Roman Catholic Diocese of Montauban
Encyclopedia
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Montauban, is a diocese
of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church
in France
. The diocese is coextensive with Tarn-et-Garonne
. Currently a suffragan of the archdiocese of Toulouse, the episcopal seat is in Montauban Cathedral.
Suppressed under the Concordat of 1802 and divided between the three neighbouring dioceses of Toulouse, Agen, and Cahors, Montauban was re-established by imperial decree of 1809, but this measure was not approved by the Holy See
. Re-established by the Concordat of 1817
, it was filled only in 1824.
monks had founded Montauriol Abbey under the patronage of Saint Martin
; subsequently it adopted the name of its abbot Saint Theodard
, Archbishop of Narbonne, who died at the abbey in 893. The Count of Toulouse, Alphonse Jourdan, took from the abbey in 1144 its lands on the heights overlooking the right bank of the Tarn, and founded there the city of Montauban
; a certain number of inhabitants of Montauriol and serfs of the abbey formed the nucleus of the population. The monks protested, and in 1149 a satisfactory agreement was concluded.
Notwithstanding the sufferings of Montauban during the Albigensian wars, it grew rapidly. Pope John XXII
, by the Bull Salvator (25 June 1317), separated from the ecclesiastical province of Narbonne, the see of Toulouse, made it an archiepiscopal see, and gave it as suffragans four dioceses created within its territory: Montauban, the diocese of St.-Papoul, diocese of Rieux, and diocese of Lombez. Bertrand de Puy, abbot at Montauriol, was first bishop of Montauban.
Montauban counts among its bishops: Cardinal Georges d'Amboise
(1484–1491), minister of Louis XII, and Jean de Lettes (1539–1556), who married and became a Protestant. Despite the resistance of Jacques des Prés-Montpezat (1556–1589), a nephew of Jean de Lettes who succeeded him as bishop, the Calvinists became masters of the city; in 1561 they interdicted Catholic worship; the destruction of the churches, and even of the cathedral, was begun and carried on until 1567. In 1570 Montauban became one of the four strongholds granted the Protestants and in 1578, 1579, and 1584 harboured the synods held by the députés of the Reformed Churches of France.
For a short time, in 1600, Catholic worship was re-established but was soon suppressed; Bishop Anne Carrion de Murviel (1600–1652) withdrew to Montech
during the greater part of his reign and administered thence the Church of Montauban. In spite of the unsuccessful siege of Montauban by Louis XIII (August-November, 1621), the fall of La Rochelle
(1629) entailed the submission of the city, and Richelieu entered it on 20 August 1629. Other bishops of note were: Le Tonnelier de Breteuil (1762–1794), who died during the Reign of Terror
in the prison of Rouen
, after converting the philosopher La Harpe
to Catholicism; the future Cardinal de Cheverus, 1824-26.
Legend attributes to Clovis
the foundation of Moissac Abbey in 506, but Saint Amand
(594-675) seems to have been the first abbot. The abbey grew, and in a few years its possessions extended to the gates of Toulouse
. The church of Moissac
, formerly the abbey church, has a portal built in 1107 which is a veritable museum of Romanesque sculpture; its cloister
(1100–1108) is one of the most remarkable in France.
The threats and incursions of the Saracens, Hungarians, and Northmen brought the monks of Moissac to elect "knight abbots" who were laymen, and whose mission was to defend them. From the tenth to the thirteenth century several of the counts of Toulouse
were knight-abbots of Moissac; the death of Alfonso, Count of Poitou (1271) made the King of France the legitimate successor of the counts of Toulouse, and in this way the abbey came to depend directly on the kings of France, henceforth its "knight-abbots". Some of the abbots were saints: Saint Ausbert (663-678); Saint Leotadius (678-691); Saint Paternus (691-718); Saint Amarandus (718-720). The union of Moissac with Cluny
was begun by Abbot Stephen as early as 1047, and completed in 1063 under Abbot Durand. Four filial abbeys and numerous priories depended on Moissac Abbey. Among the commendatory abbots were Louis of Lorraine, Cardinal de Guise (1556–1578); Charles of Lorraine
, the Cardinal de Vaudemont (1578–1590). In 1618 Moissac was transformed into a collegiate church
which had, among other titulars, Cardinal Mazarin (1644–1661), and Cardinal de Loménie de Brienne, minister of Louis XVI (1775–1788).
