Diocese of Linköping Diocesis Lincopensis Linköpings stift | |
|---|---|
 Arms of the diocese of Linköping | |
| Location | |
| Country | Sweden |
| Deaneries | 9kontrakt |
| Coordinates | 58°24′40″N15°37′02″E / 58.41111°N 15.61722°E /58.41111; 15.61722 |
| Statistics | |
| Parishes | 56 |
| Congregations | 109 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Church of Sweden |
| Established | 12th century[1] |
| Cathedral | Linköping Cathedral |
| Current leadership | |
| Bishop | Marika Markovits[2] |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Antje Jackelén |
| Map | |
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| Website | |
| svenskakyrkan.se/linkopingsstift | |
TheDiocese ofLinköping (Swedish:Linköpings stift) is adiocese within theChurch of Sweden administering theÖstergötland County, the north eastern part ofJönköping County and the northern part ofKalmar County. It comprises ninedeaneries subdivided into 176parishes with a total of 443,000 members. The diocese's largest parish isMotala. The Diocese of Linköping has a rank directly below theArchdiocese of Uppsala of the Church of Sweden. The current bishop isMarika Markovits.[3]
The diocesan territory comprisesÖstergötland County and parts ofJönköping andKalmar County. It has 212 parishes with a total of 443,000 members.
The diocese originally includedSmåland,Östergötland, the Islands ofGotland andÖland. The district ofVärend inSmåland was taken from Linköping and formed into theDiocese of Växjö about 1160. From 990 to 1100 theDiocese of Skara embraced the whole country of the Goths (Gauthiod); it was then divided between those of Skara and Linköping.[4] The diocese was asuffragan of theArchdiocese of Bremen, and became a suffragan of theDiocese of Lund, when the latter was elevated to anarchdiocese in 1104.
The first three bishops of Linköping were Herbert, Richard and Gisle (c. 1138–48). Then came Stenar, who apparently resigned in 1160 and subsequently became Bishop of Vexiö. Notable bishops after him were Kol (c. 1160–96), who died on a pilgrimage in Jerusalem, Bengt Magnusson, who was killed at theBattle of Lihula inEstonia on 8 August 1220, and Benedict (1220–37). The last Catholic bishop of Linköping was Hans Brask (born 1464; bishop, 1513–27; died 30 July 1539). He was compelled to leave his diocese in 1527 owing to the adoption ofLutheranism in Sweden at theDiet of Västerås.
Of the numerous provincial and diocesan synods held in the Diocese of Linköping, theCouncil of Skenninge (1248) was the most important. Thepapal legate,Cardinal William of Sabina, presided and thecelibacy of the clergy was strongly enforced. The following religious institutions were set up in the diocese between the twelfth and the sixteenth centuries: thecathedral chapter, which consisted at the time of the Reformation of a dean, anarchdeacon, asubdean, nine canons and fifteen other prebendaries; theCistercians had three houses for men, the abbeys ofAlvastra, the mother-house of the Cistercian Order in Sweden, inÖstergötland andNydala in Småland, both founded in 1143, and Gutvalla (Roma) inGotland; also four nunneries,Vreta Abbey (1160), Askaby, Byarum, dissolved about 1250 and the nuns transferred to Sko (in Upland) andSolberga Abbey (Gotland); theBrigittines, who had the great Abbey of Vadstena; the Dominicans, who possessed priories at Skenninge (1220?), Visby (1240) and Kalmar, as well as nunneries at Skenninge (1260) and Kalmar (1286). There were hospitals at Linköping, Visby (2), Söderköping (2) Skenninge (2), Kalmar (2), Norrabygd (Uknabäck) and on the Island ofÖland. Most of these institutions were suppressed at theReformation.
Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913)."Ancient See of Linköping".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.| Dioceses |  | |
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