Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Poitiers
Encyclopedia
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Poitiers (Lat: Archidioecesis Pictaviensis) is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church
in France
. The archepiscopal see is in the city of Poitiers
. The Diocese of Poitiers includes the two Departments of Vienne
and Deux-Sèvres
. The Concordat of 1802 added to the see besides the ancient Diocese of Poitiers a part of the Diocese of La Rochelle and Saintes.
Erected in the third century, as a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Bordeaux, the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese in 2002. The archdiocese is the metropolitan of the Diocese of Angoulême, the Diocese of La Rochelle, the Diocese of Limoges, and the Diocese of Tulle.
Vatican Information Service
(VIS) reported that Archbishop Albert Jean-Marie Rouet, who was appointed in 1994, resigned on Saturday, February 12, 2011, having reached the age of 75, at which all bishops must offer to submit their resignations to the Pope for possible acceptance. The Archdiocese of Poitiers is now a vacant see (sede vacante
).
holds that its earliest episcopal catalogue represents the ecclesiastical tradition of Poitiers in the twelfth century. The catalogue reckons twelve predecessors of Hilary of Poitiers
, among them Nectarius, Liberius, and Agon, and among his successors Sts. Quintianus and Maxentius. Duchesne does not doubt the existence of these saints but questions whether they were bishops of Poitiers. According to him, Hilary (350-67 or 8) is the first bishop of whom we have historical evidence.
Among his successors were St. Pientius (c. 544-60); St. Fortunatus (c. 599); St. Peter (1087-1115), exiled by William IX, Count of Poitiers, whose divorce he refused to sanction; Gilbert de la Porrée (1142-54); William Tempier (1184-97), who, as Barbier de Montault has shown, was irregularly venerated as a saint in certain parts of the diocese since he died subsequent to the declaration of Pope Alexander III
which reserved canonizations to the Holy See; Blessed Gauthier de Bruges (1278-1306); Arnauld d'Aux (1306-12), made cardinal in 1312; Guy de Malsec (1371-5), who became cardinal in 1375; Simon de Cramaud (1385-91), indefatigable opponent of the antipope Benedict XIII
, and who again administered the diocese (1413-23) and became cardinal in 1413; Louis de Bar (1394-5), cardinal in 1397; Jean de la Trémouille (1505-7), cardinal in 1507; Gabriel de Gramont (1532-4), cardinal in 1507; Claude de Longwy de Givry
(1538-52), became cardinal in 1533; Antonio Barberini
(1652-7), cardinal in 1627; Abbé de Pradt (1805-9), afterwards Archbishop of Mechlin, Louis Pie (1849-80), cardinal in 1879.
St. Emmeram was a native of Poitiers, but according to the Bollandists and Duchesne the documents which make him Bishop of Poitiers (c. 650) are not trustworthy; on the other hand Bernard Sepp (Analec. Boll., VIII) and Dom Chamard claim that he did hold the see, and succeeded Didon, bishop about 666 or 668 according to Dom Chamard.
As early as 312 the Bishop of Poitiers established a school near his cathedral; among its scholars were Hilary, St. Maxentius, Maximus, Bishop of Trier, and his two brothers St. Maximinus of Chinon and St. John of Marne, Paulinus, Bishop of Trier, and the poet Ausonius
. In the sixth century Fortunatus taught there, and in the twelfth century intellectual Europe flocked to Poitiers to sit at the feet of Gilbert de la Porrée
.
