Diocese of Basle

The diocese of Basle is an ecclesiastical district in which the bishop of the town of Basle exerts its spiritual jurisdiction.

Territory

The territory of the diocese extends on the cantons from Argovie, of Bern, Basle-Countryside, Basle-City, the the Jura, Lucerne, Schaffhouse, Soleure, Thurgovie and Zoug. It is divided into three areas, named according to the three Saints of the diocese, Saint the USSR, Saint Viktor, and Holy-Vérène.

Direction

In 2007, the bishop diocesan is Kurt Koch. Established with Soleure, it has two auxiliary bishops (Martin Gächter and Denis Theurillat) as well as about thirty collaborators and collaborators distributed in 6 vicariates to help it in its task.

History

The first mention of a bishop in the area goes back to 346 with Augusta Raurica. It has as a name Justinien and is bishop of the Rauraques, whose territory roughly covers that of évêché current.

Thereafter, one finds mentions of local bishops in 615, then in 740. Évêché takes a certain importance when, at the beginning of the 9th century, the emperor Charlemagne names two bishops successively, then, in the neighborhoods of the year 1000 when Rodolphe III of Burgundy makes him gift of the Abbaye of Moutier-Grandval and of its dependences. Under the authority of the Holy roman Empire, the bishops of Basle are princes Empire and follow the wars to the sides of the Emperor. The middle-class men in opposition to the government of the bishops obtained important franknesses as of the 13th century. In 143, a Concile opens in the episcopal city of Basle before being transferred by the pope Eugene IV to Ferrare in 1437. Against the papal decision, the council continues its work jusqu´en 1448. In 1439 it pronounces the dismissal of Eugene IV and chooses Amédée VIII of Savoy like Anti-pope under the name of Felix V.

At the beginning of the 16th century, the diocese sulfur of the effects of the Protestant Reform preached by Œcolampade. The town of Basle, which had joined the Suisse since 1501, then adopts the reform at the time of the reign of Philippe de Gundelsheim which must leave Basle and s´établir with Porrentruy, under the jurisdiction of l´archevêque of Besancon. The Chapitre cathédral also leaves Basle to s´établir with Freiburg-in-Brisgau, before moving with Arlesheim.

It is l´évêque Jacques Christophe Blarer de Wartensee which carries out the Counter-Reformation in the diocese. It applies the reforms of the Concile of Thirty and succeeds in making return the Laufonnais and the Birseck to the catholic faith.

Following the invasion of the French troops and the conquest of the Swiss Confederation, the territory of l ancian episcopal principality is attached to France as a department of the Mount-Terrible , then that Département of Haut-Rhin. In 1801 évêché of Basle is secularized by the Traité of Lunéville. The Congrès of Vienna in 1815 divides the territory of the old principality between the Canton of Bern for the greatest part and the Canton of Basle, for the Birseck.

In March 1828, a Legal settlement between the States of Lucerne, Bern, Soleure and Zoug makes it possible to fix the borders of the dioceses. On this occasion, the town of Soleure is indicated like the seat of the diocese of Basle. This reorganization is confirmed by the pope Leon XII on May 7th, 1828.

References

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