Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kraków

The Archdiocese of Krakow (Latin: Archidioecesis Cracoviensis, poln: Archidiecezja Krakowska ) is a Polish archdiocese in the west of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It also forms an ecclesiastical province, composed of the suffragan dioceses of Bielsko, Żywiec and Tarnów since 1992. The Diocese is one of the oldest and most important in Poland and to this day the Wawel Cathedral in Krakow is the most important church of the diocese.

History

The bishopric of Cracow was the archbishopric of Gniezno assumed according to Joseph Maximilian Ossoliński and Samuel Gottlieb Linde in 1000 by the act of Gniezno, as Krakow, which was located in Chrobatien under Boleslaw of Bohemia, was conquered by Boleslaw I of Poland. 950 to Chrobatien had including Krakowianer subordinate to the emperor Otto I.. It is also believed that the foundation of the diocese fell into the 970s. This is consistent also with the Records of the Historian Thietmar of Merseburg. In any case, the Diocese of Krakow was assumed after the conquest of the Archdiocese of Gniezno as suffragan. In the year 1049, became Bishop Aaron for the first archbishop of Krakow, said the diocese was not himself elevated to the rank of an archbishopric. With the transfer of the Polish capital from Gniezno to Kraków in 1038, the importance of the diocese has been strengthened. This was particularly under Cardinal Zbigniew Oleśnicki of its political influence in the country ausnützte to 1443, the Principality of Siewierz incorporate the bishopric, which remained in the hands of the Krakow bishops until 1789. The diocese was therefore one of the largest in Europe and included in 1772 an area of 56,000 km ², as well as 12 cities and 283 smaller towns. In the aftermath of the splendor of the diocese, which is mainly due to the partitions of Poland disappeared. Because the diocese in 1807 was the Archdiocese of Lviv assumed to be then 1818 suffragan of the Archdiocese of Warsaw. Despite losing power to the Krakow bishops called since 1889 the prince-bishops. In 1925 the diocese of Krakow was raised to the rank of an archbishopric and formed the ecclesiastical province. This was also the historical and political significance of the Diocese of justice. Probably the most famous archbishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyła was, later Pope John Paul II since June 3, 2005 Stanisław Dziwisz Archbishop of Krakow is. The World Youth Day 2016 will be held in Krakow.

In the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria (1896-1918) decreed the Bishop of Cracow on a Virilstimme in the Galician parliament.

Expansion of the Archdiocese

The Ecclesiastical Province of Krakow extends over the Polish voivodeships of Lesser Poland, Holy Cross, and the southeastern part of the Silesian Voivodeship. The archdiocese, however, occupies only the western part of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.

The following counties are members of the Archdiocese of Krakow:

• City Circle Krakow,
• Powiat Bocheński
• Powiat Myślenicki
• Powiat Suski
• Powiat Tatrzański
• Powiat Wielicki

The following counties include the Archdiocese of Krakow in part:

• Powiat Krakowski
• Powiat Limanowski
• Powiat Nowotarski
• Powiat Oświęcimski
• Powiat Wadowicki

Blessed and holy from the Archdiocese of Krakow

• Saint Stanislaus of Cracow ( * 1030, † April 11, 1079 ), bishop of Krakow, Wawel Cathedral and the patron saint of Poland National
• Blessed Wincenty Kadłubek (* 1150, † March 3, 1223 ), Bishop of Cracow
• Blessed John Paul II, Archbishop of Krakow 1964-1978, then Pope