Gymnasium Theodorianum und Theologische Fakultät Paderborn

In the footsteps of Dietrich von Fürstenberg

In 1580, the Jesuits were brought to Paderborn by the cathedral chapter as part of the recatholization of the city and diocese. The then Prince-Bishop Dietrich von Fürstenberg, Paderborn's most important representative of the Counter-Reformation, entrusted them with responsibility for religious education at the old cathedral school, which was then called "Gymnasium Salentianum". In the years 1596-1605, the Jesuits erected a new convent building and a new church tower, which retained its function even after the old church was demolished. Today, these buildings form the Faculty of Theology next to the former Jesuit church and today's Marktkirche.

In 1612, Dietrich ("Theodor") von Fürstenberg had a new school built on the Kamp, which he himself renamed the "Gymnasium Theodorianum" and which still exists today. The sturdy church tower, which towers over the entire building complex and became a landmark of Paderborn visible from afar alongside that of the cathedral, also housed the observatory of the Jesuit college.

Dietrich von Fürstenberg also founded Paderborn's first university in 1614. It comprised two faculties, the Faculty of Theology and the Faculty of Philosophy. Teachers and lecturers were, of course, Jesuits. One year after its foundation, the university was granted the right to award doctorates and other privileges enjoyed by traditional universities such as Heidelberg or Tübingen by Pope Paul V and Emperor Matthias.