List of bishops of Turku explained

The Archdiocese of Turku is the oldest diocese in Finland. Medieval bishops of the Catholic Church were also de facto secular leaders of the country until the end of the 13th century.

After the Reformation in Scandinavia, Lutheran bishops became state officials. When Finland became a separate grand duchy, the then bishop of Turku was designated as an archbishop in 1817. Since 1868, the archbishops of Turku and Finland have been considered primates of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

Bishop Henry

Henry, Bishop of Uppsala is often mentioned in contemporary sources as the first bishop of Finland. According to legends, the English-born Henry arrived in Finland with King Eric IX of Sweden during the First Swedish Crusade, later suffering martyrdom in the 1150s. His position as Bishop of Finland is, however, totally unhistorical, and not claimed even by legends.

Catholic bishops of Finland

See article Diocese of Finland.

• Rodulff 1156?–1178? (first mentioned in the 15th century, uncertain)
• Fulco 1178?–1198? (first mentioned in the 15th century, uncertain)

An unnamed Bishop of Finland is mentioned dead in 1209. Papal letters to unnamed Bishops of Finland have survived from 1221, 1229 and 1232.

• Thomas 1230s?–1245
• Bero I 1248–1258

Catholic bishops of Turku (Åbo, Aboa)

The position Bishop of Finland was renamed Bishop of Turku, first mentioned in 1259, in a move to harmonise the name of the dioceses with other Swedish sees.

See also: Roman Catholic Diocese of Turku.

• Ragvald I, 1258–1266
• Catillus, 1266–1286
• Johannes I, 1286–1290
• Magnus I, 1291–1308
• Ragvald II, 1309–1321
• Benedictus II Gregor, 1321–1338
• Hemming, 1338–1366
• Henrik Hartmansson, 1366–1367
• Johannes II Petri, 1367–1370
• Johannes III Westfal, 1370–1384
• Bero II Balk, 1387–1412
• Magnus II Tavast, 1412–1450
• Olaus Magni, 1450–1460
• Konrad Bitz, 1460–1489
• Magnus III Nicolai, 1489–1500
• Laurentius Michaelis, 1500–1506
• Johannes IV Olavi, 1507–1510
• Arvid Kurki, 1511–1522
• Ericus Svenonius, 1523–1527
• Martti Skytte. 1528–1550

Lutheran Bishops of Turku

• Mikael Agricola 1554–1557
• Petrus Follingius 1558–1563
• Paulus Juusten 1563–1575
• Ericus Erici Sorolainen 1583–1625
• Isaacus Rothovius 1627–1652
• Eskillus Petraeus 1652–1657
• Johannes Terserus 1658–1664
• Johannes Gezelius the elder 1664–1690
• Johannes Gezelius the younger 1690–1718
• Herman Witte 1721–1728
• Lars Tammelin 1728–1733
• Jonas Fahlenius 1734–1746
• Johan Browallius 1749–1755
• Karl Fredrik Mennander 1757–1775
• Jakob Haartman 1776–1788
• Jakob Gadolin 1788–1802
• Jakob Tengström 1803–1817

The title "Bishop of Turku" ceased to exist in 1817. Since 1998, the Archbishop of Turku and Finland has been assisted in the diocese by a Bishop of Turku.

• Ilkka Kantola 1998–2005
• Kari Mäkinen 2006–2010
• Kaarlo Kalliala 2011–2021
• Mari Leppänen 2021–

Archbishops of Turku and Finland

Bishop of Turku was elevated to archiepiscopal rank in 1817. The title of the see was changed to Archbishop of Turku and Finland.^[1]

• Jakob Tengström 1817–1832
• Erik Gabriel Melartin 1833–1847
• Edvard Bergenheim 1850–1884
• Torsten Thure Renvall 1884–1898
• Gustaf Johansson 1899–1930
• Lauri Ingman 1930–1934
• Erkki Kaila 1935–1944
• Aleksi Lehtonen 1945–1951
• Ilmari Salomies 1951–1964
• Martti Simojoki 1964–1978
• Mikko Juva 1978–1982
• John Vikström 1982–1998
• Jukka Paarma 1998–2010
• Kari Mäkinen 2010–2018
• Tapio Luoma 2018–

See also

• • Archdiocese of Turku Roman Catholic Diocese of Helsinki

External links

• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland – Official site

Notes and References

1. http://www.evl.fi/arkkipiispa/piispat.htm Turun piispat (n.1157–1817) sekä Turun ja Suomen arkkipiispat (1817–)