Roman Catholic Diocese of Angers
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (October 2017) |
Diocese of Angers Dioecesis Andegavensis Diocèse d'Angers | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | France |
Ecclesiastical province | Rennes |
Metropolitan | Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo |
Statistics | |
Area | 7,166 km2 (2,767 sq mi) |
Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2022) 815,883 586,000 (71.8%) |
Parishes | 60 |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Established | 372 |
Cathedral | Cathedral of St. Maurice in Angers |
Patron saint | Saint Maurice |
Secular priests | 153 (Diocesan) 46 (Religious Orders) 52 Permanent Deacons |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | Emmanuel Delmas |
Metropolitan Archbishop | Pierre d'Ornellas |
Map | |
Website | |
Website of the Diocese |
The Diocese of Angers (Latin: Dioecesis Andegavensis; French: Diocèse d'Angers) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The episcopal see is located in Angers Cathedral in the city of Angers. The diocese extends over the entire department of Maine-et-Loire.
It was a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Tours under the old regime as well as under the Concordat. Currently, the diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo.
In 2022, in the Diocese of Angers there was one priest for every 2,944 Catholics.
History
[edit]The first Bishop known in history is Defensor, who, when present in 372, at the election of the Bishop of Tours, made a determined stand against the nomination of Martin of Tours. The legend concerning the earlier episcopate of a certain Auxilius, is connected with the cycle of legends that centre about Firmin of Amiens and is contradicted by Angevin tradition from before the thirteenth century.
Among the illustrious names of the Diocese of Angers during the first centuries of its existence are those of Maurilius, disciple of Martin, and at an earlier period hermit of Chalonnes, who made a vigorous stand against idolatry, and died in 427; Thalassius, consecrated bishop in 453, who has left a compendium of canon law, consisting of the decisions of the councils of the province of Tours; Albinus (sixth century); Licinius, former Count of Anjou, and bishop during the early part of the seventh century.
As for the tradition that Renatus, who had been raised from the dead by Maurilius, was Bishop of Angers for some time shortly before 450, it bases its claims to credibility on a late life of Maurilius written in 905 by the deacon Archinald, and circulated under the name of Gregory of Tours, and it seems to have no real foundation.
Among the Bishops of Angers in modern times were:
- Cardinal de la Balue (1467) confined by Louis XI in an iron cage (1469–1480) for his negotiations with Charles the Bold
- Henri Arnauld (1649–1693), a Jansenist
- Charles-Émile Freppel (1870–1891), who had a seat in the Chamber of Deputies, and warmly defended Catholic interests
- François-Désiré Mathieu (1893–1896), cardinal of the Curia and member of the French Academy
Cathedral and churches
[edit]Angers Cathedral, a structure without side aisles, dedicated to Maurice, dates from the twelfth century and exhibits the characteristic type of Angevin or Plantagenet architecture.
During the Middle Ages Angers was a flourishing monastic city with six monasteries: the Abbey of St. Aubin founded by King Childebert I; the Abbey of St. Serge by Clovis II; those of St. Julien, St. Nicholas and Ronceray, founded by Count Foulques Nerra, and All Saints' Abbey, an admirable structure of the twelfth century. In 1219 Pope Callixtus II went in person to Angers to assist at the second consecration of the church attached to Ronceray Abbey. The Diocese of Angers includes Fontevrault, an abbey founded at the close of the eleventh century by Robert d'Arbrissel but which did not survive the Revolution. The ruins of St. Maur perpetuate the memory of the Benedictine abbey of that name.
University of Angers
[edit]In 1244, a university was founded at Angers for the teaching of canon and civil law. In 1432 faculties of theology, medicine and art were added. This university was divided into six "nations," and survived up to the time of the Revolution. In consequence of the law of 1875 giving liberty in the matter of higher education, Angers again became the seat of a Catholic university. The Congregation of the Good Shepherd (Bon Pasteur), which has houses in all parts of the world, has its mother-house at Angers by virtue of a papal brief of 1835. Berengarius, the heresiarch condemned for his doctrines on the Holy Eucharist, was Archdeacon of Angers about 1039, and for some time found a protector in the person of Eusebius Bruno, Bishop of Angers. Bernier, who played a great role in the wars of La Vendée and in the negotiations that led to the Concordat, was curé of St. Laud in Angers.
Bishops
[edit]To 1000
[edit]- Defensor (attested 372)[1]
- Apotemius (Epetemius) (attested 396)[2]
- Maurilius (c.423-453)[3]
- Thalassius (attested 453–462)[4]
- Eustochius (attested 511)[5]
- Adelfius[6]
- Albinus of Angers (attested 538–549)[7]
- Domitianus (attested 557–568)[8]
- Audoveus (attested 581)[9]
- Licinius (attested 601)[10]
- Magnobodus (610–660)[11]
- Aiglibertus (attested 683)[12]
- ...
