Roman Catholic Diocese of Würzburg explained

Jurisdiction:	Diocese
Würzburg
Local:	German: Bistum Würzburg
Latin:	Dioecesis Herbipolensis
Country:	Germany
Province:	Bamberg
Rite:	Roman Rite
Established:	741
Cathedral:	Cathedral of Saints Killian, Colonat, and Totnan (Dom Ss. Killian, Kolonat und Totnan)
Area Km2:	8532
Population:	1,334,000
Population As Of:	2010
Catholics:	826,504
Catholics Percent:	62
Parishes:	619
Bishop:	Franz Jung
Auxiliary Bishops:	Ulrich Boom
Map:	Karte Bistum Würzburg.png

The Diocese of Würzburg (Latin: Dioecesis Herbipolensis) is a Latin Church diocese of Catholic Church in Germany. The diocese is located in Lower Franconia, around the city of Würzburg, and the bishop is seated at Würzburg Cathedral. Founded in 741, the diocese lost all temporal power after the Napoleonic wars.

See Bishopric of Würzburg for more information about the history of the diocese.

History

The first Apostle of Christianity for the territory now included in the Diocese of Würzburg was the Irish missionary, Saint Kilian, the Apostle of Franconia. who converted Gozbert the Frankish duke of Thuringia.^[1] In his castle above Würzburg, Gozbert's son Hedan II built the first church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin; on this account the castle received the name of Marienberg.^[2] The first mention of Würzburg is in 704, when it is called Castellum Virtebuch.^[3] A diocese was established in Würzburg by Saint Boniface, who in 741 consecrated his friend Saint Burchard as bishop;^[4] In 742 Pope Zachary confirmed the selection of Burchard. Burchard (741-53) built the first cathedral church, and buried there the bodies of St. Kilian and his companions; he connected with the church a monastery which followed the Rule of St. Benedict. ^[5]

Carloman (mayor of the palace) gave great gifts of land to the bishopric. In 752 or 753 the church of Würzburg was granted immunity for all its possessions, also secular jurisdiction, whereby the foundation was laid for the future secular authority of the bishops. Like the majority of his successors, Burchard lived at the Marienburg, which he had received from the last duke in exchange for another fortified castle. His successor, Megingoz (753-85), did much towards Christianizing Saxony.^[6] Bishop Bernwelf (785-800) replaced the Benedictine secular clergy at the cathedral by the Brothers of St. Kilian, who led a common life after the rule of Chrodegang of Metz. Arno (855-92) rebuilt the cathedral, which had been destroyed by lightning, on the site of the present cathedral.

