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TheArchdiocese of Turku is the oldestdiocese inFinland. Medieval bishops of theCatholic Church were alsode facto secular leaders of the country until the end of the 13th century.
After theReformation in Scandinavia,Lutheran bishops became state officials. When Finland became a separategrand duchy, the then bishop of Turku was designated as an archbishop in 1817. Since 1868, the archbishops of Turku and Finland have been consideredprimates of theEvangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.
Henry,Bishop of Uppsala is often mentioned in contemporary sources as the first bishop of Finland. According to legend, the English-born Henry arrived in Finland with KingEric IX of Sweden during theFirst Swedish Crusade, later suffering martyrdom in the 1150s. His position as Bishop of Finland is, however, totally unhistorical, and not claimed even by legendary accounts.
An unnamed Bishop of Finland is mentioned dead in 1209.Papal letters to unnamed Bishops of Finland have survived from 1221, 1229 and 1232.
The position Bishop of Finland was renamedBishop of Turku, first mentioned in 1259, in a move to harmonise the name of the dioceses with other Swedish sees.
The Bishop of Turku was elevated to archiepiscopal rank in 1817. The title of the see was changed to the Archbishop of Turku and Finland.[1]
The title Bishop of Turku ceased to exist in 1817. Since 1998, the Archbishop of Turku and Finland has been assisted in the diocese by a Bishop of Turku.
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