On 25 July 1523, fifteen inhabitants of Moissac, after they had made a pilgrimage to Compostela
, grouped themselves into a confraternity "à l'honneur de Dieu, de Notre Dame et Monseigneur Saint Jacques". This confraternity, reorganized in 1615 by letters patent of Louis XIII, existed for many years. As late as 1830 "pilgrims" were still seen in the Moissac processions. In fact Moissac and Spain were long closely united; a monk of Moissac, St. Gérault, was Archbishop of Braga from 1095 to 1109. The general synod of the Reformers held at Montpellier, in May, 1598, decided on the creation of an academy at Montauban; it was opened in 1600, was exclusively Protestant, and gathered students from other countries of Europe. In 1632 the Jesuits established themselves at Montauban, but in 1659 transferred the Academy to Puylaurens
. In 1808 a faculty of Protestant theology was created at Montauban and still exists.
The principal pilgrimages of the diocese are: Notre Dame de Livron or de la Déliverance, visited by Blanche of Castile
and Louis XIII; Notre Dame de Lorm, at Castelferrus, dating from the fifteenth century; Notre Dame de la Peyrouse, near Lafrançaise. Among the congregations of women which originated in the diocese were: Sisters of Mercy
, hospitallers and teachers, founded in 1804 (mother-house at Moissac); Sisters of the Guardian Angel, hospitallers and teachers, founded in 1839 at Quillan in the diocese of Carcassonne by Père Deshayes, Superior of the Daughters of Wisdom
, whose mother-house was transferred to the château of La Molle, near Montauban in 1858.
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 Tarn-et-Garonne
Tarn-et-Garonne
Tarn-et-Garonne is a French department in the southwest of France. It is traversed by the Rivers Tarn and Garonne, from which it takes its name.-History:...
. Currently a suffragan of the archdiocese of Toulouse, the episcopal seat is in Montauban Cathedral.
Suppressed under the Concordat of 1802 and divided between the three neighbouring dioceses of Toulouse, Agen, and Cahors, Montauban was re-established by imperial decree of 1809, but this measure was not approved by the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. Re-established by the Concordat of 1817
Concordat of 11 June 1817
The Concordat of 11 June 1817 was a concordat between the kingdom of France and the Holy See, signed on 11 June 1817. Not having been validated, it never came into force in France and so the country remained under the regime outlined in the Concordat of 1801 until the 1905 law on the Separation of...
, it was filled only in 1824.
History
In 820 BenedictineBenedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monks had founded Montauriol Abbey under the patronage of Saint Martin
Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints...
; subsequently it adopted the name of its abbot Saint Theodard
Theodard
Saint Theodard was an archbishop of Narbonne. He may have been born to the nobility and served as a subdeacon at a church council at Toulouse....
, Archbishop of Narbonne, who died at the abbey in 893. The Count of Toulouse, Alphonse Jourdan, took from the abbey in 1144 its lands on the heights overlooking the right bank of the Tarn, and founded there the city of Montauban
Montauban
Montauban is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse....
; a certain number of inhabitants of Montauriol and serfs of the abbey formed the nucleus of the population. The monks protested, and in 1149 a satisfactory agreement was concluded.
Notwithstanding the sufferings of Montauban during the Albigensian wars, it grew rapidly. Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
, by the Bull Salvator (25 June 1317), separated from the ecclesiastical province of Narbonne, the see of Toulouse, made it an archiepiscopal see, and gave it as suffragans four dioceses created within its territory: Montauban, the diocese of St.-Papoul, diocese of Rieux, and diocese of Lombez. Bertrand de Puy, abbot at Montauriol, was first bishop of Montauban.
Montauban counts among its bishops: Cardinal Georges d'Amboise
Georges d'Amboise
Georges d'Amboise was a French Roman Catholic cardinal and minister of state. He belonged to the house of Amboise, a noble family possessed of considerable influence: of his nine brothers, four were bishops. His father, Pierre d'Amboise, seigneur de Chaumont, was chamberlain to Charles VII and...
(1484–1491), minister of Louis XII, and Jean de Lettes (1539–1556), who married and became a Protestant. Despite the resistance of Jacques des Prés-Montpezat (1556–1589), a nephew of Jean de Lettes who succeeded him as bishop, the Calvinists became masters of the city; in 1561 they interdicted Catholic worship; the destruction of the churches, and even of the cathedral, was begun and carried on until 1567. In 1570 Montauban became one of the four strongholds granted the Protestants and in 1578, 1579, and 1584 harboured the synods held by the députés of the Reformed Churches of France.
