The Diocese of Trier (), in English historically also known as ''Treves'' () from French ''Trèves'', is a

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

ecclesiastical territory or

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

of the

Catholic church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

."Diocese of Trier"
''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with Rome. The website, not officially sanctioned by the Church, is run as a private pro ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016"Diocese of Trier"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016 When it was the archbishopric and

Electorate of Trier The Electorate of Trier ( or '; ) was an Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the end of the 9th to the early 19th century. It was the temporal possession of the prince-archbishop of Trier (') wh ...

, it was one of the most important states of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, both as an ecclesiastical principality and as a diocese of the church. Unlike the other Rhenish dioceses—including

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

and

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

–Trier was the former Roman provincial capital of

Augusta Treverorum Augusta Treverorum (Latin for "City of Augustus in the Land of the Treveri") was a Ancient Rome, Roman city on the Moselle River, from which modern Trier emerged. The date of the city's founding is placed between the construction of the first Rom ...

. Given its status, Trier has continuously been an

episcopal see An episcopal see is the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...

since Roman times and is one of the oldest dioceses in all of Germany. The diocese was elevated to an archdiocese in the time of Charlemagne and was the metropolitan for the dioceses of

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

Toul Toul () is a Communes of France, commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle Departments of France, department in north-eastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Toul is between Commercy and Nancy, Fra ...

, and

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

. After the victory of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

of France, the archdiocese was lowered to a diocese and is now a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

of the

Archdiocese of Cologne The Archdiocese of Cologne (; ) is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and northern Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. History At an early date Christianity came to Cologne with the Roman soldiers ...

. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Saint Peter. The Cathedral Chapter retains the right to elect the bishop, rather than selection by papal appointment.

History

The bishops of Trier were already virtually independent territorial magnates in

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

times. In 772 Charlemagne granted Bishop

Wiomad Wermad, Wiomad, Weomad, or Wiemad ( or ) (died 791) was the Bishop of Trier from 757/8 until his death. He accompanied Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768 ...

complete immunity from the jurisdiction of the ruling

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

for all the churches and monasteries, as well as villages and castles that belonged to the Church of St. Peter at Trier. In his will he also elevated the diocese to the Archdiocese of Trier, with suffragans on both sides of the Rhine. This arrangement lasted over a thousand years. In Early Modern times, the archdiocese of Trier still encompassed territory along the

Moselle River The Moselle ( , ; ; ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A small part of Belgiu ...

between Trier, near the French border, and

Koblenz Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...

on the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

. The Archbishop of Trier, as holder of an imperial office was traditionally an Imperial Elector of the German king. The purely honorary office of Archchancellor of Gaul arose in the 13th century. In this context that was taken to mean the

Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles The Kingdom of Burgundy, known from the 12th century as the Kingdom of Arles, was a realm established in 933 by the merger of the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Burgundy under King Rudolf II. It was incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire in 1033 ...

, technically from 1242 and permanently from 1263, and nominally until 1803. Arles along with

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

was one of the three component kingdoms of the Empire. The last elector removed to

in 1786. From 1795, the territories of the Archbishopric on the left bank of the Rhine — which is to say almost all of them — were under French occupation, and were annexed in 1801 and a separate bishopric established (later assuming control of the whole diocese in 1803). In 1803, what was left of the Archbishopric was secularized and annexed by the Princes of Nassau.

Bishops

Before 1000

* Eucharius c. 250 * Valerius c. 250 * Maternus c. 300 * Auspicius of Trier uncertain * Agricius (Agrippinus) 327–335 * Maximinus 335–346 * Paulinus 347–358 * Bonosus of Trier 359–365 * Veteranius of Trier 365–384 * Britto of Trier 384–386 (?) * Felix 384–398 *

Mauritius II of Trier Mauricius or Mauritius of Trier (floruit, fl. c. 398–407 or after 419) was bishop of Trier from 398/399 to at least 407, and possibly as late as 419.Hans Hubert Anton: ''Trier in the Middle Ages'' (Paderborn, Munich et al, 1987) p.81 Virtual ...

