diff --git a/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/test/context/ContextLoaderUtils.java b/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/test/context/ContextLoaderUtils.java
index a43897eb0b6..f71e447b6c4 100644
--- a/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/test/context/ContextLoaderUtils.java
+++ b/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/test/context/ContextLoaderUtils.java
@@ -237,11 +237,9 @@ abstract class ContextLoaderUtils {
 	 * never {@code null}
 	 * @throws IllegalArgumentException if the supplied class is {@code null}; if
 	 * neither {@code @ContextConfiguration} nor {@code @ContextHierarchy} is
-	 * <em>present</em> on the supplied class; if a given class in the class hierarchy
+	 * <em>present</em> on the supplied class; or if a given class in the class hierarchy
 	 * declares both {@code @ContextConfiguration} and {@code @ContextHierarchy} as
-	 * top-level annotations; or if individual {@code @ContextConfiguration}
-	 * elements within a {@code @ContextHierarchy} declaration on a given class
-	 * in the class hierarchy do not define unique context configuration.
+	 * top-level annotations.
 	 *
 	 * @since 3.2.2
 	 * @see #buildContextHierarchyMap(Class)
@@ -287,17 +285,6 @@ abstract class ContextLoaderUtils {
 					convertContextConfigToConfigAttributesAndAddToList(contextConfiguration, declaringClass,
 						configAttributesList);
 				}
-
-				// Check for uniqueness
-				Set<ContextConfigurationAttributes> configAttributesSet = new HashSet<ContextConfigurationAttributes>(
-					configAttributesList);
-				if (configAttributesSet.size() != configAttributesList.size()) {
-					String msg = String.format("The @ContextConfiguration elements configured via "
-							+ "@ContextHierarchy in test class [%s] must define unique contexts to load.",
-						declaringClass.getName());
-					logger.error(msg);
-					throw new IllegalStateException(msg);
-				}
 			}
 			else {
 				// This should theoretically actually never happen...
@@ -336,6 +323,9 @@ abstract class ContextLoaderUtils {
 	 * (must not be {@code null})
 	 * @return a map of context configuration attributes for the context hierarchy,
 	 * keyed by context hierarchy level name; never {@code null}
+	 * @throws IllegalArgumentException if the lists of context configuration
+	 * attributes for each level in the {@code @ContextHierarchy} do not define
+	 * unique context configuration within the overall hierarchy.
 	 *
 	 * @since 3.2.2
 	 * @see #resolveContextHierarchyAttributes(Class)
@@ -363,6 +353,16 @@ abstract class ContextLoaderUtils {
 			}
 		}
 
+		// Check for uniqueness
+		Set<List<ContextConfigurationAttributes>> set = new HashSet<List<ContextConfigurationAttributes>>(map.values());
+		if (set.size() != map.size()) {
+			String msg = String.format("The @ContextConfiguration elements configured via "
+					+ "@ContextHierarchy in test class [%s] and its superclasses must "
+					+ "define unique contexts per hierarchy level.", testClass.getName());
+			logger.error(msg);
+			throw new IllegalStateException(msg);
+		}
+
 		return map;
 	}
 
diff --git a/spring-test/src/test/java/org/springframework/test/context/ContextLoaderUtilsTests.java b/spring-test/src/test/java/org/springframework/test/context/ContextLoaderUtilsTests.java
index ecedda4ddf9..9553efc8343 100644
--- a/spring-test/src/test/java/org/springframework/test/context/ContextLoaderUtilsTests.java
+++ b/spring-test/src/test/java/org/springframework/test/context/ContextLoaderUtilsTests.java
@@ -225,29 +225,6 @@ public class ContextLoaderUtilsTests {
 		assertThat(configAttributesListClassLevel3.get(2).getLocations()[0], equalTo("3-C.xml"));
 	}
 
-	private void assertContextConfigEntriesAreNotUnique(Class<?> testClass) {
-		try {
-			resolveContextHierarchyAttributes(testClass);
-			fail("Should throw an IllegalStateException");
-		}
-		catch (IllegalStateException e) {
-			String msg = String.format(
-				"The @ContextConfiguration elements configured via @ContextHierarchy in test class [%s] must define unique contexts to load.",
-				testClass.getName());
-			assertEquals(msg, e.getMessage());
-		}
-	}
-
-	@Test
-	public void resolveContextHierarchyAttributesForSingleTestClassWithMultiLevelContextHierarchyWithEmptyContextConfig() {
-		assertContextConfigEntriesAreNotUnique(SingleTestClassWithMultiLevelContextHierarchyWithEmptyContextConfig.class);
-	}
-
-	@Test
-	public void resolveContextHierarchyAttributesForSingleTestClassWithMultiLevelContextHierarchyWithDuplicatedContextConfig() {
-		assertContextConfigEntriesAreNotUnique(SingleTestClassWithMultiLevelContextHierarchyWithDuplicatedContextConfig.class);
-	}
-
 	@Test
 	public void buildContextHierarchyMapForTestClassHierarchyWithMultiLevelContextHierarchies() {
 		Map<String, List<ContextConfigurationAttributes>> map = buildContextHierarchyMap(TestClass3WithMultiLevelContextHierarchy.class);
@@ -335,6 +312,58 @@ public class ContextLoaderUtilsTests {
 		assertThat(level3Config.get(0).getLocations()[0], is("2-C.xml"));
 	}
 
