Bishopric of Langres
Encyclopedia
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Langres (Lat:Diocesis Lingonensis) is a Roman Catholic Latin Rite diocese
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...

 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 comprises the département of Haute-Marne
Haute-Marne
Haute-Marne is a department in the northeast of France named after the Marne River.-History:Haute-Marne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...

. The diocese is now a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Reims having been a suffragan of Lyon
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lyon
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lyon is a Roman Catholic Metropolitan archdiocese in France. It incorporates the ancient Archdiocese of Vienne. The current Cardinal-Archbishop is Philippe Barbarin...

 until 2002. The current Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...

 is Philippe Jean Marie Joseph Gueneley, appointed in 1999. The diocese covers a territory of 6,250 km2 and its estimated catholic population is 140,000.

History

Louis Duchesne
Louis Duchesne
Louis Marie Olivier Duchesne was a French priest, philologist, teacher and a critical historian of Christianity and Roman Catholic liturgy and institutions....

 considers Senator, Justus and St. Desiderius (Didier), who was martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...

ed during the invasion of the Vandals
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....

 (about 407), the first three bishops of Langres. The See, therefore, must have been founded about the middle of the fourth century.

In 1179, Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy
Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy
Hugh III of Burgundy was duke of Burgundy between 1162 and 1192. Hugh was the eldest son of duke Odo II and Marie of Champagne, daughter of Theobald and Mathilda of Carinthia....

 gave the city of Langres to his uncle, Gautier of Burgundy, then bishop, making him a prince-bishop
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...

. Later, Langres was made a duchy
Duchy
A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era . In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those kingdoms that unified either partially or completely during the Medieval era...

, which gave the Duke-Bishop of Langres the right of secular precedence over his metropolitan, the Archbishop of Lyon, at the consecration of the kings of France.

The chief patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...

 of the diocese is the martyr Saint Mammes of Caesarea (third century), to whom the cathedral, a beautiful monument of the late twelfth century, is dedicated. The diocese of Langres honors as saints a number of martyrs who, according to St. Benignus legend, died in the persecution of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. They are the triplets Saints Speusippus, Eleusippus, and Melapsippus; St. Neo, the author of their Acts; St. Leonilla, their grandmother; and St. Junilla, their mother. Other saints include St. Valerius (Valier), a disciple of St. Desiderius, who was martyred by the Vandals
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....

 in the fifth century; the hermit St. Godo (Saint Gou), nephew of St. Vandrillus in the seventh century; St. Gengulphus, martyr in the eighth century; Venerable Gerard Voinchet (1640-95), canon regular of the Congregation of St. Geneviève in Paris; Venerable Jeanne Mance (1606-73); Venerable Mariet, a priest who died in 1704; and Venerable Joseph Urban Hanipaux, a Jesuit. The latter three were natives of the diocese and celebrated for their apostolic labors in Canada.

The diocese was also the birthplace of the theologian Nicolas de Clémenges (fourteenth or fifteenth century), who was canon and treasurer of the Church of Langres; of the Gallican canonist Edmond Richer
Edmond Richer
Edmond Richer was a French theologian known for several works advocating the Gallican theory, that the Pope's power was limited by authority of bishops, and by temporal governments.-Life:...

 (1560-1631); of the Jesuit Pierre Lemoine, author of an epic poem on St. Louis and of the work "La dévotion aisée" (1602-71); and of the philosopher Diderot (1713-84). The historian Raoul Glaber, monk of Cluny Abbey
Cluny Abbey
Cluny Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was built in the Romanesque style, with three churches built in succession from the 10th to the early 12th centuries....

 who died in 1050, was at the priory of St. Léger in this diocese when he was touched by Divine grace on the occasion of an apparition.

The Benedictine Poulangy Abbey was founded in the eleventh century. Morimond Abbey
Morimond Abbey
Morimond Abbeyis a religious complex in Parnoy-en-Bassigny, Haute-Marne department, in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. It was the fourth of the four great daughter abbeys of Cîteaux Abbey, of primary importance in the spread of the Cistercian Order, along with La Ferté to the south,...

, the fourth foundation of Cîteaux, was established in 1125 by Odolric, lord of Aigremont, and Simon, Count of Bassigny. The Augustinian priory of the Val des Ecoliers was founded in 1212 at Luzy, near Chaumont, by four doctors of the Paris University who were led into solitude by a love of retreat.

Blessed Otho, son of Leopold of Austria
Leopold III, Margrave of Austria
Saint Leopold III was the Margrave of Austria in 1073–1136. He is the patron saint of Austria, of the city of Vienna, of Lower Austria, and, jointly with Saint Florian, of Upper Austria. His feast day is November 15.-Biography:...

 and Abbot of Morimond, became Bishop of Freising in Bavaria and returned in 1154 to die a simple monk in Morimond.