398–407 * Leontius of Trier 407–409 * Auctor II 409–427 * Severus of Trier 428–455 * Cyrillus of Trier 455–457 * Iamblichus of Trier 457–458 *Evemerus 458–461 *Marcus II 461–465 * Volusianus of Trier 465–469 *Miletius 469–476 * Modestus 476–479 * Maximianus of Trier 479–499 * Fibicius 500–526 * Aprunculus (Aprunentius) 526–527 * Nicetius 527–566 *Rusticus II 566–573 * Magnerich 573–596 * Gunderich 596–600 *Sibald 600–626 * Modoald 626–645 *Numerianus 645–665 * Hildulf 665–671, d. 707 *Basinus 671–697 d. 706 ? * Leudwinus 697–718 *

Milo Milo may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Milo (magazine), ''Milo'' (magazine), a strength sports magazine * ''Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze'', a 2011 children's novel by Alan Silberberg * Milo (video game), ''Milo'' (video game) * Milo ( ...

718–758 * Wermad 758–791 * Richbod 791–804, first archbishop *Waso 804–809 * Amalhar 809–814 * Hetto 814–847 * Dietgold 847–868 * Bartholf von Wetterau 869–883 * Radbod 883–915 * Rudgar 915–930 * Rotbert 930–956 * Henry I 956–964 *Dietrich I 965–977 *

Egbert Egbert is a name that derives from old Germanic words meaning "bright edge", such as that of a blade. Anglo-Saxon variant spellings include Ecgberht () and Ecgbert. German variant spellings include Eckbert and Ekbert. People with the first name Mi ...

977–993 * Ludolf 994–1008

1000–1200

*contested 1008–1015: Adalbero (elected) versus Meingaud (royal choice) * Poppo von Babenberg 1016–1047 *

Eberhard Eberhard is an old Germanic name meaning the strength or courage of a wild boar. People First name *Eberhard of Friuli (815–866), Duke and key figure in the Carolingian Empire *Eberhard of Béthune (died 1212), Flemish grammarian *Eberhard I, Du ...

1047–1066 * Kuno I von Wetterau (Conrad) 1066–1066 * Udo of Nellenburg 1066–1078 * Egilbert of Rothenburg, 1079–1101 *

Bruno Bruno may refer to: People and fictional characters * Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname * Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880) * Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologn ...

1101–1124 *Gottfrid 1124–1127 * Meginher 1127–1130 * Albero de Montreuil 1131–1152 *

Hillin of Falmagne Hillin of Falmagne (, also spelled ''Falemagne, Fallemanien, Fallenmaigne, etc''.) (''c''. 1100 – 23 October 1169), was the Archbishop of Trier from 1152. He was an imperialist and a partisan of Frederick Barbarossa in the Investiture Con ...

1152–1169 * Arnold I of Vaucourt 1169–1183 * Folmar of Karden 1183–1189 * Rudolf of Wied 1183–1189 (in opposition)

1200–1500

Archbishop-Electors of Trier

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

1189–1212 *

Theodoric II Theodoric II ( 426 – early 466) was the eighth King of the Visigoths, from 453 to 466. Biography Theoderic II, son of Theodoric I, obtained the throne by killing his elder brother Thorismund. The English historian Edward Gibbon writes that ...

1212–42 * Arnold II von Isenburg 1242–59 * Heinrich I von Finstingen 1260–86 * Bohemond I von Warnesberg 1286–99 * Diether von Nassau 1300–07 *

Heinrich II von Virneburg Count Heinrich II of Virneburg (; 1244 or 1246 – 5 January 1332) was Archbishop of Cologne from 1304 to his death in 1332. Life Heinrich was the sixth son of Count Heinrich of Virneburg (??1238–1290) and his wife Ponzetta of Oberstein (1253� ...