Charles VII of France
erected a university at Poitiers, in opposition to Paris, where the majority of the faculty had hailed Henry VI of England
, and by Bull of 28 May 1431, Pope Eugene IV
approved the new university. In the reign of Louis XII there were in Poitiers no less than four thousand students — French, Italians, Flemings, Scots, and Germans. There were ten colleges attached to the university. In 1540, at the Collège Ste. Marthe, the famous Marc Antoine Muret, whom Gregory XIII called in later years the torch and the pillar of the Roman School, had a chair. The famous Jesuit Maldonatus and five of his confrères went in 1570 to Poitiers to establish a Jesuit college at the request of some of the inhabitants. After two unsuccessful attempts, they were given the Collège Ste. Marthe in 1605. François Garasse
, well known for his violent polemics and who died of the plague at Poitiers in 1637, was professor there (1607-8), and had as a pupil Guez de Balzac. Among other students at Poitiers were Achille de Harlay, President de Thou, the poet Joachim du Bellay
, the chronicler Brantome Descartes, François Viète
the mathematician, and Francis Bacon
. In the seventeenth century the Jesuits sought affiliation with the university and in spite of the opposition of the faculties of theology and arts their request was granted. Jesuit ascendancy grew; they united to Ste. Marthe the Collège du Puygareau. Friction between them and the university was continuous, and in 1762 the general laws against them throughout France led to the Society leaving Poitiers. Moreover, from 1674 the Jesuits had conducted at Poitiers a college for clerical students from Ireland.
In 1806 the State reopened the school of law at Poitiers and later the faculties of literature and science. These faculties were raised to the rank of a university in 1896. From 1872 to 1875 Cardinal Pie was engaged in re-establishing the faculty of theology. As a provisional effort he called to teach in his Grand Séminaire three professors from the Collegio Romano, among them Père Schrader, the commentator of the Syllabus, who died at Poitiers in 1875.
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 archepiscopal see is in the city of Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
. The Diocese of Poitiers includes the two Departments of Vienne
Vienne
Vienne is the northernmost département of the Poitou-Charentes region of France, named after the river Vienne.- Viennese history :Vienne is one of the original 83 departments, established on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Poitou,...
and Deux-Sèvres
Deux-Sèvres
Deux-Sèvres is a French département. Deux-Sèvres literally means "two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise are two rivers which have their sources in the department.-History:...
. The Concordat of 1802 added to the see besides the ancient Diocese of Poitiers a part of the Diocese of La Rochelle and Saintes.
Erected in the third century, as a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Bordeaux, the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese in 2002. The archdiocese is the metropolitan of the Diocese of Angoulême, the Diocese of La Rochelle, the Diocese of Limoges, and the Diocese of Tulle.
Vatican Information Service
Vatican Information Service
The Vatican Information Service is an official news service of the Holy See Press Office.The service was founded in 1991, and transmits news on a daily basis at 3pm Rome time, except during the month of August and on Vatican State holidays .The service is available in four languages: English,...
(VIS) reported that Archbishop Albert Jean-Marie Rouet, who was appointed in 1994, resigned on Saturday, February 12, 2011, having reached the age of 75, at which all bishops must offer to submit their resignations to the Pope for possible acceptance. The Archdiocese of Poitiers is now a vacant see (sede vacante
Sede vacante
Sede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...
).
History
Louis DuchesneLouis Duchesne
Louis Marie Olivier Duchesne was a French priest, philologist, teacher and a critical historian of Christianity and Roman Catholic liturgy and institutions....
holds that its earliest episcopal catalogue represents the ecclesiastical tradition of Poitiers in the twelfth century. The catalogue reckons twelve predecessors of Hilary of Poitiers
Hilary of Poitiers
Hilary of Poitiers was Bishop of Poitiers and is a Doctor of the Church. He was sometimes referred to as the "Hammer of the Arians" and the "Athanasius of the West." His name comes from the Latin word for happy or cheerful. His optional memorial in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints is 13...
, among them Nectarius, Liberius, and Agon, and among his successors Sts. Quintianus and Maxentius. Duchesne does not doubt the existence of these saints but questions whether they were bishops of Poitiers. According to him, Hilary (350-67 or 8) is the first bishop of whom we have historical evidence.
