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Diocese of St. Gallen Dioecesis Sangallensis Bistum Sankt Gallen | |
|---|---|
 St. Gallen Cathedral (officially the Collegiate Church of Saints Gall and Othmar). | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Location | |
| Country |  Switzerland |
| Metropolitan | Immediately Subject to the Holy See |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 2,429 km2 (938 sq mi) |
Population
|
|
| Parishes | 142 |
| Churches | 149 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 8 April 1847 |
| Cathedral | St. Gallen Cathedral |
| Patron saint | Saint Gall andSaint Othmar |
| Secular priests | 78 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Bishop | Beat Grögli |
| Map | |
 Map of the Diocese | |
| Website | |
| bistum-stgallen.ch | |
TheRoman Catholic Diocese of Saint Gallen (Latin:Dioecesis Sangallensis,German:Bistum Sankt Gallen) is aLatinCatholicdiocese inSt. Gallen,Switzerland.
Although the region functioned as an important centre of Christianity in Europe during the Middle Ages, the diocese itself was only established in 1847.[1] Its territory corresponds to theCanton of St. Gallen, with the bishop also acting on behalf of the cantons ofAppenzell Ausserrhoden andAppenzell Innerrhoden asapostolic administrations.[2]
TheSt. Gallen Cathedral, aUNESCO World Heritage Site, is the episcopal see of the diocese.
Originally founded as a hermitage in the seventh century by theIrish missionary monkGall (Latin:Gallus) the settlement that would later become known as St. Gallen was initially ruled byan Abbey of the same name. After the tenth century, the town around the Abbey gradually grew into an important cultural, monastic, and ecclesial centre during the Middle Ages.[3]
Between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries, the Abbey of Saint Gall asserted varying levels of authority over the surrounding territory, contested by the neighbouringPrince-Bishop of Constance to the north and theBishop of Chur to the south. Despite its elevation to the rank of Princely Abbey (German:Reichsfürst) within theHoly Roman Empire by KingPhilip of Germany in 1207, the Abbey remained a quasi-episcopal jurisdiction during the Middle Ages, making it a structurally distinct entity from the modern diocese.
Following theSwiss Reformation, the city of St. Gallen officially adoptedProtestantism in 1526 under the mayorship ofJoachim Vadian.[4] However, the Abbey remained Catholic, culminating in the construction of a partition wall (German:Schiedmauer) in 1566 to physically and symbolically separate the Protestant city from the Catholic abbey.[5]
This religious duality persisted for centuries in the city of St. Gallen. In the surrounding countryside, a patchwork of confessional allegiances emerged. In Appenzell in particular, this led to relatively peaceful religious co-existence.[6]
The modern diocese emerged after the dissolution of the Abbey in 1805. Amid attempts to restructure ecclesiastical authority in eastern Switzerland, the regional parishes were initially unitedæque principaliter under theDiocese of Chur in 1823 before being established as full diocese in 1847.[7] Johann Peter Mirer (1846–1862) served as its first bishop.[8]
The Appenzell cantons have been administered as apostolic administrations since 1866.[9]
Throughout its modern history, the diocese has been known to represent various positions regarded as liberal within the Catholic Church. Examples include BishopKarl Johann Greith's (1862–1882) opposition topapal infallibility during theFirst Vatican Council. The diocese later embraced ecclesiastical renewal in the Church during theSecond Vatican Council, notably under Bishop Joseph Hasler (1957–1976). More recently, it was also the centre of the reformist-orientedSaint Gallen Group, hosted by BishopIvo Fürer (1995–2005).
Due to financial concerns, clerical shortages and demographic shifts, the diocese underwent a major structural reorganization in 2015 under BishopMarkus Büchel (2006–2025), when it consolidated its parishes into 33 pastoral units (German:Seelsorgeeinheiten).[10]
There are a number of local saints associated with the diocese, primary from the period between the eighth and tenth centuries. They include:
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