Bishopric of Bayeux
Encyclopedia
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The diocese is coextensive with the Department of Calvados
Calvados
The French department of Calvados is part of the region of Basse-Normandie in Normandy. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast...
, and is a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Rouen, also in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
.
At the time of the Concordat of 1802, the ancient Diocese of Lisieux was united to that of Bayeux
Bayeux
Bayeux is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy in northwestern France.Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England.-Administration:Bayeux is a sub-prefecture of Calvados...
. A pontifical Brief, in 1854, authorized the Bishop of Bayeux to call himself Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux.
History
Exuperius of Bayeux
Saint Exuperius of Bayeux , also known as Spirius , is venerated as the first bishop of Bayeux. The date of his episcopate is given as 390 to 405, but local legends made him an immediate disciple of St. Clement, who lived during the 1st century, and that St. Regnobertus was Exuperius' disciple...
, first Bishop of Bayeux, an immediate disciple of St. Clement, and his see a foundation of the 1st century; St. Regnobertus, the same legend tells us, was the successor of St. Exuperius, but the Bollandists and M. Jules Lair found little ground for this legend; it was only towards the middle of the 4th century that St. Exuperius founded the See of Bayeux; after him the priest St. Reverendus worked to spread Christianity in these parts.
Certain successors of St. Exuperius were saints: Rufinianus; Lupus (about 465); Vigor
Saint Vigor
Saint Vigor was a French bishop and Christian missionary. Born in Artois, he studied at Arras under Saint Vedast. Against the opposition of his father, he became a priest, running away from home to become one. He became a preaching hermit at Ravière and worked as a missionary...
(beginning of the 6th century), who destroyed a pagan temple, then still frequented; Regnobertus (about 629), who founded many churches, and whom the legend, owing to an anachronism, made first successor to Exuperius; and Hugues (d. 730), simultaneously bishop of two other sees, Paris and Rouen.
We may also mention Odon of Conteville
Odon of Conteville
Odo, Earl of Kent and bishop of Bayeux, was the half-brother of William the Conqueror, and was for a time second in power to the king of England.-Early life:...
(1050–97), brother of William the Conqueror, who built the cathedral, was present at the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
, intrigued for the tiara
Tiara
A tiara is a form of crown. There are two possible types of crown that this word can refer to.Traditionally, the word "tiara" refers to a high crown, often with the shape of a cylinder narrowed at its top, made of fabric or leather, and richly ornamented. It was used by the kings and emperors of...
on the death of Gregory VII (1085), and died a crusader in Sicily; Cardinal Trivulce (1531–48), papal legate
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
in the Roman Campagna during the siege and pillage of Rome by the Constable de Bourbon; Arnaud Cardinal d'Ossat
Arnaud d'Ossat
Arnaud d'Ossat was a French diplomat and writer, and a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, whose personal tact and diplomatic skill steered the perilous course of French diplomacy with the Papacy in the reign of Henry IV of France.-Early life and studies:Arnaud d'Ossat was born at...
(1602–04), an illustrious diplomatist prominently identified with the conversion of Henry IV of France
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
. Claude Fauchet
Claude Fauchet (revolutionist)
Claude Fauchet was a French revolutionary bishop.He was born at Dornes, Nièvre. He was a curate of the church of St Roch, Paris, when he was engaged as tutor to the children of the marquis of Choiseul, brother of Louis XVs minister, an appointment which proved to be the first step to fortune...
, who after being court preacher to Louis XVI, became one of the "conquerors" of the Bastille, was chosen Constitutional Bishop
Constitutional bishop
During the French Revolution, a constitutional bishop was a Roman Catholic bishop elected from among the clergy who had sworn to uphold the Civil Constitution of the Clergy between 1791 and 1801. Constitutional bishops were often priests with less or more moderate Gallican and partisan ideas, of a...
of Bayeux in 1791, and was beheaded 31 October 1793. Léon-Adolphe Amette, Archbishop of Paris
Archbishop of Paris
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Paris is one of twenty-three archdioceses of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been created in the 3rd century by St. Denis and corresponded with the Civitas Parisiorum; it was elevated to an archdiocese on...
was, until 1905, Bishop of Bayeux.
In the Middle Ages Bayeux and neighbouring Lisieux (later merged in) were very important sees. The Bishop of Bayeux was senior among the Norman bishops, and the chapter was one of the richest in France. The See of Lisieux maintained the Collége de Lisieux at Paris for poor students of the diocese.
Important councils were held within this diocese, at Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
, in 1042 and 1061; in the latter was proclaimed "the Truce of God". The statutes of a synod held at Bayeux about 1300, furnish a very fair idea of the discipline of the time.