Among his successors were St. Pientius (c. 544-60); St. Fortunatus (c. 599); St. Peter (1087-1115), exiled by William IX, Count of Poitiers, whose divorce he refused to sanction; Gilbert de la Porrée (1142-54); William Tempier (1184-97), who, as Barbier de Montault has shown, was irregularly venerated as a saint in certain parts of the diocese since he died subsequent to the declaration of Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...
which reserved canonizations to the Holy See; Blessed Gauthier de Bruges (1278-1306); Arnauld d'Aux (1306-12), made cardinal in 1312; Guy de Malsec (1371-5), who became cardinal in 1375; Simon de Cramaud (1385-91), indefatigable opponent of the antipope Benedict XIII
Antipope Benedict XIII
Benedict XIII, born Pedro Martínez de Luna y Pérez de Gotor , known as in Spanish, was an Aragonese nobleman, who is officially considered by the Catholic Church to be an antipope....
, and who again administered the diocese (1413-23) and became cardinal in 1413; Louis de Bar (1394-5), cardinal in 1397; Jean de la Trémouille (1505-7), cardinal in 1507; Gabriel de Gramont (1532-4), cardinal in 1507; Claude de Longwy de Givry
Claude de Longwy de Givry
Claude de Longwy de Givry was a French bishop and Cardinal, from an aristocratic background.He became bishop of Mâcon, in 1510, as successor to his uncle Étienne de Longwy...
(1538-52), became cardinal in 1533; Antonio Barberini
Antonio Barberini
Antonio Barberini was an Italian Catholic cardinal, Archbishop of Reims, military leader, patron of the arts and a prominent member of the House of Barberini. As one of the cardinal-nephews of Pope Urban VIII and a supporter of France, he played a significant role at a number of the papal...
(1652-7), cardinal in 1627; Abbé de Pradt (1805-9), afterwards Archbishop of Mechlin, Louis Pie (1849-80), cardinal in 1879.
St. Emmeram was a native of Poitiers, but according to the Bollandists and Duchesne the documents which make him Bishop of Poitiers (c. 650) are not trustworthy; on the other hand Bernard Sepp (Analec. Boll., VIII) and Dom Chamard claim that he did hold the see, and succeeded Didon, bishop about 666 or 668 according to Dom Chamard.
As early as 312 the Bishop of Poitiers established a school near his cathedral; among its scholars were Hilary, St. Maxentius, Maximus, Bishop of Trier, and his two brothers St. Maximinus of Chinon and St. John of Marne, Paulinus, Bishop of Trier, and the poet Ausonius
Ausonius
Decimius Magnus Ausonius was a Latin poet and rhetorician, born at Burdigala .-Biography:Decimius Magnus Ausonius was born in Bordeaux in ca. 310. His father was a noted physician of Greek ancestry and his mother was descended on both sides from long-established aristocratic Gallo-Roman families...
. In the sixth century Fortunatus taught there, and in the twelfth century intellectual Europe flocked to Poitiers to sit at the feet of Gilbert de la Porrée
Gilbert de la Porrée
Gilbert de la Porrée , also known as Gilbert of Poitiers, Gilbertus Porretanus or Pictaviensis, was a scholastic logician and theologian.-Life:...
.
Charles VII of France
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
erected a university at Poitiers, in opposition to Paris, where the majority of the faculty had hailed Henry VI of England
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
, and by Bull of 28 May 1431, Pope Eugene IV
Pope Eugene IV
Pope Eugene IV , born Gabriele Condulmer, was pope from March 3, 1431, to his death.-Biography:He was born in Venice to a rich merchant family, a Correr on his mother's side. Condulmer entered the Order of Saint Augustine at the monastery of St. George in his native city...
approved the new university. In the reign of Louis XII there were in Poitiers no less than four thousand students — French, Italians, Flemings, Scots, and Germans. There were ten colleges attached to the university. In 1540, at the Collège Ste. Marthe, the famous Marc Antoine Muret, whom Gregory XIII called in later years the torch and the pillar of the Roman School, had a chair. The famous Jesuit Maldonatus and five of his confrères went in 1570 to Poitiers to establish a Jesuit college at the request of some of the inhabitants. After two unsuccessful attempts, they were given the Collège Ste. Marthe in 1605. François Garasse
François Garasse
François Garasse was a French Jesuit polemicist. He was known for intemperate attacks on other theologians and thinkers, including Lucilio Vanini and Pierre Charron, whom he called athée et le patriarche des esprits forts....