- Mauriolus (attested 760–772)[13]
- ...
- ...
1000 to 1300
[edit]- Hubert of Vendôme (1006–1047)
- Eusebius Bruno (1047–1081)
- Gottfried of Tours (1081–1093)
- Gottfried of Mayenne (1093–1101)
- Renaud de Martigné (1102–1125)
- Ulger (1125–1148)
- Normand de Doué (1148–1153)
- Mathieu de Loudun (1156–1162)
- Geoffroy La Mouche (1162–1177)
- Raoul I. de Beaumont (1177–1197)
- Guillaume I. de Chemillé (1197–1202)
- Guillaume II. de Beaumont (1203–1240)
- Michel I. Villoiseau (1240–1260)
- Nicolas Gellent (1260–1291)
- Guillaume III. Le Maire (1291–1317)
1300 to 1500
[edit]- Hugues Odard (1317–1323)
- Foulques de Mathefelon (1324–1355)
- Raoul II. de Machecoul (1356–1358)
- Guillaume IV. Turpin de Cressé (1358–1371)
- Milon de Dormans (1371–1373)
- Hardouin de Bueil (1374–1439)
- Jean I. Michel (1439–1447)
- Jean II. de Beauveau (1447–1467)
- Jean de La Balue (1467–1476)
- Jean II de Beauveau (1476–1479) (administrator)
- Auger de Brie (1479–1480) (administrator)
- Jean de La Balue (1480–1491)
- Jean IV. de Rély (1491–1499)
- François de Rohan (1499–1532)
1500 to 1800
[edit]- Jean Olivier (1532–1540)
- Gabriel Bouvery (1540–1572)
- Guillaume Ruzé (1572–1587)
- Charles Miron (1588–1616)
- Guillaume Fouquet de la Varenne (1616–1621)
- Charles Miron (1622–1627)
- Claude de Rueil (1628–1649)
- Henri Arnauld (1650–1692)
- Michel Le Peletier (1692–1706)
- Michel Poncet de la Rivière (1706–1730)
- Jean de Vaugirault (1731–1758)
- Jacques de Grasse (1758–1782)
- Michel Cauet (1782–1802)
- Hugues Pelletier (1791–1793)
From 1800
[edit]- Charles Montault des Isles (1802–1839)
- Louis-Robert Paysant (1839–1841)
- Guillaume-Laurent-Louis Angebault (1842–1869)
- Charles-Emile Freppel (1869–1891)
- François-Désiré Mathieu (1893–1896) (also Archbishop of Toulouse)
- Louis-Jules Baron (1896–1898)
- Joseph Rumeau (1898–1940)
- Jean-Camille Costes (1940–1950)
- Henri-Alexandre Chappoulie (1950–1959)
- Pierre Veuillot (1959–1961) (also Archbishop of Paris)
- Henri-Louis-Marie Mazerat (1961–1974)
- Jean Pierre Marie Orchampt (1974–2000)
- Jean-Louis Bruguès, O.P. (2000–2007)
- Emmanuel Delmas (since 2008) (fr)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Defensor was present in Tours in 372 for the election of a bishop. Hauréau, Gallia Christiana XIV, p. 545. Duchesne, p. 356].
- ^ Epetemius was present at the council of Nîmes on 1 October 396. Duchesne, pp. 356-357.
- ^ Bishop Maurilius is said to have governed for 30 years, and to have died on 13 September 1453. Duchesne, p. 357].
- ^ Bishop Thalassius was consecrated on 4 October 453, and held a council with six other bishops on the occasion. He was also present at the council of Tours on 19 November 1461; and at the council of eight bishops at Vannes, which was held at some point between 461 and 491. Duchesne, p. 357. no. 5. Charles Munier, Concilia Galliae, A. 314 — A. 506 (in Latin) (Turnholt: Brepols 1963), p. 137, 148, 150.
- ^ Bishop Eustochius subscribed the canons of the council of Orléans in 511. Duchesne, p. 357. no. 7.. Charles De Clercq, Concilia Galliae, A. 511 — A. 695, (in Latin) (Turnholt: Brepols 1963), p. 13: "Eustochius episcopus de Andecauis suscripsi."
- ^ Only a name in episcopal catalogues: Hauréau, Gallia Christiana XIV, p. 547. Duchesne, pp. 349, 353, 354, 355.
- ^ Bishop Albinus attended the council of Orléans in 538, and the council of Orléans on 14 May 549. He was represented at the council of Orléans on 28 October 549. It is only a presumption that he died on 1 March 550. Duchesne, p. 357-358. no. 9. De Clercq, pp. 129 ("Albinus in Christi nomine ecclesiae Andecauae episcopus consensi."), 144 ("Albinus in Christi nomine episcopus Andecaue ciuitatis subscripsi."), 161 ("Sapaudus abbas directus a domno meo Albino episcopo ecclesiae Andicauensis subscripsi.").