For a short time, in 1600, Catholic worship was re-established but was soon suppressed; Bishop Anne Carrion de Murviel (1600–1652) withdrew to Montech
Montech
Montech is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France.-References:*...
during the greater part of his reign and administered thence the Church of Montauban. In spite of the unsuccessful siege of Montauban by Louis XIII (August-November, 1621), the fall of La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
(1629) entailed the submission of the city, and Richelieu entered it on 20 August 1629. Other bishops of note were: Le Tonnelier de Breteuil (1762–1794), who died during the Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
in the prison of Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
, after converting the philosopher La Harpe
Jean-François de La Harpe
Jean-François de La Harpe was a French playwright, writer and critic.-Life:La Harpe was born in Paris of poor parents. His father, who signed himself Delharpe, was a descendant of a noble family originally of Vaud...
to Catholicism; the future Cardinal de Cheverus, 1824-26.
Legend attributes to Clovis
Clovis I
Clovis Leuthwig was the first King of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the leadership from a group of royal chieftains, to rule by kings, ensuring that the kingship was held by his heirs. He was also the first Catholic King to rule over Gaul . He was the son...
the foundation of Moissac Abbey in 506, but Saint Amand
Saint Amand
Saint Amand or Amandus was a French Christian saint, one of the great Christian Saints of Flanders.-Biography:...
(594-675) seems to have been the first abbot. The abbey grew, and in a few years its possessions extended to the gates of Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
. The church of Moissac
Moissac
Moissac is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It is famous world-wide mostly for the artistic heritage handed down by the ancient Saint-Pierre Abbey.-History:...
, formerly the abbey church, has a portal built in 1107 which is a veritable museum of Romanesque sculpture; its cloister
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
(1100–1108) is one of the most remarkable in France.
The threats and incursions of the Saracens, Hungarians, and Northmen brought the monks of Moissac to elect "knight abbots" who were laymen, and whose mission was to defend them. From the tenth to the thirteenth century several of the counts of Toulouse
Counts of Toulouse
The first Counts of Toulouse were the administrators of the city and its environs under the Merovingians. No succession of such royal appointees is known, though a few names survive to the present...
were knight-abbots of Moissac; the death of Alfonso, Count of Poitou (1271) made the King of France the legitimate successor of the counts of Toulouse, and in this way the abbey came to depend directly on the kings of France, henceforth its "knight-abbots". Some of the abbots were saints: Saint Ausbert (663-678); Saint Leotadius (678-691); Saint Paternus (691-718); Saint Amarandus (718-720). The union of Moissac with Cluny
Cluny
Cluny or Clungy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France. It is 20 km northwest of Mâcon.The town grew up around the Benedictine Cluny Abbey, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in 910...
was begun by Abbot Stephen as early as 1047, and completed in 1063 under Abbot Durand. Four filial abbeys and numerous priories depended on Moissac Abbey. Among the commendatory abbots were Louis of Lorraine, Cardinal de Guise (1556–1578); Charles of Lorraine
Charles of Lorraine
Charles of Lorraine may refer to:*Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine *Charles II, Duke of Lorraine *Charles III, Duke of Lorraine *Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine...
, the Cardinal de Vaudemont (1578–1590). In 1618 Moissac was transformed into a collegiate church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
which had, among other titulars, Cardinal Mazarin (1644–1661), and Cardinal de Loménie de Brienne, minister of Louis XVI (1775–1788).
On 25 July 1523, fifteen inhabitants of Moissac, after they had made a pilgrimage to Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
, grouped themselves into a confraternity "à l'honneur de Dieu, de Notre Dame et Monseigneur Saint Jacques". This confraternity, reorganized in 1615 by letters patent of Louis XIII, existed for many years. As late as 1830 "pilgrims" were still seen in the Moissac processions. In fact Moissac and Spain were long closely united; a monk of Moissac, St. Gérault, was Archbishop of Braga from 1095 to 1109. The general synod of the Reformers held at Montpellier, in May, 1598, decided on the creation of an academy at Montauban; it was opened in 1600, was exclusively Protestant, and gathered students from other countries of Europe. In 1632 the Jesuits established themselves at Montauban, but in 1659 transferred the Academy to Puylaurens
Puylaurens
Puylaurens is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-References:*...
. In 1808 a faculty of Protestant theology was created at Montauban and still exists.