, well known for his violent polemics and who died of the plague at Poitiers in 1637, was professor there (1607-8), and had as a pupil Guez de Balzac. Among other students at Poitiers were Achille de Harlay, President de Thou, the poet Joachim du Bellay
Joachim du Bellay
Joachim du Bellay was a French poet, critic, and a member of the Pléiade.-Biography:He was born at the Château of La Turmelière, not far from Liré, near Angers, being the son of Jean du Bellay, Lord of Gonnor, first cousin of the cardinal Jean du Bellay and of Guillaume du Bellay.Both his parents...
, the chronicler Brantome Descartes, François Viète
François Viète
François Viète , Seigneur de la Bigotière, was a French mathematician whose work on new algebra was an important step towards modern algebra, due to its innovative use of letters as parameters in equations...
the mathematician, and Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
. In the seventeenth century the Jesuits sought affiliation with the university and in spite of the opposition of the faculties of theology and arts their request was granted. Jesuit ascendancy grew; they united to Ste. Marthe the Collège du Puygareau. Friction between them and the university was continuous, and in 1762 the general laws against them throughout France led to the Society leaving Poitiers. Moreover, from 1674 the Jesuits had conducted at Poitiers a college for clerical students from Ireland.
In 1806 the State reopened the school of law at Poitiers and later the faculties of literature and science. These faculties were raised to the rank of a university in 1896. From 1872 to 1875 Cardinal Pie was engaged in re-establishing the faculty of theology. As a provisional effort he called to teach in his Grand Séminaire three professors from the Collegio Romano, among them Père Schrader, the commentator of the Syllabus, who died at Poitiers in 1875.
To 1000
- Agon
- HilariusHilary of PoitiersHilary of Poitiers was Bishop of Poitiers and is a Doctor of the Church. He was sometimes referred to as the "Hammer of the Arians" and the "Athanasius of the West." His name comes from the Latin word for happy or cheerful. His optional memorial in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints is 13...
349–367 - Pascentius
- Quintianus
- Gelais
- Antheme
- Maixent
- AdelphiusAdelphiusAdelphius , was a Bishop of Limoges at Haute Vienne from ca. 420. His son, born ca. 420, was the father of Saint Ruricius.He had an older brother named Hermogenianus, both children of Pontius, born ca...
533 - Daniel 541
- Pient 555 or 557–561
- Pescentius 561
- Marovée (Maroveus) 573–594
- Platon 594
- Venantius FortunatusVenantius FortunatusVenantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus was a Latin poet and hymnodist in the Merovingian Court, and a Bishop of the early Catholic Church. He was never canonised but was venerated as Saint Venantius Fortunatus during the Middle Ages.-Life:Venantius Fortunatus was born between 530 and 540 A.D....
599–610 - Caregisile 614
- Ernnoald 614–616
- Johann I. 616–627
- Dido (Desiderius) 629–669
- Ansoald
- Eparchius
- Maximin
- Gaubert
- Godon de Rochechouart c.757
- Magnibert
- Bertauld
- Benoit
- Johann II.
- Bertrand I.
- Sigebrand c.818
- Friedebert
- EbroinEbroin (bishop)Ebroin was bishop of Poitiers from 839 to his death. He took on the administration of the county of Poitiers during a troubled period and continued to faithfully support Charles the Bald. He died in a riot between supporters and opponents of Charles the Bald....
c.839 - Engenold c.860
- Frotier I.
- Hecfroi
- Frotier II. c.900
- Alboin c.937
- Peter I. c.963
- Giselbert c.975
1000 to 1300
- Isembert I. c.1021
- Isembert II. c.1047
- Peter II. c.1087
- Wilhelm I. Gilbert 1117
- Wilhelm II. Adelelme 1124
- Grimoard 1140
- Gilbert de La PorréeGilbert de la PorréeGilbert de la Porrée , also known as Gilbert of Poitiers, Gilbertus Porretanus or Pictaviensis, was a scholastic logician and theologian.-Life:...