The "Scourging of the Alleluia," now no longer observed, was quite celebrated in this diocese in the Middle Ages. On the day when, according to tradition, the Alleluia was omitted from the liturgy, a top on which the word "Alleluia" was written was whipped out of church, to the singing of psalms by the choirboys, who wished it bon voyage till Easter.

The "Pardon of Chaumont" is very celebrated. In 1475, Jean de Montmirail, a native of Chaumont
Chaumont, Haute-Marne
Chaumont is a commune of France, and the capital of the Haute-Marne department. , it has a of 24,039.The city stands on the Marne River and is situated on the railway linking Paris and Basel, which runs over a 52 m tall and 600 m long viaduct built in 1856.- History :Historically the...

 and a particular friend of pope Sixtus IV, obtained from him that each time the feast of St. John the Baptist fell on a Sunday, the faithful, who confessed their sins and visited the church of Chaumont, should enjoy the jubilee indulgence. Such was the origin of the great "Pardon" of Chaumont, celebrated sixty-one times between 1476 and 1905. At the end of the Middle Ages, this "Pardon" gave rise to certain curious festivities. Fifteen mysteries of the life of St. John the Baptist were represented on stages erected throughout the town on the Sunday preceding the "Pardon." The display drew multitudes to the festivities, which were finally called the "deviltries" of Chaumont. In the course of the eighteenth century the "Pardon" became a purely religious ceremony.

In the Diocese of Langres is Vassy
Vassy, Calvados
-References:*...

, where, in 1562, riots took place between Catholics and Protestants that gave rise to the wars of religion (see Huguenots).

Numerous diocesan synods were held at Langres. The most important were those of 1404, 1421, 1621, 1628, 1679, 1725, 1733, 1741, 1783 and six successive annual synods held by Mgr. Parisis, from 1841 to 1846. These held a view to the re-establishment of the synodal organization, and also to impose on the clergy the use of the Roman Breviary (see Guéranger).

Principal pilgrimages are: Our Lady of Montrol near Arc-en-Barrois (dating from the seventeenth century); Our Lady of the Hermits at Cuves; Our Lady of Victories at Bourmont; and St. Joseph, Protector of the Souls in Purgatory
Purgatory
Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven...

, at Maranville.

Suppressed by the Napoleonic Concordat of 1801, Langres was later united to the Diocese of Dijon. The bishop bore the title of Dijon and Langres, but the union was never quite complete. There was a pro-vicar-general for the Haute-Marne and two seminaries at Langres, the petit séminaire from 1809 and the grand séminaire from 1817. The See of Langres was re-established in 1817 by Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII , born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, was a monk, theologian and bishop, who reigned as Pope from 14 March 1800 to 20 August 1823.-Early life:...

 and King Louis XVIII. Mgr. de la Luzerne, its pre-Revolution bishop, was to be re-appointed, but the parliament did not ratify this agreement and the bishops of Dijon remained administrators of the Diocese of Langres until 6 October, 1822, when the Papal Bull "Paternae charitatis" definitely re-established the See. The new Bishop of Langres governed 360 parishes of the old Diocese of Langres, 70 of the old Diocese of Châlons, 13 of the old Diocese of Besançon, 13 of the old Diocese of Troyes and 94 of the old Diocese of Toul
Diocese of Toul
The Diocese of Toul was a Roman Catholic diocese seated at Toul in present-day France. It existed from 365 until 1824. From 1048 until 1552 , it was also a state of the Holy Roman Empire.- History :...

. For the legends concerning the Apostolic origin of the See of Langres and the mission of St. Benignus see Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....

.

Bishops

The bishops, until 1016, resided at Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....

 and until 1731, exercised spiritual jurisdiction over the territory of the present-day Diocese of Dijon. Following is a list of bishops of Langres.

To 1000

  • c. 200 Sénateur
  • c. 240 Juste
  • c. 264 Desiderius (Didier, Dizier)
  • Vacant
  • 284-301 Martin
  • 301-327 Honoratius
  • 327-375 Urban of Langres
    Urban of Langres
    Saint Urban of Langres was a French saint and bishop. He served as the sixth bishop of Langres from 374 until his death. Saint Lodegaria was his sister....

