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{{Multiple issues, {{refimprove, date=July 2015{{more footnotes, date=July 2015
In the
the English term is cathedral close. This area stretched only a few hundred metres from the outbuildings of the cathedral, at most, and was usually surrounded by a fortified wall ( Domburg). They belonged to the secular domain or
in the centre of the city came under Swedish control. From 1715 it belonged to
In the Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...
, the Domfreiheit (German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
: Cathedral Freedom) or Domimmunität (Cathedral Immunity) was the area immediately around the seat of the Bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
of a 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 denominations ...
and its cathedral chapter, which was managed by the Domdechantthe English term is cathedral close. This area stretched only a few hundred metres from the outbuildings of the cathedral, at most, and was usually surrounded by a fortified wall ( Domburg). They belonged to the secular domain or
Hochstift
In the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic Church, the German term (plural: ) referred to the territory ruled by a bishop as a prince (i.e. prince-bishop), as opposed to his diocese, generally much larger and over which he exercised only s ...
of the bishop.
The area of the Domfreiheit was not part of the surrounding city's jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels.
J ...
, but had its own jurisdiction, which included both the clergy and their servants. It contained the residences of the Domherren and their staff. This area was not subject to civic taxes – hence the term "''Freiheit''" (Freedom). There were, thus, two distinct sovereign entities within the city walls.
This led to ever greater tension in many cities over the centuries, as is clear, for example, from the entry for 1612 in the Speyerer Chronicle by town secretary Christoph Lehmen. He says: "There have been many long and distinct quarrels between the citizenry and the clergy in the state. Therefore King Rudolph ordained by treaty that the civic council should be in charge of it."
Where 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 ...
found root, most cloisters were secularised and, as a rule, the Domfreiheit also ceased to exist. It did not last much longer in the cities which remained Catholic. With the secularisation of the Diocese of Bremen as Bremen-Verden in 1648, after almost eighty years as a 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 ...
bishopric, its Domfreiheitin the centre of the city came under Swedish control. From 1715 it belonged to
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
and only in 1803 did it come under the control of the surrounding city.
After the abolition of the Diocese of Ratzeburg in the Reformation, its property was incorporated into the Principality of Ratzeburg, which was awarded to the duchy of Mecklenburg in 1648 and formed the western part of Mecklenburg-Strelitz after 1701. The rest of the city of Ratzeburg, however, belonged to the Duch of Lauenburg.
Relatively well preserved Domfreiheiten include those in Halberstadt
Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bomb ...
, Hildesheim
Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the ...
, Magdeburg, Merseburg, Münster, Meissen, Naumburg
Naumburg () is a town in (and the administrative capital of) the district Burgenlandkreis, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Central Germany. It has a population of around 33,000. The Naumburg Cathedral became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018 ...
and Trier.
Bibliography
* Ernst Schubert und Jürgen Görlitz, ''Die Inschriften des Naumburger Doms und der Domfreiheit'', Berlin 1959. * Ursula Hoppe, Ursula, ''Die Paderborner Domfreiheit: Untersuchungen zu Topographie, Besitzgeschichte und Funktionen'', München 1975. (Unpublished dissertation, Münster 1971). Medieval law Catholicism in the Middle Ages History of Catholicism in Germany Canon law history Medieval cities Catholic canonical structures Holy Roman Empire