Synod of Ráth Breasail

The Synod of Rathbreasail ( Irish: Sionad Rath Bhreasail ) took place in Ireland in 1111. Rathbreasail located near Mountrath, County Offaly. It was the second of the four major reform synods ( councils ). The other three were Cashel (1101 ) and ( 1172 ) and Kells - Mellifont ( 1152 ).

Prehistory

The Synod of Cashel in 1101 adopted several decrees and forbids the clergy divorce, incest and the marriage of priests. A major achievement of the Synod was the guaranteed independence of the church property and the ecclesiastical offices of the secular rulers. According to the practice of inheritance of church offices to laymen was declared inadmissible.

The Synod 1111

The synods of the 12th century marked the transition from the old Irish monastic church without central forces of the Roman bishop's church, with the subordination of the 36 Irish bishoprics and monasteries. At the Synod of 1111 participated 50 bishops, 300 priests and 3,000 lay people. She put two ecclesiastical provinces forth:

• Armagh - with the Archbishop Cellach Mac Aodh (1080-1129)
• Cashel - Maol Muire Ua with the Archbishop Dunain (1040-1117) the organizer of the Synod of 1101.

Each province consisted of twelve dioceses. The exact boundaries of the dioceses were only vaguely defined. The Synod imputed Waterford, which was dependent on Canterbury before, the Archbishop of Cashel.

The following 24 dioceses were established by the Synod, but often not confirmed or modified by the following synod. Yet convened on the so-called small Synod of Uisneach, the abbot of Clonmacnoise in the year 1111, some changes Clontard and Duleek were concerning, made ​​and proclaimed a diocese of Clonmacnoise, but until 1160 the bishops were appointed in Duleek:

The Diocese of Dublin, to 1096 confirmed of Canterbury, was admitted only in 1152 ( Synod of Kells ) in the list of dioceses and 1216 combined with Glendalough.

Many Roman Catholic and Protestant dioceses have still limits that are based on decisions taken by the four synods in Rathbreasail, Cashel and Kells - Mellifont.