Roman Catholic Diocese of Rodez
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 Episcopal seat rests in Rodez
Rodez
Rodez is a town and commune in southern France, in the Aveyron department, of which it is the capital. Its inhabitants are called Ruthénois.-History:Existing from at least the 5th century BC, Rodez was founded by the Celts...
. The diocese corresponds exactly to the Department of Aveyron (formerly Rouergue).
Originally erected in the 5th century, the Diocese of Vabres was split off from the diocese of Rodez in the 13th century. In 1801, the diocese was suppressed and merged with the diocese of Cahors and the Diocese of Saint-Flour
Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Flour
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Flour is a Diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the department of Cantal. Erected in 1347, the diocese is currently the suffragan of the Archdiocese of Clermont, after transferral from the Archdiocese of Bourges...
.
In 1817, the diocese was restored and given jurisdiction over the ancient diocese of Rodez, with the exception of the deanery of Saint Antonin, which was incorporated with the Diocese of Montauban; the ancient Diocese of Vabres; and a few scattered communes of the Diocese of Cahors.
It was suffragan of the archdiocese of Bourges
Archdiocese of Bourges
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bourges is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The Archdiocese comprises the departements of Cher and Indre in the Region of Val de Loire....
until 1676, then of the archdiocese of Albi, until 2002, when the diocese became a suffragan of the archdiocese of Toulouse.
The current bishop is Bellino Giusto Ghirard, who was appointed in 1991.
Foundation
Modern tradition attributes to St. Martial the foundation of the church of Rodez and the sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin at Ceignac, for according to Cardinal BourretJoseph-Christian-Ernest Bourret
Joseph Christian Ernest Bourret was a French churchman, bishop and cardinal.-Life:...
, the church of Rodez honoured St. Martial as early as the sixth century. There were bishops of Rodez before 675, as Sidonius Apollinaris
Sidonius Apollinaris
Gaius Sollius Apollinaris Sidonius or Saint Sidonius Apollinaris was a poet, diplomat, and bishop. Sidonius is "the single most important surviving author from fifth-century Gaul" according to Eric Goldberg...
mentions that the Goths
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
left it at that date without bishops.
Saints
Amantius, who ruled about the end of the fifth century, is the first bishop mentioned. Among others are:- S. Quintian of Rodez (Quintianus) who assisted at the Councils of Agde (508) and Orléans (511), afterwards Bishop of Clermont
- S. Dalmatius of RodezDalmatius of RodezSaint Dalmatius of Rodez was a bishop of Rodez from 524 to 580. He is considered by the Catholic Church to have suffered at the hands of Amalaric, who was a follower of Arianism. Dalmatius’ testament requested from Childebert II that the bishop’s successor not be a stranger to the see, or...
(524-80) - Saint Gausbert (eleventh century), probably a Bishop of Cahors
- Jean de Cardaillac (1371-9), Patriarch of AlexandriaPatriarch of AlexandriaThe Patriarch of Alexandria is the Archbishop of Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation of Pope , and did so earlier than that of the Bishop of Rome...
, who fought against English rule - Blessed Francis d'Estaing (1501–29), ambassador of Louis XII to Pope Julius IIPope Julius IIPope Julius II , nicknamed "The Fearsome Pope" and "The Warrior Pope" , born Giuliano della Rovere, was Pope from 1503 to 1513...
- Louis Avelly (1664-6) who wrote the life of St. Vincent of Paul
- Joseph BourretJoseph BourretJoseph Bourret was a 19th century Canadian lawyer, banker and politician.Bourret was educated at the Classical College at Nicolet, Quebec. After clerking for three years for his uncle, Bourret was admitted to the bar in 1823. He practiced law at his uncle's office for ten years...
(1871–96), made Cardinal in 1893.
Middle Ages
The Benedictine Abbey of Vabres, founded in 862 by Raymond I, Count of Toulouse, was raised to episcopal rank in 1317, and its diocesan territory was taken from the southeastern portion of the Diocese of Rodez. Some scholars hold that within the limits of the modern Diocese of Rodez there existed in Merovingian times the See of Arisitum which, according to 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....
, was in the neighbourhood of Alais.
During the Middle Ages the Bishop of Rodez held temporal dominion over that portion of the town known as the Cité while in the eleventh century the Bourg became the County of Rodez. The cathedral of Rodez (thirteenth and fourteenth centuries) is a beautiful Gothic building, famous for its belfry
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
(1510–26) and unique rood-beam. It was spared during the Revolution for dedication to Marat.
The Cistercian Abbeys of Silbanès, Beaulieu
Beaulieu-en-Rouergue Abbey
Beaulieu-en-Rouergue Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in south-west France, founded in 1144. Today, the abbey houses a museum of contemporary art. It is located in the commune of Ginals in the north-east of the Tarn-et-Garonne department, Midi-Pyrénées...
