Bistumswappen of Passau.Gottfried von Passau also Gottfried I ( - 16 April 1285 in

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

) was the 41st

bishop of Passau The Diocese of Passau is a Roman Catholic diocese in Germany that is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

n, probably from Osnabrück, was prothonotary for King Rudolf of Habsburg. Following his proposal, the Passau

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 ...

chapter chose Gottfried to be 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 ca ...

on 11 February. The

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

took place on 7 March 1283 in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

. Together with Heinrich, bishop of Regensburg, he was successful as an intermediary in a dispute between Duke Albert of Austria and

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

Henry XIII Henry XIII (19 November 1235 – 3 February 1290 in Burghausen), member of the Wittelsbach dynasty, was Duke of Lower Bavaria. Family He was the younger son of Otto II and Agnes of Brunswick. Biography In 1254, he succeeded his father toge ...

. In March 1284 Gottfried organized a

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

in St. Pölten, where important resolutions were adopted to promote the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

. In addition, he managed to organize the finances of the Passau diocese. He dedicated the choir of the St. Florian church to the cross altar to the west of the nave with the high altar and the two altars in the sides of the side ships. In the Bavarian State Archives there is a certificate recording the birth of the 5th season of the town fair (Carnival). Bishop Gottfried confirms the "festival" in 1283 for the clothmaker's trade - it included a feast, the last which may be celebrated before the fasting season of

lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

begins on

Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and falls on the first day of Lent (the six weeks of penitence before Easter). It is observed by Catholics in the Rom ...

.''

Hochstift Passau 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 spiri ...

. Urkunden 207.'' Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, München. His bones are located in the bishop's tomb of Passau's cathedral.

References

{{Authority control 1285 deaths Year of birth unknown Roman Catholic bishops of Passau 13th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Bavaria