The Archdiocese of Cologne (Latin: Archidioecesis Coloniensis; German: Erzbistum Köln) is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and northern Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany.

History

The Electorate of Cologne was one of the major ecclesiastical principalities of the Holy Roman Empire. Cologne became a free city in 1288 and the residence of the archbishop was moved from Cologne Cathedral to Bonn.

After 1795, the archbishopric's territories on the left bank of the Rhinewere occupied by France, and were formally annexed in 1801. The Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803 secularized the rest of the archbishopric, giving the Duchy of Westphalia to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt. Cologne was, however, reestablished as the seat of a Catholic archbishop in 1824, and is an archdiocese to the present day.

See also

• List of bishops and archbishops of Cologne

Ordinaries

• Dietrich Graf von Moers † (24 Apr 1414 Appointed - 24 Jan 1446 Resigned)
• Ruprecht Pfalzgraf von Rhein † (30 Mar 1463 Appointed - 16 Jul 1480 Died)
• Hermann Landgraf von Hessen † (11 Aug 1480 Appointed - 19 Oct 1508 Died)
• Philipp Herr von Daun-Oberstein † (13 Nov 1508 Appointed - 12 Feb 1515 Died)
• Hermann Graf zu Wied † (14 Mar 1515 Appointed - 16 Apr 1546 Resigned)
• Adolf Graf von Schaumberg † (17 Sep 1547 Succeeded - 20 Sep 1556 Died)
• Anton Graf von Schaumberg † (26 Oct 1556 Appointed - 18 Jun 1558 Died)
• Johann Gebhard Graf von Mansfeld † (26 Jul 1558 Appointed - 2 Nov 1562 Died)
• Friedrich Graf zu Wied † (19 Nov 1562 Appointed - 25 Nov 1567 Resigned)
• Salentin Graf von Isenburg † (23 Dec 1567 Appointed - 13 Sep 1577 Resigned)
• Gebhard Truchseß von Waldburg † (5 Dec 1577 Appointed - 1 Apr 1583 Resigned)
• Ernst Herzog von Bayern † (2 Jun 1583 Appointed - 17 Feb 1612 Died)
• Ferdinand Herzog von Bayern † (17 Feb 1612 Succeeded - 13 Sep 1650 Died)
• Max Heinrich Herzog von Bayern † (13 Sep 1650 Succeeded - 3 Jun 1688 Died)
• Joseph Clemens Kajetan Herzog von Bayern † (19 Jul 1688 Appointed - 11 Dec 1723 Died)
• Clemens August Maria Herzog von Bayern † (11 Dec 1723 Succeeded - 6 Feb 1761 Died)
• Max Friedrich Reichsgraf von Königsegg und Rothenfels † (6 Apr 1761 Appointed - 15 Apr 1784 Died)
• Max Franz (Maximilian Franciscus) von Habsburg-Lothringen (Österreich) † (15 Apr 1784 Succeeded - 29 Jul 1801 Died)
• Ferdinand August Graf Spiegel † (24 Dec 1824 Appointed - 2 Aug 1835 Died)
• Klemens August Freiherr Droste zu Vischering † (1 Dec 1835 Appointed - 19 Oct 1845 Died)
• Johannes von Geissel † (19 Oct 1845 Succeeded - 8 Sep 1864 Died)
• Paul Ludolf Melchers, S.J. † (8 Jan 1866 Appointed - 3 Jul 1885 Resigned)
• Philipp Krementz † (30 Jun 1885 Appointed - 6 May 1899 Died)
• Hubert Theophil Simar † (24 Oct 1899 Appointed - 24 May 1902 Died)
• Antonius Hubert Fischer † (6 Nov 1902 Appointed - 30 Jul 1912 Died)
• Felix von Hartmann † (29 Oct 1912 Appointed - 11 Nov 1919 Died)
• Karl Joseph Schulte † (8 Mar 1920 Appointed - 11 Mar 1941 Died)
• Josef Frings † (1 May 1942 Appointed - 10 Feb 1969 Retired)
• Joseph Höffner † (24 Feb 1969 Succeeded - 14 Sep 1987 Retired)
• Joachim Meisner (20 Dec 1988 Appointed - )

External links

• Cologne from Catholic-hierarchy.org
•   "Cologne". Catholic Encyclopedia. (1913). New York: Robert Appleton Company. 
• List of Bishops and Archbishops of Cologne by Archdiocese of Cologne (German)