List of bishops

Burchard I 741^[4] (or 746, according to the Annales Altahenses) – 755
Megingoz (Megingold) 753–785^[6]
Berowulf (Bernulf) 786–800
Liuttrit (Luderich) 800–803
Egilwart 803–810
Wolfgar 810–832
Humbert (Hunbert) 833–842
Godwald von Henneberg 842–855
Arno von Endsee 855–892
Rudolf I von Conradines 892–908
Theodo von Henneberg 908–931
Burchard II 932–941
Poppo I 941–961
Poppo II 961–983
Hugo von Rothenburg 983–990
Bernward von Rothenburg 990–995
Heinrich I von Rothenburg 995–1018
Meinhard I von Rothenburg 1018–1034
Bruno of Carinthia 1034–1045
Adalbero von Lambach-Wels 1045–1085
Meinhard II von Rothenburg 1085–1088
Einhard von Rothenburg 1089–1105
Rupert von Tundorf 1105–1106
Erlung von Calw 1106–1121
Gebhard von Henneberg 1122–1127
Rudiger von Vaihingen 1122–1125
Emicho von Leiningen 1125–1146
Siegfried von Truhendingen 1146–1150
Gebhard von Henneberg 1150–1159
Heinrich II von Stuhlingen 1159–1165
Herold von Hochheim 1165–1170
Reginhard von Abenberg 1171–1186
Gottfried I von Spitzenberg-Helfenstein 1186–1190
Philip of Swabia 1190–1191
Heinrich III of Berg 1191–1197
Gottfried II von Hohenlohe 1197
Konrad von Querfurt 1197–1202
Heinrich IV von Katzburg 1202–1207
1207–1223
Dietrich von Homburg 1223–1225
Hermann I von Lobdeburg 1225–1254
Iring von Reinstein-Homburg 1254–1266
Heinrich V von Leiningen 1254–1255
Poppo III von Trimberg 1267–1271
Berthold I von Henneberg 1271–1274
Berthold II von Sternberg 1274–1287
Mangold von Neuenburg 1287–1303 (Bishop of Bamberg 1285)
Andreas von Gundelfingen 1303–1313
Gottfried III von Hohenlohe 1313–1322
Friedrich von Stolberg 1313–1317
Wolfram Wolfskeel von Grumbach 1322–1332
Hermann II Hummel von Lichtenberg 1333–1335
Otto II von Wolfskeel 1335–1345
Albrecht I von Hohenberg 1345–1349
Albrecht II von Hohenlohe 1350–1372
Gerhard von Schwarzburg 1372–1400
Albrecht III von Katzburg 1372–1376
Johann I von Egloffstein 1400–1411
Johann II von Brunn 1411–1440
Sigmund of Saxony 1440–1443
Gottfried Schenk von Limpurg † (19 Nov 1443 Appointed – 1 Apr 1455 Died)
Johann von Grumbach † (14 Apr 1455 Appointed – 11 Apr 1466 Died)
Rudolf von Scherenberg † (30 Apr 1466 Appointed – 29 Apr 1495 Died)
Lorenz von Bibra † (12 May 1495 Appointed – 6 Feb 1519 Died)
Konrad von Thüngen † (15 Feb 1519 Appointed – 16 Jun 1540 Died)
Konrad von Bibra † (1 Jul 1540 Appointed – 4 Aug 1544 Died)
Melchior Zobel von Giebelstadt † (Aug 1544 Appointed – 15 Apr 1558 Died)
Friedrich von Wirsberg † (27 Apr 1558 Appointed – 12 Nov 1573 Died)
Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn † (1 Dec 1573 Appointed – 9 Sep 1617 Died)
Johann Gottfried von Aschhausen † (5 Oct 1617 Appointed – 29 Dec 1622 Died)
Philipp Adolf von Ehrenberg † (6 Feb 1623 Appointed – 16 Jul 1631 Died)
Franz Graf von Hatzfeld † (7 Aug 1631 Appointed – 30 Jul 1642 Died)
Johann Philipp Reichsgraf von Schönborn † (16 Aug 1642 Appointed – 12 Feb 1673 Died)
Johann Hartmann Reichsritter von Rosenbach † (13 Mar 1673 Appointed – 19 Apr 1675 Died)
Peter Philipp Reichsgraf von Dernbach † (Jul 1675 Appointed – 24 Apr 1683 Died)
Konrad Wilhelm Reichsfreiherr von Wernau † (31 May 1683 Appointed – 5 Sep 1684 Died)
Johann Gottfried II von Gutenberg † (16 Oct 1684 Appointed – 14 Dec 1698 Died)
Johann Philipp Reichsfreiherr von Greifenclau zu Vollraths † (9 Feb 1699 Appointed – 3 Aug 1719 Died)
Johann Philipp Franz Reichsgraf von Schönborn † (18 Sep 1719 Appointed – 18 Aug 1724 Died)
Christoph Franz Reichsfreiherr von Hutten † (2 Oct 1724 Appointed – 25 Mar 1729 Died)
Friedrich Karl Reichsgraf von Schönborn † (18 May 1729 Appointed – 26 Jul 1746 Died)
Anselm Franz Reichsgraf von Ingelheim † (29 Aug 1746 Appointed – 9 Feb 1749 Died)
Karl Philipp Reichsfreiherr von Greifenclau zu Vollraths † (14 Apr 1749 Appointed – 25 Nov 1754 Died)
Adam Friedrich Reichsgraf von Seinsheim † (7 Jan 1755 Appointed – 18 Feb 1779 Died)
Franz Ludwig Reichsfreiherr von Erthal † (18 Mar 1779 Appointed – 14 Feb 1795 Died)
Georg Karl Ignaz Freiherr von Fechenbach zu Laudenbach † (12 Mar 1795 Appointed – 9 Apr 1808 Died)
Adam Friedrich Freiherr von Groß zu Trockau † (6 Sep 1818 Appointed – 21 Mar 1840 Died)
Georg Anton von Stahl † (17 Apr 1840 Appointed – 13 Jul 1870 Died)
Johann Valentin von Reißmann † (26 Oct 1870 Appointed – 17 Nov 1875 Died)
Franz Joseph von Stein † (19 Oct 1878 Appointed – 24 Dec 1897 Appointed, Archbishop of München and Freising)
Ferdinand von Schlör † (5 Mar 1898 Appointed – 2 Jun 1924 Died)
Matthias Ehrenfried † (30 Sep 1924 Appointed – 30 May 1948 Died)
Julius August Döpfner † (11 Aug 1948 Appointed – 15 Jan 1957 Appointed, Bishop of Berlin)
Josef Stangl † (27 June 1957 appointed – 8 January 1979 resigned)
Paul-Werner Scheele † (31 August 1979 appointed – 14 July 2003 retired)
Friedhelm Hofmann (25 June 2004 appointed – 18 September 2017 retired)
Franz Jung (16 February 2018 –)

Notes and References

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08639a.htm Lauchert, Friedrich. "St. Kilian." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Book: Fremdenverkehrsamt der Stadt Würzburg. Würzburg - Amtlicher Führer (German). Stürtz Verlag. 1969. 21.
Norbert Wagner, 'Uburzis-Wirziburg "Würzburg"'
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03064b.htm Kirsch, Johann Peter. "St. Burchard of Würzurg." The Catholic Encyclopedia
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15718a.htm Lins, Joseph. "Diocese of Würzburg." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Palmer, James. "The 'Vigorous Rule' of Bishop Lull: Between Bonifatian Mission and Carolingian Church Control". Early Medieval Europe. 2005, 13 (3): 249–76.