The Diocese of Aarhus (

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

: ''Århus Stift'') is one of 10

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

s in the

Church of Denmark The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church, sometimes called the Church of Denmark ( da, Folkekirken, literally: "The People's Church" or unofficially da, Den danske folkekirke, literally: "The Danish People's Church"; kl, ...

, with headquarters in the city 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 ...

. The diocese covers a large district of northeast

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

and comprises 14

deaneries A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence ...

, of which four cover the extent of

city itself.

History

The diocese dates back to 948, when

Adam of Bremen Adam of Bremen ( la, Adamus Bremensis; german: Adam von Bremen) (before 1050 – 12 October 1081/1085) was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. Adam is most famous for his chronicle ''Gesta ...

noted that

Reginbrand Reginbrand (d. 988) was a bishop of the Ancient See of Aarhus. He was ordained by bishop Adaldag of Hamburg-Bremen in 948 in the first ordination of bishops in the Scandinavian countries. The ordination had the explicit support of the pope who wishe ...

, bishop of Aarhus, attended the

synod of Ingelheim The Universal Synod of Ingelheim began on June 7, 948 in the then church of Saint Remigius in Ingelheim. Being summoned by Pope Agapetus II its primary goal was to resolve a long running Schism concerning the archiepiscopal see of Reims. The synod w ...

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 the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is not known if the diocese was established earlier or to what extent it functioned in Aarhus. Christianity still only enjoyed a tentative position in Denmark at the time and it is likely the diocese was created in part for missionary purposes and in part to demonstrate for the pope that the

Archbishopric of Bremen The Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen (german: Fürsterzbistum Bremen) — not to be confused with the modern Archdiocese of Hamburg, founded in 1994 — was an ecclesiastical principality (787–1566/1648) of the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic ...

was successfully converting the peoples in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

. In 988 Reginbrand died and the diocese was abolished when all dioceses in

were merged to one unit with Viborg or

Ribe Ribe () is a town in south-west Jutland, Denmark, with a population of 8,257 (2022). It is the seat of the Diocese of Ribe covering southwestern Jutland. Until 1 January 2007, Ribe was the seat of both a surrounding Ribe Municipality, municipali ...

at its center. 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 ...

Hamburg-Bremen The Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen (german: Fürsterzbistum Bremen) — not to be confused with the modern Archdiocese of Hamburg, founded in 1994 — was an ecclesiastical principality (787–1566/1648) of the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic ...

, was redivided in 1060, and

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 ...

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 The Diocese of Lund ( sv, Lunds stift) is a diocese within the Church of Sweden which corresponds to the provinces of Blekinge and Skåne. There are 217 parishes within the diocese, the most significant number in any of the dioceses of the Chu ...

. In 1537 Denmark and Norway went through a

Protestant reform The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

resulting in the arrest of catholic bishops and their replacement by Lutheran clerics. In Aarhus Mads Lang was appointed bishop in 1537. Officially the row of bishops continued from the original Catholic See. 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 The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, aided by

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. Ove Bille was imprisoned for this in 1536.

Churches

In c. 900 Frode,

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

, built the Holy Trinity Church, a small wooden church situated outside the city walls of the viking settlement. In c. 1070 Bishop

started construction of the

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a pro ...

St. Nicolai Cathedral on the site of the Holy Trinity Church. Aarhus was still predominantly pagan and at the center of the settlement within the wall lay a pagan burial site. In 1102 Bishop Ulfketil built a wooden chapel to contain the relics of Saint Clement. The St. Clement Chapel may have been the first Christian structure to be built centrally in Aarhus, within the walls and on the former pagan burial site. In c. 1180

Niels of Aarhus Saint Niels of Aarhus or Niels the Holy ( da, Niels den Hellige; before 1157 - 1180) was a Danish prince who lived an ascetic life and was revered as a saint in Aarhus until the 18th century even though he was never canonized. Biography Born Nie ...

, llegitimate son of King

Canute V of Denmark Canute V Magnussen ( da, Knud V Magnussen) ( – 9 August 1157) was a King of Denmark from 1146 to 1157, as co-regent in shifting alliances with Sweyn III and Valdemar I. Canute was killed at the so-called ''Bloodfeast of Roskilde'' in 1157. Noth ...

, died and was buried in the St. Clement Chapel. Niels' death was followed by stories of supernatural events and healing powers at his grave, followed by significant offerings and worship at his tomb. The worship of Niels was seen as a potential challenge to the Danish royal line of succession and Bishop Svend seemed unable or unwilling to stop it, even going as far as trying to have Niels sanctified. In 1191 the king appointed

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 ...

as the new bishop of Aarhus and he quickly moved to stop the unauthorized worship. In 1201 he began construction of the Saint Clement Cathedral to replace the St. Clement chapel and eradicate Niels' grave and any worship of it. The cathedral was finished in c. 1263 but that did not stop the worship of Niels. The St. Nicolai Church was named for St. Nicolai of Myra but ''Niels'' in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

is also Nicolai. This resulted in worship of Niels simply moving to the St. Nicolai Church. In c. 1240 the Peder Vognsen gifted the Nicolai Church to the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

which subsequently turned it into a monastery and over time completely transformed the building into the Church of Our Lady. In 1330 the greater part of Aarhus Cathedral burnt 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 in the erection of the present building.

Religious life in the diocese

There were in the diocese, at different times, 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 The Voer (Dutch, ; french: Fouron) is a small river in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is a right-bank tributary to the river Meuse. It has three (creek-) tributaries of its own: the ''Veurs'', the ''Noor (Meuse), Noor'' and the ''Beek''. The sour ...

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 Canons regular are priests who live in community under a rule ( and canon in greek) and are generally organised into religious orders, differing from both secular canons and other forms of religious life, such as clerics regular, designated by ...

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 The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its ...

at Aarhus. There were also

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

Horsens Horsens () is a city on the east coast of Jutland region of Denmark. It is the seat of the Horsens municipality. The city's population is 61,074 (1 January 2022) and the municipality's population is 94,443 (), making it the 8th largest city in De ...

and Randers, Dominicans at Aarhus,

, 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 The Bridgettines, or Birgittines, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Savior (; abbreviated OSsS), is a monastic religious order of the Catholic Church founded by Saint Birgitta or Bridget of Sweden in 1344, and approved by Pope Urban ...

Mariager Mariager is a town in Denmark with a population of 2,506 (1 January 2022).List of Churches in Aarhus *

List of Bishops of Aarhus The succession of bishops of Aarhus began when the bishop of Aarhus Reginbrand was first mentioned by Adam of Bremen as attending the Synod of Ingelheim. Catholic See * Reginbrand, 948–988, Ordained by Adaldag of Hamburg-Bremen *''Vacant (988 ...

References

External links

Århus Stift
Official homepage {{DEFAULTSORT:Aarhus, Diocese Of Church of Denmark dioceses

Diocese Of Aarhus In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...