The Archiv des Erzbistums München und Freising

The Archiv des Erzbistums München und Freising (Archdiocese of Munich and Freising Archive) is part of the academic institution of the Archiv und Bibliothek des Erzbistums München und Freising (Archdiocese of Munich and Freising Archive and Library).

The remit of the Archiv des Erzbistums München und Freising (Archdiocese of Munich and Freising Archive) is to evaluate and acquire analogue and digital written and documentary material from the diocesan administration’s various offices, to index and permanently preserve archive material and make it available for use. In addition, its tasks include maintaining the archive, i.e. advising and supporting ecclesiastical institutions (especially parishes, religious orders, associations, societies) in archival matters, if necessary also taking over their archival records. Important and much sought-after holdings from the 16th-19th centuries have been offered for use free of charge in a separate “digital archive” since July 2019.

Today, the archive comprises material from the Middle Ages to the present day covering approximately 8 kilometres. From the archives and registries that existed on Freising’s Domberg until 1802 (the prince-bishop’s archives, the clerical council, court council and court chamber’s registries, the cathedral chapter’s archives), almost all medieval documents (especially deeds and official books), files of historical value as well as the holdings that were still needed for administration and jurisdiction were transferred to state authorities during the secularisation of the Freising diocese; today they are united in the Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv (Bavarian Main State Archives). The files from the Freising diocese administration, the ecclesiastical council, which had existed since 1585 and continued to function as the Episcopal Ordinariate, remained unaffected. When the bishop’s seat was moved to Munich in 1821, they were taken with it, along with the remains of other holdings, and formed the basis of the archdiocesan archives. In addition, there were extensive documents of Salzburg provenance relating to the areas that were ceded to the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising in 1821 when the Bavarian dioceses were redrawn. They came from the registries of the Archepiscopal Consistory of Salzburg, the Bishopric of Chiemsee, the Archdeaconries of Baumburg, Chiemsee and Gars as well as the Princely Provostry of Berchtesgaden.

In 1844, on the instructions of Vicar General Martin von Deutinger (1789-1854), the entire written material was reorganised according to subject matter (pertinence) into the three main groups "Lokalia", "Personalia" and "Realia". In 1866, an Ordinariate archive was "reproduced" from the existing documents and older records that had been handed over from the current registry.

In addition to the archdiocesan archives, the Erzbischöfliches Archiv München (Munich Archbishops’ Archive) exists as a separate archive. It comprises the official records and personal estates of the Munich archbishops since 1821 and ensures the indexing, preservation and use of its holdings in professional coordination with the archdiocesan archives.

• The objects of the Archiv des Erzbistums München und Freising available on bavarikon

Collections of the Archiv des Erzbistums München und Freising available on bavarikon

• Plan Collection of the Archiv des Erzbistums München und Freising