, Loc-Dieu, Bonneval, and Bonnecombe were model-farms during the Middle Ages. Attacked by brigands in the Rouergue country on his way to Santiago di Compostella, Adalard, Viscount of Flanders, erected in 1031 a monastery known as the Domerie d'Aubrac, a special order of priests, knights, lay brothers, ladies, and lay sisters for the care and protection of travellers. At Milhau, Rodez, Nazac, and Bozouls, hospitals, styled "Commanderies", of this order of Aubrac
Order of Aubrac
The Order of Aubrac was a hospitaller and military order founded, with its headquarters at Aubrac in the Diocese of Rodez, in the mid-twelfth century. The Augustinian rule was approved for the order by the bishop in 1162. Its original purpose was to safeguard the local hospital for pilgrims on the...
adopted the rule of St. Augustine in 1162.
Early modern period
The town of Milhau adopted Calvinism in 1534, and in 1573 and 1620 was the scene of two large assemblies of Protestant deputies. In 1629 Milhau and Saint-Afrique, another Protestant stronghold, were taken and dismantled by Louis XIII.In 1628 a plague at Villefranche carried off 8000 inhabitants within six months; Father Ambroise, a Franciscan, and the chief of police Jean de Pomayrol saved the lives of many little children by causing them to bo suckled by goats.
Conques
The Diocese of Rodez is famous also through the Abbey of Conques and the cult of Saint Faith (Sainte Foy). Some Christians, flying from the Saracens about 730, sought a refuge in the "Val Rocheux" of the Dourdou and built an oratory there. In 790 the hermit Dadon made this his abode and aided by Louis the PiousLouis the Pious
Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
, then King of Aquitaine, founded an abbey, which Louis named Conques. In 838 Pepin, King of Aquitaine
Pepin I of Aquitaine
Pepin I was King of Aquitaine.-Biography:He was the second son of Emperor Louis the Pious and his first wife, Ermengarde of Hesbaye....
, gave the monastery of Figeac to Conques. Between 877 and 883 the monks carried off the body of the youthful martyr Faith or Foy from the monastery of Sainte Foy to Conques, where it became the object of a great pilgrimage.
Abbot Odolric built the abbey church between 1030 and 1060; on the stonework over the doorway is carved the most artistic representation in France of the Last Judgment. Abbot Begon (1099–1118) enriched Conques with a superb reliquary of beaten gold and cloisonne's enamels of a kind extremely rare in France. Pascal II gave him permission for the name of Ste-Foy to be inserted in the Canon of the Mass after the names of the Roman virgins. At this time Conques, with Agen
Agen
Agen is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in Aquitaine in south-western France. It lies on the river Garonne southeast of Bordeaux. It is the capital of the department.-Economy:The town has a higher level of unemployment than the national average...
and Schelestadt in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, was the centre of the cult of Saint Faith which soon spread to England, Spain, and America where many towns bear the name of Santa Fe. The statue of St. Faith seated, which dates from the tenth century, was originally a small wooden one covered with gold leaf. In time, gems, enamels, and precious stones were added in such quantities that it is a living treatise on the history of the goldsmiths' art in France between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries. It was known during the Middle Ages as "Majesté de Sainte Foy". The shrine enclosing the relics of the saint, which in 1590 was hidden in the masonry connecting the pillars of the choir, was found in 1875, repaired, transferred to the cathedral of Rodez for a novena
Novena
In the Catholic Church, a novena is a devotion consisting of a prayer repeated on nine successive days, asking to obtain special graces. The prayers may come from prayer books, or consist of the recitation of the Rosary , or of short prayers through the day...
, and brought back to Conques, a distance of 40 km, on the shoulders of the clergy.
Saints
Among Saints specially honoured in the Diocese of Rodez and Vabres are:- S. Antoninus of PamiersAntoninus of PamiersSaint Antoninus of Pamiers was an early Christian missionary and martyr, called the "Apostle of the Rouergue". His life is dated to the first, second, fourth, and fifth century by various sources, since he often confused with various other venerated Antonini. Today he is revered as the patron...
; - Apostle of the RouergueRouergueRouergue is a former province of France, bounded on the north by Auvergne, on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by Gévaudan and on the west by Quercy...
(date uncertain); - S. Gratus and S. Ansutus, martyrs (fourth century);
- S. NamatiusNamatiusSaint Namatius is a saint in the Roman Catholic church. He was the eighth or ninth bishop of Clermont from 446 to 462, and founded Clermont's first cathedral, bringing the relics of Saints Vitalis and Agricola to it from Bologna...
, deacon and confessor (end of fifth century); - St. Tarsicia, granddaughter of Chlothar I and of Radegunda, who retired to the Rouergue to lead an ascetic life (sixth century);
- Saint Africanus, wrongly styled Bishop of Comminges, who died in the Rouergue (sixth century);
- S. Hilarian, martyred by the Moors in the time of CharlemagneCharlemagneCharlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
(eighth and ninth century); - S. George, a monk in the Diocese of Vabres, afterwards Bishop of LodèveLodèveLodève is a commune in the Hérault département in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:...
