Roman Catholic Diocese of Mainz
The Diocese of Mainz, historically known in English as Mentz as well as by its French name Mayence, is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. It was founded in 304, promoted in 780 to Metropolitan Archbishopric of Mainz and demoted back in 1802 to bishopric. The diocese is suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Freiburg. Its district is located in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. The seat of the diocese is in Mainz at the Cathedral dedicated to Saints Martin and Stephen.
Mainz Cathedral
Modern stainless steel sculpture of St. Martin in front of the Martinus School Mainz in the old town of Mainz
The reliquary shrine of the Mainz saints is located in the eastern crypt of Mainz cathedral. On the occacion of the recovery of the cathedral and the 25th bishop anniversary of Albert Stohr a reliquary as goldwork was donated depicting the 22 saints particularly venerated in the diocese of Mainz. As material gold-plated silver decorated with jewels had been chosen. Depicted are martyrs and bishops, priests, scholars and soldiers, confessors, virgins and widows, as listed left. The focus is on the diocese Saint St. Martin; the canonization of Hildegard von Bingen was anticipated. The shrine had been crafted by the Mainz goldsmith Richard Walker.
The Electorate of Mainz, previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the Roman Catholic hierarchy, the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz was also the Primate of Germany, a purely honorary dignity that was unsuccessfully claimed from time to time by other archbishops. There were only two other ecclesiastical Prince-electors in the Empire: the Electorate of Cologne and the Electorate of Trier.
The archdioceses of Central Europe, 1500. After the Peace of Westphalia, the archdiocese of Mainz still remained the largest of Germany, covering 10 suffragant dioceses. The territory of dioceses and archdioceses (spiritual) was usually much larger than the prince-bishoprics and archbishoprics/electorates (temporal), ruled by the same individual.
Electoral Palace, Mainz
Schloss Johannisburg in Aschaffenburg
Palace of the Mainz Governors in Erfurt