- ^ Bishop Domitianus attended the third council of Paris in c. 557, and the council of Tours in 567. He was present at the consecration of the cathedral of Nantes in 568. J.D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, (in Latin), Vol. 9 (Florence: A. Zatta 1763), p. 747. Hauréau, Gallia Christiana XIV, p. 548. Duchesne, p. 358 no. 10. De Clercq, p. 194.
- ^ Audioveus: Duchesne, p. 358, no. 12.
- ^ Licinius or Lizinius, in the episcopal lists, received a letter from Pope Gregory I in 601. Duchesne, p. 358, no. 13.
- ^ Magnobodus was consecrated a bishop in 610, He attended the council of Paris in 614, and the council of Clichy in 627. Hauréau, Gallia Christiana XIV, p. 550. Duchesne, pp. 358-359, no. 15.
- ^ Aiglibertus: Duchesne, p. 359, no. 18.
- ^ Mauriolus attended the third council of Attigny in 760 (or 760–762, or 765). He was the recipient of a privilege from Charlemagne in 772. J.D, Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, (in Latin), Vol. 12 (Florence: A. Zatta 1766), p. 676. Duchesne, p. 359, no. 26. A. Werminghoff, Monumenta Germaniae Historica. Legum Sectio III. Concilia, {{in lang|la)) Tomi II. Concilia Aevi Karolini I. pars 1 (Hannover-Leipzig: Hahn 1906), pp. 72-73, places the date of the council of Attigny in "762. vel 760–762."
- ^ Benedictus: Duchesne, p. 359, no. 28.
- ^ Flodegarius: Duchesne, p. 359, no. 29.
- ^ Adriaan H. Bredero (1994). Christendom and Christianity in the Middle Ages. Grand Rapids MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-8028-4992-2..
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Goyau, Pierre-Louis-Théophile-Georges (1907). "Diocese of Angers". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Bibliography
[edit]Reference works
[edit]- Gams, Pius Bonifatius (1873). Series episcoporum Ecclesiae catholicae: quotquot innotuerunt a beato Petro apostolo. Ratisbon: Typis et Sumptibus Georgii Josephi Manz. pp. 488–490. (Use with caution; obsolete)
- Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1913). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. 1 (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana.
- Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1914). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. 2 (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana.
- Gulik, Guilelmus (1923). Eubel, Conradus (ed.). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. 3 (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana.
- Gauchat, Patritius (Patrice) (1935). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. 4 (1592-1667). Münster: Libraria Regensbergiana. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
- Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1952). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentis aevi (in Latin). Vol. 5 (1667-1730). Patavii: Messagero di S. Antonio. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
- Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1958). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentis aevi (in Latin). Vol. 6 (Tomus VI) (1730–1799). Patavii: Messagero di S. Antonio.
- Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1968). Hierarchia Catholica medii et recentioris aevi (in Latin). Vol. VII (1800–1846). Monasterii: Libreria Regensburgiana.
- Remigius Ritzler; Pirminus Sefrin (1978). Hierarchia catholica Medii et recentioris aevi (in Latin). Vol. VIII (1846–1903). Il Messaggero di S. Antonio.
- Pięta, Zenon (2002). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentioris aevi (in Latin). Vol. IX (1903–1922). Padua: Messagero di San Antonio. ISBN 978-88-250-1000-8.
Studies
[edit]- Chadwick, Nora Kershaw (1969). Early Brittany. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 9780900768262.
- Duchesne, Louis Fastes épiscopaux de l'ancienne Gaule: Vol. II: L'Aquitaine et les Lyonnaises. (in French). deuxième edition. Paris: Thorin & fils, 1899. pp. 343-356. Internet Archive
- Hauréau, Barthélemy (1856). Gallia Christiana: In Provincias Ecclesiasticas Distributa... De provincia Turonensi (in Latin). Vol. Tomus Quartus decimus (XIV). Paris: Typographia Regia. pp. 542–586, "Instrumenta" pp. 143-162.
- Du Tems, Hugues (1774). Le clergé de France, ou tableau historique et chronologique des archevêques, évêques, abbés, abbesses et chefs des chapitres principaux du royaume, depuis la fondation des églises jusqu'à nos jours (in French). Vol. Tome premier. Paris: Delalain.
- Jean, Armand (1891). Les évêques et les archevêques de France depuis 1682 jusqu'à 1801 (in French). Paris: A. Picard.
- Matz, Jean-Michel – Comte, François (ed.) (2003): Fasti Ecclesiae Gallicanae. Répertoire prosopographique des évêques, dignitaires et chanoines des diocèses de France de 1200 à 1500. VII. Diocèse d’Angers. Turnhout, Brepols. (in French)