The principal pilgrimages of the diocese are: Notre Dame de Livron or de la Déliverance, visited by Blanche of Castile
Blanche of Castile
Blanche of Castile , was a Queen consort of France as the wife of Louis VIII. She acted as regent twice during the reign of her son, Louis IX....
and Louis XIII; Notre Dame de Lorm, at Castelferrus, dating from the fifteenth century; Notre Dame de la Peyrouse, near Lafrançaise. Among the congregations of women which originated in the diocese were: Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
, hospitallers and teachers, founded in 1804 (mother-house at Moissac); Sisters of the Guardian Angel, hospitallers and teachers, founded in 1839 at Quillan in the diocese of Carcassonne by Père Deshayes, Superior of the Daughters of Wisdom
Daughters of Wisdom
Daughters of Wisdom is a Catholic contemplative organization founded by Saint Louis de Montfort and Blessed Marie Louise Trichet.While he was temporary chaplain of the hospital of Poitiers in 1707, he associated into a little community some pious but afflicted girls, and gave them a rule of life,...
, whose mother-house was transferred to the château of La Molle, near Montauban in 1858.
Bishops
- 1317 : Bertrand I du Puy
- 1317 - 1355 : Guillaume de Cardaillac
- 1355 - 1359 : Jacques I de Daux
- 1359 : Bernard I
- 1359 - 1361 : Bertrand II de Cardaillac
- 1361 - 1368 : Arnaud Bernard du Pouget, administrator
- 1368 - 1379 : Pierre I de Chalais
- 1379 - 1403 : Bertrand III Robert de Saint-Jal
- 1403 - 1405 : Géraud du Puy
- 1405 - 1424 : Raymond de Bar
- 1424 - 1426 : Gérard de Faidit
- 1426 - 1427 : Pierre II de Cottines
- 1427 - 1444 : Bernard II de la Roche Fontenilles
- 1444 - 1450 : Aymery de Roquemaurel
- 1450 - 1451 : Bernard III de Rousergues
- 1451 - 1453 : Guillaume II d'Estampes
- 1453 - 1470 : Jean de Batut de Montrosier
- 1470 - 1484 : Jean II de Montalembert
- 1484 : Georges de Viguerie
- 1484 - 1491 : Georges d'AmboiseGeorges d'AmboiseGeorges d'Amboise was a French Roman Catholic cardinal and minister of state. He belonged to the house of Amboise, a noble family possessed of considerable influence: of his nine brothers, four were bishops. His father, Pierre d'Amboise, seigneur de Chaumont, was chamberlain to Charles VII and...
- 1491 - 1519 : Jean d'Auriolle
- 1519 - 1539 : Jean des Prés-Montpezat
- 1539 - 1556 : Jean de Lettes-Montpezat
- 1556 - 1589 : Jacques II des Prés-Montpezat
- 1589 - 1600 : Claude de Champaigne, administrator
- 1600 - 1652 : Anne Carrion de Murviel
- 1652 - 1674 : Pierre III de Bertier
- 1674 - 1687 : Jean-Baptiste Michel de Colbert
- 1687 - 1703 : Henri de NesmondHenri de NesmondHenri de Nesmond was a French churchman, bishop of Montauban, archbishop of Albi and archbishop of Toulouse.- Life :He was a son of Henri de Nesmond...
- 1703 - 1728 : François d'Haussonville de Nettancourt Vaubecourt
- 1728 - 1763 : Michel de Verthamon de Chavagnac
- 1763 - 1790 : Anne-François Victor le Tonnelier de Breteuil
- 1790 - 1817 : Vacant
- 1817 - 1826 : Jean-Armand Chaudru de Trélissac, administrator
- 1823 -1826 : Jean-Louis Lefebvre de CheverusJean-Louis Lefebvre de CheverusJean-Louis Anne Madelain Lefebvre de Cheverus , French ecclesiastic, was the first Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boston, Massachusetts.-Early life:...
- 1826 - 1833 : Louis-Guillaume-Valentin Dubourg
- 1833 - 1844 : Jean-Armand Chaudru de Trelissac
- 1844 - 1871 : Jean-Marie Doney
- 1871 - 1882 : Théodore Legain
- 1882 - 1908 : Adolphe-Josué-Frédéric Fiard
- 1908 - 1929 : Pierre-Eugène-Alexandre Marty
- 1929 - 1935 : Clément Émile Roques
- 1935 - 1940 : Elie-Antoine Durand
- 1940 - 1947 : Pierre-Marie ThéasPierre-Marie ThéasPierre-Marie Théas was a French Roman Catholic bishop. He was ordained on September 16, 1920 as a priest. He was consecrated as the Bishop of Montauban, France, on July 26, 1940...
- 1947 - 1970 : Louis de Courrèges d'Ustou
- 1970 - 1975 : Roger Tort
- 1975 - 1996 : Jacques de Saint-Blanquat
- 1996 - 2007 : Bernard Housset
- 2007–present : Bernard Ginoux