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Münster, Germany, City of

1910 New Catholic Dictionary

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Münster, Germany, Diocese of

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Town in Westphalia; former state of the Holy Roman Empire. Founded c.795by Charlemagne, Mimegerneford, as it was called until the 11th century, grew up around a monastery established by its first bishop, Saint Ludger, whose relics remain in the city. Although the bishops, from the reign of Bishop Ludwig I, Count of Tecklenburg (1169-1173), exercised sovereign rights and were formally acknowledged as "Princes of the Empire" by Frederick II in 1220, yet numerous conflicts with the citizens resulted in the Diocesan Feud (1450-1457) and in the curtailment of many of their prerogatives. The principality over which the prince-bishops had temporal jurisdiction lay north of the Lippe, extending as far as the upper Ems and the Teutoberg Forest. Following the spread of Lutheranism, a reign of terror was inaugurated in the city (1533-1535) by the Anabaptists who were finally defeated after a long siege conducted by the bishop and Philip of Hesse. The town contains a cathedral, built for the most part between 1225,1265; the 14th-century Church of Saint Lambert; the 12th-century Church of Saint Ludger; and a university, established in 1771. It is the birth place of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, the scene of Blessed Maria Eutimia's work, and the site of Saint Gervanus' years as a hermit. See also,

• diocese of Münster
• patron saints index