1300–06 (in opposition) * Baldwin von Luxemburg 1307–54 * Bohemond II von Saarbrücken 1354–61 * Kuno II von Falkenstein 1362–88 * Werner von Falkenstein 1388–1418 * Otto von Ziegenhain 1418–30 * Rhaban von Helmstadt 1430–38 *Jakob von Sierck † (19 May 1439 Elected – 28 May 1456 Died) * Johann Markgraf von Baden † (21 Jun 1456 Elected – 9 Feb 1502 Died)

1500–1800

* Jakob Markgraf von Baden † (9 Feb 1503 Succeeded – 27 Apr 1511 Died) * Richard von Greiffenclau zu Vollrads † (15 May 1511 Elected – 13 Mar 1531 Died) * Johann von Metzenhausen † (27 Mar 1531 Elected – 22 Jul 1540 Died) * Johann Ludwig von Hagen † (9 Aug 1540 Elected – 23 Mar 1547 Died) * Johann von Isenburg † (20 Apr 1547 Elected – 18 Feb 1556 Died) * Johann von der Leyen † (25 Apr 1556 Elected – 10 Feb 1567 Died) * Jakob von Eltz † (7 Apr 1567 Elected – 4 Jun 1581 Died) * Johann von Schönenberg † (31 Jul 1581 Elected – 1 May 1599 Died) * Lothar von Metternich † (7 Aug 1599 Elected – 17 Sep 1623 Died) * Philipp Christoph Reichsritter von Sötern † (25 Sep 1623 Elected– 7 Feb 1652 Died) * Karl Kaspar Reichsfreiherr von Leyen-Hohengeroldseck † (7 Feb 1652 Succeeded – 1 Jun 1676 Died) *

Johann Hugo von Orsbeck Johann Hugo von Orsbeck (1634–1711) was the Archbishop-Elector of Trier from 1675 to 1711. Biography Johann Hugo von Orsbeck was born in Weilerswist on January 30, 1634, the son of Wilhelm von Orsbeck, Herr von Vernich († 1648) and of Kath ...

† (1 Jun 1676 Succeeded – 6 Jan 1711 Died) * Karl Joseph Ignaz Herzog von Lothringen † (24 Sep 1710 Elected – 4 Dec 1715 Died) * Franz Ludwig Pfalzgraf am Rhein zu Neuburg † (20 Feb 1716 Elected – 3 Mar 1729 Resigned) * Franz Georg Reichsfgraf von Schönborn † (2 May 1729 Elected – 18 Jan 1756 Died) * Johann Philipp Reichsgraf von Waldendorff † (18 Jan 1756 Succeeded – 12 Jan 1768 Died) * Klemens Wenzeslaus Herzog von Sachsen † (10 Feb 1768 Elected – 29 Nov 1801 Resigned)From 1801, after the French conquest of the Imperial territories on the left-bank of the Rhine, Clemens Wenzel of Saxony was archbishop with effect on the right bank only.

After 1800

Bishops of Trier

*Charles Mannay † (5 Jul 1802 Elected – 9 Oct 1816 Resigned) *Josef von Hommer † (3 May 1824 Elected – 11 Nov 1836 Died) *Wilhelm Arnoldi † (21 Jun 1842 Elected – 7 Jan 1864 Died) *Leopold Pelldram † (29 Dec 1864 Elected – 3 May 1867 Died) *

Matthias Eberhard Matthias Eberhard (born 15 November 1815, at Trier, Germany, died there 30 May 1876) was a German Roman Catholic Bishop of Trier. After successfully completing the Gymnasium (Germany), gymnasium course of his native town, he devoted himself ...