1142 - Calo 1155
- Laurent 1159
- Jean aux Belles Mains 1162
- William Tempier 1184
- Ademar du Peirat 1197
- Maurice de Blaron 1198
- Guillaume Prévost 1217
- Philipp Balleos 1224
- John de Melun 1235
- Hugo de Châteauroux1259
- Gauthier de Bruges 1279
1300 to 1500
- Arnaud d'Aux (card.) 1306
- Fort d'Aux en 1314
- Johann V. de Lieux 1357
- Aimery de Mons 1363
- Guy de Malsec (Gui de Maillesec) 1371
- Bertrand de Maumont 1376
- Simon of CramaudSimon of CramaudSimon de Cramaud was a Catholic bishop, titular Latin Patriarch of Alexandria, and cardinal during the Great Western Schism of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries....
1385 - Louis of Bar 1391 (Administrator 1392)
- Ythier de Mareuil 1395
- Gérard de Montaigu 1405
- Peter III. Trousseau 1409
- Louis of Bar 1423-1424 (Administrator)
- Hugo de Combarel 1424
- Wilhelm V. Gouge de Charpaignes 1441
- Jacques Juvénal des Ursins 1449
- Léon Guérinet 1457
- Johann VI du Bellay 1462
- Wilhelm VI. de Cluny 1479
- Peter IV. d'Amboise 1481
1500 to 1800
- Jean de La TrémoïlleJean de la TrémoilleJean de la Trémoille is the name of:*Jean de la Trémoille , Grand Master and Grand Chamberlain to the dukes of Burgundy John the Fearless and Philip the Good...
1505 - Claude de Husson 1510
- Louis de Husson 1521
- Gabriel de Grammont 1532
- Claude de Longwy de GivryClaude de Longwy de GivryClaude de Longwy de Givry was a French bishop and Cardinal, from an aristocratic background.He became bishop of Mâcon, in 1510, as successor to his uncle Étienne de Longwy...
1541 - Jean d'Amoncourt 1551
- Charles de Pérusse des Cars 1560
- Jean du Fay 1571
- Geoffroy de Saint-Belin 1577
- Henri-Louis Chasteigner de La Roche-Posay 1612
- Gilbert Clérembault de Palluau 1657
- 1680–1685: Hardouin Fortin de La Hoguette
- 1686–1698: François-Ignace de Baglion de Saillant
- 1698–1702: Antoine Girard de Borna
- 1702–1732: Jean-Claude de La Poype de Vertrieu
- 1732–1749: Jean-Louis de Foudras de Courtenay
- 1749–1759: Jean-Louis de La Marthonie de Caussade
- 1759–1802: Martial-Louis de Beaupoil de Saint-Aulaire
From 1800
- 1802–1804: Jean-Baptiste-Luc Bailly
- 1804–1808: Dominique-Georges-Frédéric Dufour de Pradt
- 1817–1842: Jean-Baptiste de Bouillé
- 1842–1849: Joseph-Aimé Guitton
- 1849–1880: Louis-François-Désiré-Edouard Pie
- 1880–1888: Jacques-Edmé-Henri Philadelphe Bellot des Minières
- 1889–1893: Augustin-Hubert Juteau
- 1894–1911: Henri Pelgé
- 1911–1918: Louis Humbrecht
- 1918–1932: Olivier de Durfort de Civrac
- 1933–1956: Edouard Mesguen
- 1956–1975: Henri Vion
- 1975–1994: Joseph RozierJoseph RozierJoseph Rozier was bishop of Poitiers from 1975 to 1994. Near the end of his episcopate he published a statement in the Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest outlining incompatibility between National Front membership and acceptance as a Christian catechumen....
- 1994–today: Albert RouetAlbert RouetAlbert Jean-Marie Rouet was the Bishop of Poitiers since 1994 and archbishop of the same episcopal see since 2002. According to the Vatican Information Service , he resigned for reasons of age on Saturday, February 12, 2011, having reached the age limit of 75 at which all bishops must submit...
(first Archbishop)