The
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen is an Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the
Roman Catholic ChurchThe 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
FranceThe 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...
. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of
FranceThe 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
ecclesiastical provinceAn ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
of the archdiocese comprises the majority of
NormandyNormandy 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:...
.
According to legend the diocese was founded by Nicaisius, a disciple of St. Denis who was
martyrA martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
ed after arriving in Normandy. It became an archdiocese probably around 744 with the accession of Grimo. Archbishop Franco baptized
Rollo of NormandyRollo , baptised Robert and so sometimes numbered Robert I to distinguish him from his descendants, was a Norse nobleman of Norwegian or Danish descent and founder and first ruler of the Viking principality in what soon became known as Normandy...
in 911, and the archbishops were involved in the Norman Conquest of
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1066. Normandy was annexed to
FranceThe 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...
in 1204, and Rouen was later occupied by England from 1419 to 1449 during the
Hundred Years' WarThe Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
. In 1562 the city was briefly captured by Huguenots during the
French Wars of ReligionThe French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
.
The suffragran dioceses of Rouen in the Middle Ages were Évreux,
AvranchesAvranches is a commune in the Manche department in the Basse-Normandie region in north-western France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called Avranchinais.-History:...
,
SéesSées is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.It lies on the Orne River from its source and north-by-northeast of Alençon.-Name:...
,
BayeuxBayeux 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...
,
LisieuxLisieux is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.Lisieux is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland...
, and
CoutancesCoutances is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.-History:Capital of the Unelli, a Gaulish tribe, the town took the name of Constantia in 298 during the reign of Roman emperor Constantius Chlorus...
. Today its suffragans are: Diocese of Bayeux, Diocese of Coutances,
Diocese of ÉvreuxThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Évreux is a Roman Catholic Latin Rite diocese in France. The diocese comprises the department of Eure within the Region of Normandy...
,
Diocese of Le HavreThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Le Havre is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church, in France. Erected in 1974, the episcopal see is Le Havre Cathedral, in the city of Le Havre...
, Diocese of Sées.
The seat of the archbishop is the 13th century
GothicGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
Rouen CathedralRouen Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Gothic cathedral in Rouen, in northwestern France. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Rouen and Normandy.-History:...
, which was heavily damaged during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and later rebuilt.
Bishops
- Nicasius (c. 250)
- Mellonius
Saint Mellonius was a legendary early 4th century Bishop of Rotomagus in the Roman province of Secunda Provincia Lugdunensis...
(260-311)
- Avitianus (311-325)
- Severus
Emperors in the Severan dynasty*Septimius Severus , Roman Emperor from 193 to 211*Alexander Severus , Roman Emperor from 222 to 235*Flavius Valerius Severus , Roman Emperor from 306 to 307Other individuals...
(325-341)
- Eusebius (c. 341-366)
- Marcellinus
Marcellinus may refer to:*Pope Marcellinus, third century pope*Ammianus Marcellinus, Roman historian*Marcellinus , author of the life of Thucydides...
(366-385)
- Peter I (385-393)
- Victricius
Saint Victricius was a bishop of Rouen , missionary, and author. His feast day is August 7. Victricius was the son of a Roman legionnaire, and was in the army himself. However, when he became a Christian, he refused to remain in the army. He was flogged and sentenced for execution, but...
(393-417)
- Innocent (417-c. 426)
- Sylvester (c. 426-442)
- Malsonus (c. 442-451)
- Germanus
Germanus is the Latin term referring to the Germanic peoples. A probably related meaning for the word in Latin is "brother", cognate to germen "seed"...
(c. 451-462)
- Crescent (c. 462-488)
- Godardus (c. 488-525), Gildard, Gildardus
- Flavius (525-542)
- Evodus (542-550)
- Prætextatus (bishop of Rouen) (550-589)
- Melancus (589-602)
- Hidulphus (602-631)
- Romanus
Saint Romain or Romanus of Rouen was a bishop of Rouen. He would have lived under Dagobert I , though his date of birth is unknown. His life is known in legend and tradition and is shown in the stained glass windows and south gate of Rouen Cathedral and the stained glass windows of the église...
(631-640)
- Saint Ouen
Audoin, Audoen or Ouen, and Dado to his contemporaries, , was a Frankish bishop, courtier, chronicler, and Catholic saint....
