The Archdiocese of Utrecht ( la, Archidioecesis Ultraiectensis) is an archdiocese of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The Archbishop of Utrecht is the Metropolitan of the

Ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of seve ...

of Utrecht. There are six suffragan dioceses in the province: Breda, Groningen-Leeuwarden, Haarlem-Amsterdam,

Roermond Roermond (; li, Remunj or ) is a city, municipality, and diocese in the Limburg province of the Netherlands. Roermond is a historically important town on the lower Roer on the east bank of the river Meuse. It received town rights in 1231. Ro ...

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

, and

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...

. The

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 denominatio ...

church of the archdiocese is Saint Catherine Cathedral which replaced the prior cathedral, Saint Martin Cathedral, after it was taken by Protestants in the Reformation.

History

In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, the bishops of Utrecht were also prince-bishops of 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 ...

. The diocese, founded in 695, was suppressed after 1580 owing to the rise of

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

. The

Dutch Mission The Holland Mission or Dutch Mission ( or ') (1592 – 1853) was the common name of a Catholic Church missionary district in the Low Countries during and after the Protestant Reformation. History Pre-reformation diocese and archdiocese of ...

in various forms took care of the spiritual needs of Catholics in the former diocese of Utrecht until the modern archdiocese was established in 1853.

List of Archbishops from 1853

Ordinaries

Utrecht - Catharinakerk - Saint Catharine's Cathedral - Lange Nieuwstraat 36 - 36264 -1

Utrecht - Catharinakerk - Saint Catharine's Cathedral - Lange Nieuwstraat 36 - 36264 -2

* Johannes Zwijsen (1853–1868) *

Andreas Ignatius Schaepman Mgr. Andreas Ignatius Schaepman (4 September 1815, Zwolle19 September 1882, Utrecht) was Archbishop of Utrecht from 1868 to 1882 and President of the Great Seminary of Rijsenburg. He did his primary studies at the gymnasium in Oldenzaal, complete ...

(1868–1882) *

Petrus Matthias Snickers Petrus Matthias Snickers (11 April 1816 in Rotterdam – 2 April 1895 in Utrecht) was a Dutch clergyman. Snickers was named Bishop of Haarlem and consecrated on 2 September 1877 at Haarlem Cathedral, by Andreas Ignatius Schaepman, Primate of Net ...

(1883–1895) * Henricus van de Wetering (1895–1929) * Johannes Henricus Gerardus Jansen (1930–1936) *

Johannes de Jong Johannes de Jong (September 10, 1885 – September 8, 1955) was a Dutch Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Utrecht from 1936 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946 by Pope Pius XII. Early ...

(1936–1955) * Bernardus Johannes Alfrink (1955–1975) * Johannes Gerardus Maria Willebrands (1975–1983) * Adrianus Johannes Simonis (1983–2007) * Willem Jacobus Eijk (since 2007)

Auxiliary bishops

* Goswin Haex van Loenhout, O. Carm. (15 May 1469 - 31 Mar 1475)"Bishop Goswin Haex von Loenhout, O. Carm."
''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016 * Godefridus Yerwerd, O.S.B. (28 Mar 1476 - Jan 1483)"Bishop Godefridus Yerwerd, O.S.B."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016 * Bonaventura Engelbertz van Oldenzeel, O.F.M. (30 Oct 1538 - 1539)"Bishop Bonaventura Engelbertz van Oldenzeel, O.F.M."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016 * Nicolas Van Nienlant (6 Jul 1541 - 10 Mar 1561),"Bishop Nicolas Van Nienlant"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016 and again on September 4, 2020 appointed Bishop of Haarlem; also known as Nicolaas Van Nieuwland *Theodorus Gerardus Antonius Hendriksen (21 Jan 1961 - 9 Sep 1969) *Johannes Bernardus Niënhaus (15 Jan 1982 - 1 Sep 1999) *Johannes Antonius de Kok, O.F.M. (15 Jan 1982 - 27 Aug 2005) *Gerard Johannes Nicolaus de Korte (11 Apr 2001 - 18 Jun 2008), appointed Bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden *Theodorus Cornelis Maria Hoogenboom 7 Dec 2009 -) *Herman Willebrordus Woorts (7 Dec 2009 -)

References

External links

GCatholic.org information
{{Authority control *

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...