History of Styria - Religious History

Religious History

The Protestant Reformation made its way into the country about 1530. Duke Karl (ruling 1564-90), whose wife was the Catholic Duchess Maria of Bavaria, introduced the Counter-Reformation into the country; in 1573 he invited the Jesuits into Styria and in 1586 he founded the Catholic University of Graz. In 1598 his son and successor Ferdinand suppressed all Protestant schools and expelled the teachers and preachers: Protestant doctrines were maintained only in a few isolated mountain valleys, as in the valley of the Inn and the valley of the Mur. On a narrow reading of the Peace of Augsburg, 1555, with its principle of cuius regio, eius religio, only the nobility were not forced to return to the Roman Church; each could have Protestant services privately in his own house.

After Ferdinand had become Holy Roman Emperor in 1619 and had defeated his Protestant opponents in the Battle of White Mountain near Prague in 1620, he forbade all Protestant church services whatsoever (1625). In 1628 he commanded the nobility also to return to the Catholic faith. A large number of noble families, consequently, emigrated from the country. But most of them either returned, or their descendants did so, becoming Catholics and recovering their possessions.

In the second half of the 17th century renewed action against the Protestants in the isolated mountain valleys resulted in the expulsion of Protestant ministers with the peasants who would not give up Protestantism; about 30,000 chose compulsory emigration to Transylvania over conversion. Only an Edict of Toleration issued by Emperor Joseph II as late as 1781 put an end to religious repression. The Protestants then received the right to found parish communities and to exercise their religion in those enclaves undisturbed.

In 1848, all the provinces of the Habsburg Monarchy received complete liberty of religion and of conscience, parity of religions, and the right to the public exercise of religion.

Ecclesiastically the province was historically divided into two Catholic prince-bishoprics, Seckau and Lavant. From the time of their foundation both were suffragans of the Archdiocese of Salzburg. The Prince-Bishopric of Seckau was established in 1218; since 1786 the see of the prince-bishop has been Graz. The Prince-Bishopric of Lavant with its bishop's seat at Sankt Andrä in the Carinthian Lavant valley was founded as a bishopric in 1228 and raised to a prince-bishopric in 1446. In 1847 the bishop's seat was transferred from St. Andrä to Marburg an der Drau (Maribor), and after World War I the see's boundaries were adapted to the new political frontiers. A short-lived third Salzburg suffragan diocese of Leoben comprising 157 parishes in the districts of Leoben and Bruck an der Mur existed on Styrian soil from 1786 but was incorporated into the diocese of Graz-Seckau in 1856 Today the see of the bishop of Graz-Seckau is identical in territory with the Austrian State of Styria.