Diocese and prince-bishopric of Schwerin

Not all incumbents of the Schwerin see were imperially invested with princely temporal power as Prince-Bishops and not all were papally confirmed as bishops.

Papally confirmed bishops were then invested by the emperor with the princely regalia, thus the title prince-bishop.

A number of incumbents, elected by the chapter, neither achieved papal confirmation nor imperial investiture, but as a matter of fact nevertheless de facto held the princely power.

The respective incumbents of the see bore the following titles: Due to the Reformation, the Catholic diocese was suppressed in 1555, without formal successor.

Since 1959, the Osnabrück diocese posted an auxiliary bishop in Schwerin, responsible for Mecklenburg's Catholic parishes : On July 23, 1974, the jurisdiction was restored as pre-diocesan 'permanent' Apostolic Administration of Schwerin, its territory being formally split off from the Diocese of Osnabrück.

Coat-of-arms of the Prince-Bishopric of Schwerin
Bützow Castle , prince-episcopal residential castle in Bützow
Cathedral of SS. Mary and John the Baptist , church of the bishops in Schwerin, view before 1845.
Cathedral of Ss. Mary and John the Baptist , Schwerin, preaching venue of the Landesbischof of Mecklenburg.
Provostry Church of St. Anna, seat of the auxiliary bishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Hamburg in Schwerin .