page_title: St. Patrokli, Soest
section_title: History of the order
hierarchical_section_title: St. Patrokli, Soest / History of the order
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Der ottonische Kern der Soester Altstadt (grün umrandet) von Norden gesehen: 1) Nikolaikapelle, 2) St.-Patrokli-Dom, 3) Morgner-Haus, 4) Standort der Alten Pfalz (Hohes Hospital), 5) St. Petri-Kirche, 6) Rathaus mit vier Gebäudeteilen aus verschiedenen Jahrhunderten; unten links ein Zipfel des Großen Teichs.
context_page_description: St. Patrokli is a Roman Catholic parish and church in Soest, Germany. The church is of great significance in the history of architecture as it is the epitome of Romanesque architecture in Westphalia. As a result, it is known as St.-Patrokli-Dom. It holds relics of its patron saint Patroclus of Troyes from 954. It was the church of the canonical foundation of St. Patroclus, which existed from the 10th century until its abolition in 1812. Since 1823 the church has been the parish church of the St. Patrokli parish in the diocese of Paderborn. In 1859 it was promoted to the rank of provost church.
context_section_description: Due to (church) power politics, Soest was not the seat of a bishopric, but it was the central church of the Archbishopric of Cologne in Westphalia, as well as the Archbishops' secondary residence and second capital. In the area which would later be the Duchy of Westphalia orders of cannonesses were frequently founded by the local nobility. Examples include Meschede Abbey, Geseke Abbey, and Oedingen Abbey. In Soest, the impetus for a foundation came at the beginning of the reign of Bruno the Great as Archbishop of Cologne (brother of Otto I and son of Henry the Fowler.
  The remains of Saint Patroclus of Troyes had been given to Archbishop Brun, when he was visiting the French court on a diplomatic matter. He took these relics from Troyes back to Cologne, where they remained for four years before they were brought to Soest in 954. As the first relics of the city, they were greeted with great celebration by the citizenry and the clerics. A detailed account is found in De translatione sancti Patrocli martyris.
  The bishop intended to establish a religious order in Soest and at Cologne. In his testament, therefore, Bruno left 100 pounds of silver, liturgical equipment and paraments for the project. His plans were carried out by Archbishop Folcmar (965–969).
  The first canons probably came from St. Andrew's in Cologne. It statutes were probably also used as the model for the new order in Soest. The seat of the order was expanded through the donations of the Archbishop of Cologne and to a lesser degree by other orders in the region. However, it remained a rather small chapter until it was expanded in the time of Archbishop Anno II (r. 1056–1075), who donated four further prebends. As a result, the number of canons doubled. Archbishop Rainald of Dassel (r. 1159–1167) consecrated the order's church on 8 July 1166.
  The chapter had the right of a free provost, but from 1221, the provosts had to come from the chapter of Cologne cathedral. From 1257, the office of provost was combined with that of Collator of the parishes of the city and its environs. In addition to this he was the dean for Soest's hinterland. The provosts attempted in later times to displace the Provost of Cologne cathedral from their position as archdeacons. This finally came to pass in the 15th century. The order formed its own district with Church immunity and also possessed a school for the pre-education of clergy.
  For centuries, the order of Patroclus was the most powerful and richest order in the whole Duchy of Westphalia; at times up to 54 parishes were dependent on the order. The provosts, who at least in earlier centuries derived largely from the high nobility, were also canons of the cathedral chapter in Cologne for a large portion of the Middle Ages and one of the four Grand-Archdeacons. From time to time they were also officials of the Archbishop of Cologne. Only once or twice a year did the provost visit St. Patrokli in Soest (in order to hold the church court). The rest of the time he was represented by deans, who were responsible for the management of the order. In the Soest Feud (1444–1449), conflict broke out about who was in charge of the city of Soest. This affected the order extending from it to the Archbishop of Cologne himself. The Reformation was resisted by the order. After the canons refused to convert to the new teachings, they left the city. A portion of St. Patrokli became an evangelical church. In 1548, Dean Johann Gropper restored Catholicism and the canons of the order returned. They remained from that time until their abolition in 1812.
caption: The Ottonian core of the old city (surrounded by green): 1) St. Nicholas' Chapel, 2) St. Patrokli, 3) Wilhelm Morgner House, 4) location of the Old Palace, 5) St. Peter's, 6) Council house with four sections from different centuries; at lower left, a corner of the Great Pond
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