Among the abbeys of the Diocese of Bayeux should be mentioned those of St. Stephen (Abbaye-aux-Hommes) and of the Trinity (Abbaye-aux-Dames), both founded at Caen by William the Conqueror (1029–87) and his wife Matilda, in expiation of their unlawful marriage. The former of these abbeys was governed by the celebrated Lanfranc, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
. Other abbeys were those of Troarn
Troarn
-References:*...
of which Durand, the successful opponent of Berengarius, was abbot in the 11th century, and the Abbaye du Val, of which Rancé was abbot, in 1661, prior to his reform of La Trappe Abbey
La Trappe Abbey
La Trappe Abbey or La Grande Trappe is a monastery in Soligny-la-Trappe, Orne, France, and the house of origin of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance , Reformed Cistercians or Trappists, to whom it gave its name.-History:The site of the famous La Trappe Abbey was for centuries...
. The Abbey of St. Evroul (Ebrulphus) in the diocese of Lisieux, founded about 560 by St. Evroul, a native of Bayeux, is famous as the home of Ordericus Vitalis, the chronicler (1075–1141).
Saint Jean Eudes founded in 1641 in Caen the congregation of Notre Dame de Charité du Refuge, which is devoted to the protection of girls and included 33 monasteries in France and elsewhere in 1900. At Tilly, in the diocese of Bayeux, Michel Vingtras established, in 1839, the politico-religious society known as La Miséricorde, in connexion with the survivors of La Petite Eglise, which was condemned in 1843 by Gregory XVI. Daniel Huet, the famous savant (1630–1721) and Bishop of Avranches, was a native of Caen.
To 1000
- Saint Exupère (ExuperiusExuperius of BayeuxSaint Exuperius of Bayeux , also known as Spirius , is venerated as the first bishop of Bayeux. The date of his episcopate is given as 390 to 405, but local legends made him an immediate disciple of St. Clement, who lived during the 1st century, and that St. Regnobertus was Exuperius' disciple...
), 390–405, known as Spire (Spirius), Soupir, Soupierre - Saint Regnobert (Regnobertus) or Renobert, Rennobert, Raimbert
- Saint Rufinien (Rufinianus) ...–434
- Saint Loup (Lupus) 434–464
- Saint Patrice (Patricius) 464–469
- Saint Manvieu (Manveus) or Manvé, Mange, Manvien, Mar-Wig 470–480
- Saint Contest (Contestus) or Contès, Context 480–513
- Saint VigorSaint VigorSaint Vigor was a French bishop and Christian missionary. Born in Artois, he studied at Arras under Saint Vedast. Against the opposition of his father, he became a priest, running away from home to become one. He became a preaching hermit at Ravière and worked as a missionary...
(Vigorus) or Vigile 513–537 - Leucade or Leucadius 538 (Council of OrléansCouncil of OrléansThe Council of Orléans may refer to any of several synods held in Orléans:*First Council of Orléans *Second Council of Orléans *Third Council of Orléans *Fourth Council of Orléans *Fifth Council of Orléans...
) - Lascivius or Lascivus, Lauscius
- Leudovalde (Leudovaldus) or Leudovald 581–...
- Saint Gertran (Geretrandus) or Gérétran 585–625
- Saint Ragnebert (Ragnobertus) 625–668
- Saint Gerbaud (Gereboldus) or Gerebauld, GerboldGerboldSaint Gerbold was a French bishop venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. He was a monk who founded the abbey of Livry in Normandy and later became bishop of Bayeux.-External links:...
689–691 - Saint Frambold (Framboldus) or Franbolt, Frambaud, Franbourd 691–722
- Hugo of Champagne 723–730 (also Bishop of Paris, Archbishop of RouenArchbishop of RouenThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen is an Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the ecclesiastical province of the archdiocese comprises the majority of Normandy....
, Abbot of Jumièges and Abbot of Fontenelle - Léodeningue, c. 765
- Thior (Thiorus)
- Careville (Carveniltus) c. 833
- Harimbert or Ermbart 835–837
- Saint Sulpice (Sulpicius) 838–844
- Baltfride (Baltfridus) or Badfridus, Waltfride, Baufroy, Vaufroy, † 858
- Tortolde 859–860
- Erchambert 860–...
- Heinrich I. (Heiricus) c. 927
- Richard I.
- Hugo II. c. 965
- Radulfe III. (Radulfus, Radulphus) or Raoul "d'Avranches" 986–1006
1000 to 1300
- Hugo III. d'Ivry 1011/1015–1049
- Odo of Conteville or Eudes I. 1049–1097 (also Earl of KentEarl of KentThe peerage title Earl of Kent has been created eight times in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.See also Kingdom of Kent, Duke of Kent.-Earls of Kent, first creation :*Godwin, Earl of Wessex...
) - Turold de Brémoy (Turoldus) or d'Envermeu 1097–1106
- Richard II. of DoverDoverDover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
(or Richard I, son of Samson, Bishop of WorcesterSamson, Bishop of WorcesterSamson was a medieval English clergyman.-Life:Samson was a Royal Chaplain and a canon and Treasurer of the diocese of Bayeux....