† (16 Jul 1867 Elected – 30 May 1876 Died) *Michael Felix Korum † (12 Aug 1881 Elected – 4 Dec 1921 Died) * Franz Rudolf Bornewasser † (27 Feb 1922 Elected – 20 Dec 1951 Died) *Matthias Wehr † (20 Dec 1951 Succeeded – 19 Nov 1966 Retired) *Bernhard Stein † (13 Apr 1967 Elected – 5 Sep 1980 Retired) *Hermann Josef Spital † (24 Feb 1981 Elected – 15 Jan 2001 Retired) * Reinhard Marx (20 Dec 2001 Elected – 30 Nov 2007 Translated to become Archbishop of Munich and Freising) *

Stephan Ackermann Stephan Ackermann (born 20 March 1963) is a German bishop. He was elected by the Cathedral Chapter as Bishop of Trier in the Moselle area of Germany in 2009. Early life The son of Helmy and Hermann and the eldest of two children, Ackermann gre ...

(8 Apr 2009 Elected – )

Auxiliary bishops

* Nicolas Arlon, O. Carm. (1344–) *Joannes Franqueloy de Vico, O.P. (1400–1452) *Gerhard, O.F.M. (1429–1456) *Hubert Yffz (de Rommersdorf), O. Praem. (1450–1483) * Johann von Eindhoven, C.R.S.A. (1483–1508)"Bishop Johann von Eindhoven, C.R.S.A."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 6, 2016 * Johannes von Helmont, O.S.B. (1508–1517)"Bishop Johannes von Helmont, O.S.B."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 28, 2016 * Johannes Enen (1517–1519)"Bishop Johannes Enen"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 6, 2016 * Nikolaus Schienen (1519–1556)"Bishop Nikolaus Schienen"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 29, 2016 *Gregor Virneburg (1557–1578) *

Peter Binsfeld Peter Binsfeld (alternate spelling Peter of Binsfeld, lat. Petrus Binsfeldius; c. 1540 – 1598 or 1603)

(1580–1598) * Gregor Helfenstein (1599–1632)"Bishop Gregor Helfenstein"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 29, 2016 * Otto von Senheim, (Johann Theodor von Senheim) O.P. (1633–1662) * Johannes Holler (1663–1671)"Bishop Johannes Holler"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 29, 2016 * Johann Heinrich von Anethan (1676–1680) * Maximilian Burmann (1682–1685) *Johannes Petrus Verhorst (1687–1708) *Johann Matthias von Eyss (1710–1729) *Lothar Friedrich von Nalbach (1730–1748) *Johann Nikolaus (Febronius) von Hontheim (1748–1790) *Jean-Marie Cuchot d’Herbain (1778–1794) *Johann Michael Josef von Pidoll de Quitenbach (1794–1802) *Johann Heinrich Milz (1825–1833) *Wilhelm Arnold Günther, O. Praem. (1834–1843) *Johann Georg Müller (1844–1847) *Godehard Braun (1849–1861) *

(1862–1867 Appointed, Bishop of Trier) *Johann Jakob Kraft (1868–1884) *Heinrich Feiten (1887–1892) *Karl Ernst Schrod (1894–1914) *Anton Mönch (1915–1935) *Albert Maria Fuchs (1935–1944) *Heinrich Metzroth (1941–1951) *Bernhard Stein (1944–1967 Appointed, Bishop of Trier) *Carl Schmidt (1962–1981) *Karl Heinz Jacoby (1968–1993) *Alfred Kleinermeilert (1968–2003) * Leo Schwarz (1982–2006) *Gehard Jakob (1993–1998) * Felix Genn (1999–2003, Translated to become Bishop of Essen and later

Bishop of Münster A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

) *Robert Brahm (2003– ) *Jörg Michael Peters (2003– ) *Stephan Ackermann (2006–2009 Appointed, Bishop of Trier) *Helmut Dieser (2011–2016, Translated, Bishop of Aachen) * Franz Josef Gebert (2017–2024)

Footnotes

References

Die Bischöfe von Trier

in the 1908 '' Catholic Encyclopaedia'' {{Authority control

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

Religion in Trier Trier Diocese Trier Diocese Trier Diocese Electorate of Trier History of Trier