| Bishopric of Seckau Bistum Seckau | |
| |
| 1218 - 1963 | |
| Capital Circle Bench |
Seckau Graz after 1786 Austrian until ? Council of Princes until ? |
| Established & Prince of the Empire | 1218 |
| Renamed Graz-Seckau | 1963 |
The Bishopric of Seckau was a Roman Catholic diocese based in Seckau in Styria, Austria. The bishopric was renamed the Bishopric of Graz-Seckau in 1963.
History of the Bishopric (1218 - 1963)[]
The bishopric was founded by Archbishop Eberard II of Salzburg in 1218 with the permission of Pope Honorius III as a suffragan diocese of Salzburg. On 26 October 1218 the Holy Roman Emperor gave his permission, and also gave all bishops the right of Prince of the Empire. The bishops of Seckau were the vicars of Styria for the Archbishops. Of all the Prince-Bishops, Martin Brenner (1585 - 1618) is the most celebrated for his endeavors to restore Catholic life in Styria.
The Emperor Joseph II reorganised and enlarged the bishopric. His initial intention to establish a new archbishopric at Graz was foiled by the Archbishops of Salzburg, so in 1786 he moved the see from Seckau to Graz but the name of the bishopric remained unchanged. In 1859 the Bishopric of Leoben was incorporated into the diocese while the southern, Slovene-majority, third was ceded to the Bishopric of Lavant. In 1963 the bishopric took the new name of Graz-Seckau.