term constitution comes from Latin constitutio, which referred to any important law issued by the Roman emperor, and is retained in church documents because of the inheritance that the canon law of the...
Sollicitudo omnium ecclesiarum and the former's seat in Bautzen thus became the seat of the diocese. In 1743 the Holy See had established the Apostolic Vicariate
Apostolic vicariate
An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries that do not have a diocese. It is essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more...
in the Saxon Hereditary Lands , seated in Dresden, competent for the Catholic diaspora in the rest of Saxony without Lusatia and in three neighbouring principalities (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...
, Reuss elder
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...
and Younger Line, which are now part of Thuringia). The vicariate was dissolved and its area and institutions integrated into the new Meißen diocese in 1921.
In the years between 1945 and 1948 the number of parishioners in the Meißen diocese more than doubled because many Catholic refugees and expellees from former Eastern Germany and Czechoslovakia found refuge within its diocesan area. So many new parishes were established in the following years. Four Catholic parishes in Saxony east of the Lusatian Neisse
Lusatian Neisse
The Lusatian Neisse is a long river in Central Europe. The river has its source in the Jizera Mountains near Nová Ves nad Nisou, Czech Republic, reaching the tripoint with Poland and Germany at Zittau after , and later forms the Polish-German border on a length of...
, whose parishioners had fled or were expelled by the authorities of annexing Poland, were lost. On 24 January 1948 Bishop Petrus Legge conveyanced his jurisdiction for that Polish-annexed diocesan area to Karol Milik, the apostolic administrator
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...
of that part of the Breslau archdiocese outside of the Soviet Occupation Zone in Germany, which had also been annexed to Poland. When in 1972 Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
reduced the diocesan area of the Archdiocese of Wrocław to Polish territory only by the apostolic constitution Vratislaviensis - Berolinensis et aliarum also the Polish-annexed Meißen diocesan area became officially a part of that archdiocese. The then East German part of Breslau archdiocese was disentangled by the same apostolic constitution and became the exempt new Apostolic Administration of Görlitz.
The renamed Diocese of Dresden-Meissen
In 1980 the seat of the diocese was moved to DresdenDresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, leading the diocese to be renamed Dresden-Meissen. Since 1994 the three formerly exempt jurisdictions of Berlin, Dresden-Meißen, and Görlitz form the new ecclesiastical province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
of Berlin with the latter as metropolitan see.