+	private void assertContextConfigEntriesAreNotUnique(Class<?> testClass) {
+		try {
+			buildContextHierarchyMap(testClass);
+			fail("Should throw an IllegalStateException");
+		}
+		catch (IllegalStateException e) {
+			String msg = String.format(
+				"The @ContextConfiguration elements configured via @ContextHierarchy in test class [%s] and its superclasses must define unique contexts per hierarchy level.",
+				testClass.getName());
+			assertEquals(msg, e.getMessage());
+		}
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void buildContextHierarchyMapForSingleTestClassWithMultiLevelContextHierarchyWithEmptyContextConfig() {
+		assertContextConfigEntriesAreNotUnique(SingleTestClassWithMultiLevelContextHierarchyWithEmptyContextConfig.class);
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void buildContextHierarchyMapForSingleTestClassWithMultiLevelContextHierarchyWithDuplicatedContextConfig() {
+		assertContextConfigEntriesAreNotUnique(SingleTestClassWithMultiLevelContextHierarchyWithDuplicatedContextConfig.class);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Used to reproduce bug reported in https://jira.springsource.org/browse/SPR-10997
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void buildContextHierarchyMapForTestClassHierarchyWithMultiLevelContextHierarchiesAndOverriddenInitializers() {
+		Map<String, List<ContextConfigurationAttributes>> map = buildContextHierarchyMap(TestClass2WithMultiLevelContextHierarchyWithOverriddenInitializers.class);
+
+		assertThat(map.size(), is(2));
+		assertThat(map.keySet(), hasItems("alpha", "beta"));
+
+		List<ContextConfigurationAttributes> alphaConfig = map.get("alpha");
+		assertThat(alphaConfig.size(), is(2));
+		assertThat(alphaConfig.get(0).getLocations().length, is(1));
+		assertThat(alphaConfig.get(0).getLocations()[0], is("1-A.xml"));
+		assertThat(alphaConfig.get(0).getInitializers().length, is(0));
+		assertThat(alphaConfig.get(1).getLocations().length, is(0));
+		assertThat(alphaConfig.get(1).getInitializers().length, is(1));
+		assertEquals(DummyApplicationContextInitializer.class, alphaConfig.get(1).getInitializers()[0]);
+
+		List<ContextConfigurationAttributes> betaConfig = map.get("beta");
+		assertThat(betaConfig.size(), is(2));
+		assertThat(betaConfig.get(0).getLocations().length, is(1));
+		assertThat(betaConfig.get(0).getLocations()[0], is("1-B.xml"));
+		assertThat(betaConfig.get(0).getInitializers().length, is(0));
+		assertThat(betaConfig.get(1).getLocations().length, is(0));
+		assertThat(betaConfig.get(1).getInitializers().length, is(1));
+		assertEquals(DummyApplicationContextInitializer.class, betaConfig.get(1).getInitializers()[0]);
+	}
+
 	@Test(expected = IllegalStateException.class)
 	public void resolveConfigAttributesWithConflictingLocations() {
 		resolveContextConfigurationAttributes(ConflictingLocations.class);
@@ -843,4 +872,40 @@ public class ContextLoaderUtilsTests {
 	private static class SingleTestClassWithMultiLevelContextHierarchyWithDuplicatedContextConfig {
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Used to reproduce bug reported in https://jira.springsource.org/browse/SPR-10997
+	 */
+	@ContextHierarchy({//
+	//
+		@ContextConfiguration(name = "alpha", locations = "1-A.xml"),//
+		@ContextConfiguration(name = "beta", locations = "1-B.xml") //
+	})
+	private static class TestClass1WithMultiLevelContextHierarchyWithUniqueContextConfig {
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Used to reproduce bug reported in https://jira.springsource.org/browse/SPR-10997
+	 */
+	@ContextHierarchy({//
+	//
+		@ContextConfiguration(name = "alpha", initializers = DummyApplicationContextInitializer.class),//
+		@ContextConfiguration(name = "beta", initializers = DummyApplicationContextInitializer.class) //
+	})
+	private static class TestClass2WithMultiLevelContextHierarchyWithOverriddenInitializers extends
+			TestClass1WithMultiLevelContextHierarchyWithUniqueContextConfig {
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Used to reproduce bug reported in https://jira.springsource.org/browse/SPR-10997
+	 */
+	private static class DummyApplicationContextInitializer implements
+			ApplicationContextInitializer<ConfigurableApplicationContext> {
+
+		@Override
+		public void initialize(ConfigurableApplicationContext applicationContext) {
+			/* no-op */
+		}
+
+	}
+
 }