Roman Catholic Diocese of Lavant

In about the year 1223, the Archbishop of Salzburg asked Pope Honorius III to allow him to found a bishopric at Sankt Andrä on account of its great remoteness and the difficulty of travelling there.

After the pope had had the archbishop's request examined by commissioners and gave his consent, Eberhard drew up the deed of foundation on 10 May 1228, wherein he secured possession of the episcopal chair for himself and his successors in perpetuity.

He named as first suffragan bishop his court chaplain Ulrich (died 1257), who had previously been priest of Haus im Ennstal in the Duchy of Styria.

In a deed of Archbishop Frederick II of Salzburg of 1280, seventeen parishes, situated partly in Carinthia and partly in Styria, were described as belonging to Lavant; the extent of the diocese was rather small, but the bishops also attended to the office of vicar-general (diocesan deputy) of the Archbishops of Salzburg for some scattered districts; they also frequently attended to the office of Vicedominus (bishop's feudal deputy in secular affairs) at Friesach.

The tenth bishop, Dietrich von Wolfsau (served 1318–1332), is mentioned in deeds as the first (honorific) prince-bishop; he was also secretary of the Habsburg duke Frederick the Handsome, and was present at the Battle of Mühldorf in 1322.