The former Diocese of Aarhus ( da, Aarhus Stift) was a Roman Catholic diocese in Denmark, founded in the 10th century and dissolved during the Protestant Reformation. The diocese included the counties of

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

and Randers, the islands of Samsø and Tunø, and, after 1396, part of the county of Viborg.

History

Frode, King of Jutland, built the church of the Holy Trinity at Aarhus in about 900. In 948 Archbishop Adaldag of Hamburg consecrated Reginbrand as missionary Bishop of Aarhus. Jutland was consolidated into a single diocese after Reginbrand's death in 988, with Viborg or Ribe as its centre. The diocese, then a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

of Hamburg-Bremen, was redivided in 1060, and Bishop Christian was ordained by Adalbert I,

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of Hamburg. In 1104 the diocese became a suffragan of the then newly elevated Archdiocese of Lund. Bishop Ulfketil built a wooden church in 1102 to contain the relics of Saint Clement. Around 1150, Niels, Prince of Denmark was buried in the churchyard. The offerings at his tomb facilitated the commencement of a new stone cathedral.

Peder Vognsen Peder Vognsen (died 11 April 1204) was bishop of the Diocese of Aarhus from 1191 until his death in 1204. He belonged to the nobility as a member of the Hvide clan and was related to Archbishop Absalon (his mother's cousin). He used his extensive ...

, Svend Udsson's successor, began the construction of the brick Cathedral of Saint Clement in 1201, which was finished around 1263. In 1330, the greater part of it burned down.

Peder Jensen Lodehat Peder Jensen Lodehat (died 21 October 1416) was the bishop of the Diocese of Aarhus and a significant political figure in Denmark during the reign of queen Margrete I. Lodehat was originally from a minor noble family in Zealand but made a career ...

(1386–1395) and

Bo Mogensen Bo or BO may refer to Arts and entertainment Film, television, and theatre * Box office, where tickets to an event are sold, and by extension, the amount of business a production receives *'' BA:BO'', 2008 South Korean film * ''Bo'' (film), a ...

(1395–1423) were the prelates mainly concerned with the erection of the present building, Aarhus Cathedral. In the 16th century, the last Catholic bishop,

Ove Bille Ove or OVE may refer to *Ove (given name) *Ové, a surname *Ove Peak in Antarctica *''A Man Called Ove (novel)'', a novel by Fredrik Backman *'' A Man Called Ove'', a 2015 Swedish film based on the novel *Danish Organisation for Renewable Energy (O ...

resisted the Reformation along with

Poul Helgesen Poul Helgesen (also Paul Eliasen; Latin: ''Paulus Heliæ''; ca. 1480 – died after 1534) was a Danish Carmelite, a humanist and historian. Life Helgesen, the leading Danish example of Reform Catholicism (a minor Danish parallel of Erasmus of Rot ...

, prior of the

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

monastery at Elsinore. Like the other Catholic bishops in Denmark, Ove Bille was imprisoned in 1536. The Diocese and its infrastructure were seized by the crown in 1536, and later reinstated as the Protestant Diocese of Aarhus within the Church of Denmark.

Religious Life in the Diocese

There were in the diocese: a chapter with 34 prebendaries at Aarhus cathedral;

Benedictines , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

at Esbenbeek, Voer,

Alling Alling () is a municipality in the district of Fürstenfeldbruck, Bavaria, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia ...

, and Veierlov; Augustinian Canons at Tvilum,

Cistercians The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

at Øm, who survived till 1560; and Carthusians at Aarhus. There were also Franciscans at Horsens and Randers, Dominicans at Aarhus, Horsens, and Randers, Carmelites and a hospital of the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

at Aarhus. There were Hospitallers of St. John till 1568 at Horsens. Lastly there were Brigittines at

Mariager Mariager is a town in Denmark with a population of 2,506 (1 January 2022).Reginbrand, 948–988, Anointed by Adaldag of Hamburg-Bremen. **''Vacant (988–1060)'' *

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, c. 1060–??, participated in one of the last Viking raids in 1069–1070. * Ulfketil, 1102–1134, died in the Battle of Fotevik *

Eskil Eskil is a town and district of Aksaray Province in the Central Anatolia Region, Turkey, Central Anatolia region of Turkey, situated on the southern shore of Lake Tuz. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 28,952 of which 22,125 ...

, ??–1157, died during the raid of Wendland **''Vacant (1157–1165)'' * Svend I, 1165–1191, founded the

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

abbey at Øm *

, 1191–1204, initiated Aarhus Cathedral *

Skjalm Vognsen Skjalm Vognsen (died 1215) was the bishop of the Diocese of Aarhus from 1204 until his death in 1215. He was the brother of his predecessor Peder Vognsen. Skjalm Vognsen was first a canon at Lund Cathedral under Bishop Absalon until he became arch ...

, 1204–1215 *

Ebbe Vognsen Ebbe is a Scandinavian masculine given name. The feminine version is Ebba. It is mainly now found in Denmark and Sweden and may refer to: * Ebbe Carlsson (1947–1992), Swedish journalist and publisher * Ebbe Frick, Swedish sprint canoer *Ebbe ...

, 1215–1224 *

Peder Elevsøn Peter is a common masculine given name. It is derived directly from Greek , ''Petros'' (an invented, masculine form of Greek ''petra,'' the word for "rock" or "stone"), which itself was a translation of Aramaic ''Kefa'' ("stone, rock"), the new n ...

, 1224–1246 **''Vacant (1246–1249)'' * Peder Ugotsøn, 1249–1260 * Tycho I, 1261–1272 *

Peder IV Peter is a common masculine given name. It is derived directly from Greek , ''Petros'' (an invented, masculine form of Greek ''petra,'' the word for "rock" or "stone"), which itself was a translation of Aramaic ''Kefa'' ("stone, rock"), the new n ...

, 1272–1276 * Tycho II, 1276–1288 *

Jens Assersøn Jens may refer to: * Jens (given name), a list of people with the name * Jens (surname), a list of people * Jens, Switzerland, a municipality * 1719 Jens, an asteroid See also * Jensen (disambiguation) Jensen may refer to: People *Jensen (su ...

, 1288–1306 * Esger Juul, 1306–1310 * Esger Bonde, 1310–1325 * Svend II, 1325–1352 * Paul, 1352–1369 * Olufsen, 1369–1386 *

, 1386–1395 *

, 1395–1424 * Ulrik Stygge, 1424–1449 *

Jens Iversen Lange Jens may refer to: * Jens (given name), a list of people with the name * Jens (surname), a list of people * Jens, Switzerland, a municipality * 1719 Jens, an asteroid See also * Jensen (disambiguation) Jensen may refer to: People *Jensen (su ...

, 1449–1482 * Ejler Madsen Bølle, 1482–1490 *

Niels Clausen Niels is a male given name, equivalent to Nicholas, which is common in Denmark, Belgium, Norway (formerly) and the Netherlands. The Norwegian and Swedish variant is Nils. The name is a developed short form of Nicholas or Greek Nicolaos after Saint ...

, 1490–1520 *

, 1520–1536

References

{{coord missing, Denmark Arhus Catholic Church in Denmark History of Aarhus