The
Bishopric of Constance was a
diocese of the
Roman Catholic Church that existed from about 585 until 1821. Its seat was
Konstanz at the western end of
Lake Constance in the south-west corner of Germany. The diocese covered, in present-day borders, a large part of
Switzerland, the largest part of
Baden-Württemberg, and a small part of
Austria.
thumb|left|[[Konstanz Minster|Constance Cathedral]]
The Bishopric of Constance was founded in the 6th century when the seat of the bishop of
Vindonissa was moved to Constance. The Bishopric was originally subordinate to the
archbishop of Besançon, since the 8th century it was subordinate to the
archbishop of Mainz. From the 12th century until 1802 it was an
Imperial estate of the
Holy Roman Empire, confirmed by
Frederick I Barbarossa in 1155. During the
Early Middle Ages the bishop was also the political ruler of
Constance, but towards the end of the 12th Century his power in the Free City State was reduced to a small zone around the Cathedral. Numerous bishops hence fell into conflict with the city.
In 1527, during the
Protestant Reformation, the seat of the bishop was moved to
Meersburg. In 1802, the Bishopric was dissolved as a state and became part of
Baden.
The diocese was finally dissolved by
Pope Pius VII in 1821, after
Ignaz Heinrich von Wessenberg had been elected bishop in 1817. While Wessenberg was supported by the government of Baden, the Pope never recognized his election. The Pope disagreed with Wessenberg's liberal views, and dissolved the diocese in order to prevent Wessenberg from becoming bishop. The diocese became part of the
Archdiocese of Freiburg.
Famous bishops
See also