(641-689)
- Ansbert (689-693)
- Grippo (695-c. 719)
- Roland (c. 719-c. 732)
- Hugh of Champagne
Saint Hugh, Hugh of Champagne, or St Hugh of Rouen , was the grandson of Pepin of Heristal and Plectrude and son of Drogo of Champagne and Anstrude, herself daughter of Waratton and Ansflede. Both Waratton and Drogo were mayors of the palaces.He was, though still a layman, endowed with the...
(720-730)
- Robert I (740-744)
Archbishops
- Grimo (744-c. 748)
- Ragenfred (748-753)
- Remi
Remigius was the illegitimate son of Charles Martel and probably Ruodhaid. He was also the third archbishop of Rouen from 755 to 762. Along with his brothers, he was denied any claim to the legacy of his father. He became archbishop during the reign of his half brother Pippin the Younger.Remigius...
(753-762)
- Hugh II (762-769)
- Meinhard (769-c. 800)
- Gilbert (800-828)
- Ragnoard (828-836)
- Gombaud (836-849)
- Paul (849-855)
- Ganelon (855-869
- Adalard (869-872)
- Riculf (872-876)
- John I (876-889)
- Witton (889-c. 910)
- Franco (911-919)
- Gonthard (919-942)
- Hugh III (942-989)
- Robert II
Robert II was son of duke Richard I of Normandy and his second wife, Gunnora. He was a younger brother of duke Richard II and uncle of duke Robert I...
(990-1037)
- Mauger (1037-1055)
- Maurille (1055-1067)
- John II
John of Avranches was bishop of Avranches from 1060 to 1067, and archbishop of Rouen from 1067 to 1079. He was a Norman churchman, son of Rodulf of Ivry, and brother of Hugh of Bayeux. He appears in the Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumièges, and may have been one of the sources William...
(1067-1078)
- William I Bonne-Âme
William Bona Anima was a medieval Archbishop of Rouen. He served as archbishop from 1079 to 1110.He was the son of Radbod, the bishop of Sées, and was a canon at Rouen as well as an archdeacon in that diocese. He then entered a monastery and became abbot of the monastery of Saint-Etienne, in...
(1078-1110)
- Geoffrey Brito
Geoffrey Brito was a native of Brittany who became Archbishop of Rouen in the Middle Ages. He served as archbishop from 1111 to 1128....
(1111-1128)
- Hugh IV (1129-1164)
- Rotrou
Rotrou or Rothrud was the bishop of Évreux and twenty-fifth archbishop of Rouen, France, from 1165, a year after the death of Archbishop Hugh IV, until his own death. He was the fourth son of Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick, and Margaret, daughter of Geoffrey II of Perche...
(1165-1184)
- Walter de Coutances
Walter de Coutances was a medieval English Bishop of Lincoln and Archbishop of Rouen. He began his royal service in the government of Henry II, serving as a vice-chancellor...
(1184-1208)
- Robert III Poulain (1208-1222)
- Thibaud d'Amiens (1222-1231)
- Maurice (1231-1237)
- Peter II de Colmieu (1237-1245)
- Eudes I Clement (1245-1247)
- Eudes II Rigaud (1247-1276)
- William II de Flavacourt (1276-1306)
- Bernard de Fargis (1306-1311)
- Gilles Asselin de Montaigu (1311-1319)
- William III de Durfort (1319-1331)
- Peter III Roger de Beaufort
Pope Clement VI , bornPierre Roger, the fourth of the Avignon Popes, was pope from May 1342 until his death in December of 1352...
(1331-1338)
- Aimery Guenaud (1338-1342)
- Nicolas I Roger (1342-1347)
- John III de Marigny
Jean de Marigny , French bishop, was a younger brother of Enguerrand de Marigny.Entering the church at an early age, he was rapidly advanced until in 1313 he was made bishop of Beauvais...
