Diocese of Faroe Islands
The former Catholic diocese of the Faroe Islands (Latin: Dioecesis Fareyensis ; Norwegian: Kirkjubøur bispedømme ) existed from the 11th century until the introduction of the Reformation .
history
The Faroese saga tells how Sigmundur Brestisson came to the islands and converted the Faroese to Christianity , more or less one after the other. He was attacked in his home by his first convert, Tróndur í Gøtu , took a swim to another island and was ultimately killed by a farmer because of his gold jewelry.
When the first bishop of the island was ordained is incomprehensible. Adam von Bremen writes that a self-appointed bishop of Heligoland was referred to in Latin as the bishop of "Farria".
The bishops of the Faroe Islands were usually chosen from among the canons of the diocese of Bergen (Norway) and were suffragan bishops of the archdiocese of Bremen . With the elevation of the diocese of Lund to the archbishopric in 1104, the diocese of Faroe Islands was assigned to it and after 1152 to the archdiocese of Nidaros . The seat was in Kirkjubøur . Legend has it that Bishop Orm received the land from Gæsa Sigursdottir. During Lent she ate meat, which was considered sacrilege , and gave the bishop the land as a penance .
It was known that some of the bishops kept lovers, and there are reports that the clergy occasionally demanded the ius primae noctis .
The most famous bishop in Kirkjubøur was Erlendur († 1308). He had the Magnus Cathedral built, but this led to an uproar among the Faroese because they no longer wanted to pay the high church taxes. Erlendur was overthrown (he probably escaped; other traditions say he was killed in Magnus Cathedral).
During the Catholic period, great importance was attached to the construction and embellishment of the church buildings. A prime example of this are the ruins of Magnus Cathedral. The thick basalt walls were pierced by high windows, an indication that the planners actually wanted to build a Gothic cathedral. But this project remained unfinished.
Amund Olafson was the last Roman Catholic bishop on the islands. He was forced to give up his seat and title to the Lutheran superintendent Jens Riber . Later only provosts were elected who were subordinate to the diocese of Bergen, from 1709 to the diocese of Zealand (or from 1922 to the diocese of Copenhagen ). At the end of the 16th century, the Catholic Confession had disappeared in the Faroe Islands. Only since 1931 has there been a Roman Catholic parish again in the Faroe Islands , which belongs to the Catholic diocese of Copenhagen . Approx. 85% of the population belong to the Faroese People's Church, which has been independent since 2007 .
Bishops
literature
- GVC Young: From the Vikings to the Reformation. A Chronicle of the Faroe Islands up to 1538 . Isle of Man: Shearwater Press, 1979.