) 1107–1133 - Richard III. of GloucesterGloucesterGloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
(or Richard II. Fitz Robert, nephew of Richard I) 1135–1142 (Rollonides) - Philippe d'HarcourtPhilip de HarcourtPhilip de Harcourt was a medieval Lord Chancellor of England and Bishop of Bayeux. He was also unsuccessfully elected to be Bishop of Salisbury.-Life:...
1142–1163 - Heinrich II. 1163–1205
- Robert des Ablèges 1206–1231
- Thomas de Freauville 1232–1238
- Guy 1240–1259
- Eudes de Lory (Odo de Lorris) 1263–1274
- Gregor von Neapel 1274–1276
- Pierre de Beneis ...–..., † 1305
1300-1500
- Wilhelm I. Bonnet 1306–1312, founder of the Collège de Bayeux in ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
- Wilhelm II. de Trie 1313–...
- Pierre II. de Lévis. 1325–1330
- Wilhelm III. de Beaujeu 1330–1337
- Wilhelm IV. Bertrand 1338–1347
- Pierre III. de Villaine 1349–1360
- Ludwig I. Thézart 1360–1373
- Milon de Dormans 1373–1374
- Nicolas du Bos 1375–1408,
- Jean de Boissey or Jehan de Boissey 1408–1412
- Jean Langret 1414–1419
- Nicolaus II. Habart 1421–1431
- Zanon de Castiglione 1434–1459
- Ludwig II. d'Harcourt or de Harcourt 1460–1479
- Charles de Neufchâtel 1480–..., † 1498
- René de Prie or René I. 1499–..., † 1516
1500-1800
- Louis III. Canossa or Louis de Canossa 1517–..., † 1531
- Pierre IV. de Martigni 1531
- Agustin Trivulce 1531–1548
- Charles II. d'Humières 1549–1571
- Bernardin de Saint-François 1573–1582
- Mathurin de Savonnières 1583–1586
- Charles de Bourbon 1586–1590
- René de Daillon du Lude 1590–1600
- Arnault d'Ossat 1600–1604
- Jacques d'Angennes 1606–1647
- Édouard Molé 1647–1652
- Abbé de Sankte-Croix 1652–... (brother of predecessor)
- François I. Servien 1654–1659
- François II de NesmondFrançois II de NesmondFrançois II de Nesmond was a French bishop of Bayeux, noted for his reformist principles drawing on the Counter-Reformation as laid down by the Council of Trent.-Life:...
1662–1715 - Joseph-Emmanuel de la Trimoille 1716–1718
- François Armand of Lothringen-Armagnac 1719–1728
- Paul d'Albert de Luynes 1729–1753
- Pierre-Jules César de Rochechouart-Montigny 1755–...
- Joseph-Dominique de Cheylus 1776–..., † 1797
- Claude Fauchet 1791–1793
- Julien-Jean-Baptiste Duchemin 1799–1799
- Louis-Charles Bisson 1799–1801
From 1800
- Charles Brault (9 Apr 1802 Appointed - 8 Aug 1817 Appointed, Archbishop of Albi)
- Charles-François Duperrier-Dumourier (13 Jan 1823 Appointed - 17 Apr 1827 Died)
- Jean-Charles-Richard Dancel (2 Jun 1827 Appointed - 20 Apr 1836 Died)
- Louis-François Robin (25 May 1836 Appointed - 30 Dec 1855 Died)
- Charles-Nicolas-Pierre Didiot (7 Apr 1856 Appointed - 15 Jun 1866 Died)
- Flavien-Abel-Antoinin Hugonin (13 Jul 1866 Appointed - 2 May 1898 Died)
- Léon-Adolphe Amette (8 Jul 1898 Appointed - 21 Feb 1906 Appointed, Coadjutor Archbishop of Paris)
- Thomas-Paul-Henri Lemonnier (13 Jul 1906 Appointed - 29 Dec 1927 Died)
- Emmanuel Célestin SuhardEmmanuel Célestin SuhardEmmanuel Célestin Suhard was a French Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Paris from 1940 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1935.-Biography:...
(6 Jul 1928 Appointed - 23 Dec 1930 Appointed, Archbishop of ReimsArchbishop of ReimsThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese around 250 by St. Sixtus, the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese around 750...
) - François-Marie Picaud (12 Sep 1931 Appointed - 5 Aug 1954 Retired)
- André Jacquemin (29 Oct 1954 Succeeded - 10 Dec 1969 Resigned)
- Jean-Marie-Clément Badré (10 Dec 1969 Appointed - 19 Nov 1988 Retired)
- Pierre Auguste Gratien Pican, S.D.B. (19 Nov 1988 Succeeded - 12 Mar 2010 Retired)
- Jean-Claude Ézechiel Jean-Baptiste Boulanger (12 Mar 2010 Appointed - )