Augsburg, Councils of

Augsburg, Councils Of

(Concilium Augustanum). Augsburg (Augusta Vindelicorum) is a city of Swabia, and capital of a principality belonging to Bavaria, situated at the junction of the Wertach and the Lech, thirty miles north-west of Munich. Two councils were held. there.

I. Held on Aug. 7, 952. Twenty-four bishops from Germany and Lombardy were present at it, among whom Uldaric, bishop of Augsburg, was the most illustrious. They made eleven canons. It was forbidden to all the clergy, from the bishop to the subdeacon, to marry, or to have women in their houses, or to keep dogs or birds for sporting, or to play at any game of chance. The sixth canon orders that all monks shall submit to the bishop of the diocese and receive his correction. See Labbe, Concil. 9:635.

II. Held Nov. 12, 1548, by cardinal Otho, bishop of Augsburg,. at Dillingen, on the Danube. Thirty-three regulations were drawn up relating to discipline and morality. Among other things, it was ordered that open sinners should be proceeded against canonically, and that those who were found incorrigible should be handed over to the grand-vicar; that the deans of chapters should watch over the conduct of the canons, and be careful to punish those who were guilty of drunkenness, gaming, debauchery, fornication, etc.; that those who were possessed of many benefices should resign all but one within a year; that those of the monks who neglected their rule and were guilty of drunkenness or immodest conduct, or who were suspected of heresy, should be corrected; that nuns and other female religious should not leave their nunneries, nor suffer any man to enter them unless for some absolute necessity; that preachers should not advance anything untrue or doubtful; that they should accommodate their sermons to the capacity of their hearers; that they should avoid all obscure and perplexing subjects; that one uniform order should be observed in the administration of the sacraments, and no money be taken for the same, according to the apostolical traditions, the ancient canons, laws, and usages; that none but serious tunes should be played upon organs; that everything profane should be entirely done away with in all solemn processions. See Labbe, Concil. 14:567.