(877); - S. Guasbert, founder and first abbot of the monastery of Montsalvy in the modern Diocese of St. Flour (eleventh century).
Shrines
The chief shrines of the diocese are: Notre Dame de Ceignac, an ancient shrine rebuilt and enlarged in 1455, which over 15,000 pilgrims visit annually; Notre Dame du Saint Voile at Coupiac, another ancient shrine; Notre Dame des Treize Pierres at Villefranche, a pilgrimage dating from 1509.Natives
Among natives of the diocese are:- Cardinal Bernard of Milhau, Abbot of St. Victor's at Marseilles in 1063, and legate of Gregory VII
- Theodatus de Gozon (d. 1353) and John of La Valetta (1494–1568), grand masters of the order of St. John of Jerusalem; the former is famous for his victory over the dragon of Rhodes, the latter for his heroic defence of MaltaMaltaMalta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
- Frassinous (1765–1841), preacher and minister of worship under the Restoration
- BonaldBonaldBonald or Bonalde may refer to:* Louis Gabriel Ambroise de Bonald, a French philosopher and politician** Victor de Bonald, son of the above** Louis Jacques Maurice de Bonald, son of the first...
(1754–1840) and Laromiguière (1736–1837), philosophers - AffreDenis Auguste AffreDenis-Auguste Affre , archbishop of Paris, was born at Saint-Rome-de-Tarn, in the department of Aveyron.He was educated for the priesthood at Saint-Sulpice, where in 1818 he became professor of dogmatic theology. After filling a number of ecclesiastical offices, he was elevated to the archbishopric...
(1793–1848), born at St. Rome de Tarn and slain at the Barricades as Archbishop of Paris.
Ordinaries
- Georges d'ArmagnacGeorges d'ArmagnacGeorges d'Armagnac was a French humanist, patron of arts, Cardinal and diplomat deeply embroiled in the Italian Wars and in the French Wars of Religion.-Biography:...
† ( 1529 Appointed - 1536 Appointed, Bishop of Vabres) - Hardouin de Péréfixe de BeaumontHardouin de Péréfixe de BeaumontPaul Philippe Hardouin de Beaumont de Péréfixe was a French historian and clergyman. He was bishop of Rodez, then archbishop of Paris....
† (22 Apr 1648 Appointed - 30 Jul 1662 Appointed, Archbishop of ParisArchbishop of ParisThe 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...
) - Gabriel de Voyer de Paulmy d'Argenson † ( 1666 Appointed - 11 Oct 1682 Died)
- Paul-Louis-Philippe de Lézay de Lusignan † ( 1683 Appointed - 25 Feb 1716 Died)
- Jean d'Yse (d'Ize) de Saléon † ( 1734 Appointed - 1747 Appointed, Archbishop of Vienne)
- Charles de Grimaldi d'Antibes † (22 Jan 1747 Ordained Bishop - 10 Mar 1770 Died)
- Jérôme-Marie Champion de Cicé † (24 Jun 1770 Appointed - 28 Jan 1781 Appointed, Archbishop of Bordeaux)
- Charles Colbert Seignelay de Castle Hill † (2 Apr 1781 Appointed - 1801 Resigned)*
- Charles-André-Toussaint-Bruno de Ramond-Lalande † (8 Aug 1817 Appointed - 9 Jan 1830 Appointed, Archbishop of Sens)
- Pierre Giraud † (9 Jan 1830 Appointed - 2 Dec 1841 Appointed, Archbishop of Cambrai)
- Jean-François Crozier † (22 Feb 1842 Appointed - 2 Apr 1855 Died)
- Louis-Auguste Delalle † (30 Aug 1855 Appointed - 6 Jun 1871 Died)
- Joseph-Christian-Ernest BourretJoseph-Christian-Ernest BourretJoseph Christian Ernest Bourret was a French churchman, bishop and cardinal.-Life:...
, C.O. † (19 Jul 1871 Appointed - 10 Jul 1896 Died) - Jean-Augustin Germain † (14 Apr 1897 Appointed - 7 Dec 1899 Appointed, Archbishop of Toulouse)
- Louis-Eugène Francqueville † (7 Dec 1899 Appointed - 9 Dec 1905 Died)
- Charles du Pont de Ligonnès † (21 Feb 1906 Appointed - 5 Feb 1925 Died)
- Charles Challiol † (15 May 1925 Appointed - 11 Mar 1948 Died)
- Marcel-Marie-Henri-Paul Dubois † (8 Jul 1948 Appointed - 10 Jun 1954 Appointed, Archbishop of Besançon)
- Jean-Ernest Ménard † (23 Jan 1955 Appointed - 28 Jun 1973 Died)
- Roger Joseph Bourrat † (30 May 1974 Appointed - 1 Jun 1991 Resigned)
- Bellino Giusto Ghirard (1 Jun 1991 Succeeded - )