Seminar "The Fourth Lateran Council. Themes, Contemporary Contexts, Challenges" (Seminar with Excursion, 25-27 June 2016)

Prof. Dr Andrea Riedl(andrea.riedl​(at)​ur.de) (opens your email program), Prof Dr Jörg Oberste (joerg.oberste​(at)​ur.de) (opens your email program)

Dates

Preliminary meeting: Tue, 21 April 2026, 16-18h c.t. (PT meeting room 3.0.79);

Seminar at Admont Monastery: Thu, 25 June 2026 - Sat, 27 June 2026

The seminar will take place at the Benedictine Abbey of Admont (Styria, Austria). We will travel by bus. Accommodation will be provided on site for two nights in double rooms with full board. A contribution of EUR 50 will be charged. The event is supported by the Volker Nechleba Foundation, the PKGG Faculty, the “Forum Mittelalter,” and the Chair of Medieval and Modern Church History. The number of participants is limited to 20.

Theme

The Fourth Lateran Council in November 1215 was the largest church council in medieval history. Under the authority of Pope Innocent III, groundbreaking decisions were made here on nearly every topic and conflict affecting the Western Church: the struggle against heresy, internal reform of the clergy, improvement of pastoral care in parishes, reorganization of church offices, marriage law, relations with the Jews, the Crusade to the Holy Land, relations with the Greek Church, and much more. Many of these topics had previously sparked controversial discussions and, in some cases, violent conflicts. Based on the 71 decrees of the Council, the seminar will examine the background of individual decisions and thus provide a deep insight into the religious, political, social, and economic structures of the time.

Reader:

• Die Geschichte des Christentums, Mittelalter, Vol. 2: Machtfülle des Papsttums (1054-1274), ed. by André Vauchez et al, Freiburg/Br. 1994/2007, pp. 581-589 (A. Paravicini Bagliani, Das Vierte Laterankonzil).
• Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils/Conciliorum Oecumenicorum Decreta (DÖK/COD), ed. by Giuseppe Alberigo et al., vol. 2: Councils of the Middle Ages, pp. 227-271 (Fourth Lateran Council).