(1347-1351)
- Peter IV de la Forêt (1351-1356)
- William IV de Flavacourt (1356-1369)
- Philip d'Alençon (1369-1375)
- Peter V de la Montre (1375)
- William V de Lestranges (1375-1388)
- William VI de Vienne (1389-1406)
- Louis I d'Harcourt (1406-1422)
- Jean de La Roche-Taillée (1422-1430)
- Hugh V des Orges (1430-1436)
- Louis II de Luxemburg
Lewis of Luxembourg was a medieval Archbishop of Rouen and Bishop of Ely.Lewis was elected to Rouen in 1436. He was the leading native administrator/collaborator with the Lancastrian regime in France. As its position weakened, his own fortunes and even personal safety became precarious...
(1436-1443)
- Raoul Roussel
Raoul Roussel was a French churchman, who played a part in the trial of Joan of Arc in 1431, and was archbishop of Rouen from 1443 to 1452.He was born at Saultchevreuil in the diocese of Coutances, and became a doctor of canon law in 1416...
(1443-1455)
- William VII d'Estouteville (1453-1482)
- Robert IV de Croixmare (1482-1494)
- 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...
(1493-1510)
- Georges II d'Amboise (1510-1550)
- Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon
Charles de Bourbon was a French cardinal. The Catholic League considered him the rightful King of France after the death of Henry III of France in 1589.-Biography:...
(1550-1590 )
- Charles II de Bourbon (1590-1594)
- Charles III de Bourbon (1594-1604)
- François I de Joyeuse
François de Joyeuse was a French churchman and politician.Born at Carcassonne, François de Joyeuse was the second son of Guillaume de Joyeuse and Marie Eléanor de Batarnay. As the younger son of a seigneur in an intensely religious family of bishops and soldiers, he was destined for a career in...
(1605-1614)
- François II de Harlay (1614-1651)
- François III de Harlay de Champvallon
François de Harlay de Champvallon was the fifth archbishop of Paris.-Early years:...
(1651-1672)
- François IV Rouxel de Médavy de Grancey (1672-1691)
- Jacques-Nicolas Colbert
Jacques-Nicolas Colbert was a French churchman.Youngest son of Minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert, he was educated for a career in the church, tutored by Noël Alexandre, a Dominican theologian and philosopher later condemned for his Jansenist views.The young Colbert was abbot at Le Bec-Hellouin before...
(1691-1707)
- Claude-Maur d'Aubigné (1708-1719)
- Armand Bazin de Besons (1719-1720)
- Louis de La Vergne de Tressan (1724-1733)
- Nicolas II de Saulx-Tavannes (1734-1759)
- Dominique de La Rochefoucauld
Dominique de La Rochefoucauld was a French abbot, bishop, archbishop, and Cardinal.- Before the French Revolution :...
(1759-1790)
- vacant after the French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
(1790-1802)
- Etienne-Hubert Cambacérès (1802-1818)
- François de Pierre de Bernis (1819-1823)
- Gustave de Croÿ-Solre (1823-1844)
- Louis-Marie-Edmond Blanquart de Bailleul
Louis-Marie-Edmond Blanquart de Bailleul was a French Roman Catholic bishop. He worked as a lawyer for a time, before becoming the third bishop of Versailles and then archbishop of Rouen...
(1844-1858)
- Henri de Bonnechose (1858-1883)
- Léon Thomas
Amos Leon Thomas Jr was an American avant garde jazz singer from East St. Louis, Illinois.Thomas studied music at Tennessee State University. In the 1960s he was a vocalist for Count Basie and others....
(1883-1894)
- Guillaume Sourrieu (1894-1899)
- Frédéric Fuzet (1899-1916)
- Louis-Ernest Dubois
Louis-Ernest Dubois was a Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Paris. He played a leading role in the period of adjustment to the separation of Church and State in France.-Early life:...
(1916-1920)
- André du Bois de La Villerabel (1920-1936)
- Pierre-André-Charles Petit de Julleville (1936-1948)
- Joseph-Marie Martin
Joseph-Marie-Eugène Martin was a French Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Rouen from 1948 to 1971, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965.-Biography:...
(1948-1968)
- André Pailler (1968-1981)
- Joseph Duval
Joseph Marie Louis Duval was the French Roman Catholic Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen.Born in Chênex, Duval was ordained to the priesthood on June 8, 1953. On May 14, 1974, Pope Paul VI appointed Duval auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rennes, and he was...
(1981-2004)
- Jean-Charles Descubes (2004-present)
External links