The Diocese of Copenhagen (Danish: ''Københavns Stift'') is a

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 ...

within the

Evangelical Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

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, ...

. The Bishop of Copenhagen is currently

Peter Skov-Jakobsen Peter Henrik Skov-Jakobsen (born 22 February 1959 in Korup, Denmark) is a Danish bishop and theologian. Since 2009 he has been the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Copenhagen and consequently the '' primus inter pares'' of the Church of Denmark. ...

, who replaced Erik Normann Svendsen in 2009. The main

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

of the diocese is the Church of Our Lady in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. The Bishop of Copenhagen has a special status as

primus inter pares ''Primus inter pares'' is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their sen ...

among the Danish bishops, but does not bear the title "archbishop" because he does not hold

Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

status. The Bishop of Zealand formerly held this title, until the Diocese of Copenhagen was created in 1922. Though the bishop acts as the main authority among other bishops, the supreme authority of the church rests with

The Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

of Denmark, while the administrative head is the Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs. The Diocese of Copenhagen was formed in 1922 when the

Diocese of Zealand The Diocese of Zealand (Danish: ''Sjællands Stift'') was a protestant diocese in Denmark that existed from 1537 to 1922. The diocese had been formed in 1537 following the Reformation of Denmark, and was dissolved in 1922 when it was divided into ...

was divided in two, the other portion forming the

Diocese of Roskilde The Diocese of Roskilde ( da, Roskildes Stift) is a diocese within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark. The seat of the Bishop is Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde. History The Diocese of Roskilde was formed in 1922 when the Diocese of Zealan ...

. The diocese was further split in 1961, when the

Diocese of Helsingør The Diocese of Helsingør (Danish: Helsingør Stift) is a diocese within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark. It comprises the Danish Capital Region except for the core municipalities of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Tårnby and Dragør. Disjo ...

disjoined.

List of Bishops

Harald Ostenfeld Harald or Haraldr is the Old Norse form of the given name Harold. It may refer to: Medieval Kings of Denmark * Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986) Kings of Norway * Harald Fairhair (c. 850–c. 933) * Harald Greycloak (died 970) * Harald Hardrad ...

, 1922–1934 *

Hans Fuglsang Damgaard Hans Fuglsang-Damgaard (29 July 1890 – 8 July 1979) was a bishop of the diocese of Copenhagen for 25 years including the years of the German occupation. Early life and education Hans Fuglsang-Damgaard was born on 29 July 1890 in Fuglsang, Oks ...

, 1934–1960 *

Willy Westergaard Madsen Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scree ...

, 1960–1975 * Ole Bertelsen, 1975–1992 * Erik Norman Svendsen, 1992–2009 *

, 2009–present

References

Church of Denmark dioceses

Diocese of Copenhagen The Diocese of Copenhagen (Danish: ''Københavns Stift'') is a diocese within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark. The Bishop of Copenhagen is currently Peter Skov-Jakobsen, who replaced Erik Normann Svendsen in 2009. The main cathedral of ...

1922 establishments in Denmark

{{Lutheran-stub

List of Bishops

See also

References