  • 375-422 Paulin I
  • St. Martin (411-20)?
  • 422-448 Fraterne I
  • 448-455 Fraterne II
  • 456-484 Apruncule, St. Aprunculus, the friend of 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...

     and his successor in the bishopric of Clermont (
  • 485-490 Armentaire
  • 490-493 Venance
  • 493-498 Paulin II (Paul)
  • 498-501 Patient
  • 501-506 Albiso
  • 506-539 Gregory of Langres, St. Gregory (509-39), great-grandfather of St. Gregory of Tours, who transferred the relics of St. Benignus
  • 539-572 Tetricus of Langres, St. Tetricus, son of St. Gregory (539-72), whose coadjutor was St. Monderic, brother of Arnoul of Metz
  • 572-583 Papoul
  • 583-595 Mummole le Bon
  • 595-618 Miget (Migetius)
  • 618-628 Modoald
  • 628-650 Berthoald
  • 650-660 Sigoald
  • 660-670 Wulfrand
  • 670-680 Godin
  • 680-682 Adoin
  • 682-690 Garibald
  • 690-713 Héron
  • 713-742 Eustorge
  • Died c. 759 Vaudier
  • 759-772 Herulphe, St. Herulphus or Hanolfus (759-74), founder of Ellwangen Abbey
    Ellwangen Abbey
    Ellwangen Abbey was the earliest Benedictine monastery established in the Duchy of Swabia, at the present-day town of Ellwangen an der Jagst, Baden-Württemberg about 100 km north-east of Stuttgart.-Imperial abbey:...

  • 772-778 Ariolf, Blessed Arnoul (774-8)
  • 778-790 Baldric
  • 790-820 Belto, Betto (790-820), who helped to draw up the capitularies of Charlemagne
    Charlemagne
    Charlemagne 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...

  • 820-838 Albéric
  • 838-856 Thibaut I.
  • 859-880 Isaac, author of a collection of canons
  • 880-891 Gilon de Tournus
    Geilo, Bishop of Langres
    Geilo was the Bishop of Langres from 880 until his death. His episcopate coincided mostly with the emperorship of Charles the Fat and after 885 he is a leading ecclesiastical figure at the imperial court...

  • 891-899 Thibaut II.
  • 899-901 Argrin. Abdique
  • 909-922 Garnier I.
  • 922-931 Gotzelin
  • 932 Lethéric
  • 932-948 Héric or Héry
  • 948-969 Achard
  • 969-980 Vidric
  • 980-1015 Bruno of Roucy who brought in the monks of 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...

     to reform the abbeys of the diocese

1000-1300

  • 1016-1031 Lambert, who ceded to Robert II of France
    Robert II of France
    Robert II , called the Pious or the Wise , was King of France from 996 until his death. The second reigning member of the House of Capet, he was born in Orléans to Hugh Capet and Adelaide of Aquitaine....

     the lordship and countship of Dijon, in 1016
  • 1031 Richard
  • 1031-1049 Hugo de Breteuil
  • 1050-1065 Harduin
  • 1065-1085 Raynard of Bar
  • 1085-1110 Robert of Burgundy
    Robert of Burgundy
    Robert of Burgundy was a son of Henry of Burgundy and grandson of Robert I, Duke of Burgundy. He was named bishop of Langres in 1085. He died at Châtillon-sur-Seine on September 18, 1111.-External links:*...

  • 1113-1125 Joceran de Brancion
  • 1126-1136 Guillenc
  • 1136-1138 Guillaume I de Sabran
  • 1138-1163 Godefroy de la Rochetaillée
  • 1163-1179 Walter of Burgundy, Gauthier of Burgundy
  • 1179-1193 Manasses of Bar
  • 1193-1199 Garnier II de Rochefort
  • 1200-1205 Hutin de Vandeuvre
  • 1205-1210 Robert de Châtillon
  • 1210-1220 Guillaume de Joinville
    Guillaume de Joinville
    Guillaume de Joinville was a French archbishop of Reims.He was Bishop of Langres from 1209, making him pair de France, and then archbishop of Reims 1219–1226. He was the candidate of Philip Augustus to become Bishop of Metz in 1212, but lost out to Konrad III of Scharfenberg.-External links:*...

     († 1226) (Archbishop of Reims
    Archbishop of Reims
    The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese around 250 by St. Sixtus, the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese around 750...

    )
  • 1220-1236 Hugues de Montréal
  • 1236-1242 Robert de Torote († 1246), Prince-Bishop of Liège in 1240, and established the feast of the Blessed Sacrament, Elect of Châlon 1226
  • 1242-1250 Hugues de Rochecorbon
  • 1250-1266 Guy de Rochefort
  • 1266-1291 Guy de Genève
  • 1294-1305 Jean de Rochefort

1300-1500

  • 1305-1306 Bertrand de Got († 1313) (also Bishop of Agen), uncle of Clement V
  • 1306-1318 Guillaume de Durfort de Duras († 1330) (Archbishop of Rouen
    Archbishop of Rouen
    The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen is an Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the ecclesiastical province of the archdiocese comprises the majority of Normandy....

    )
  • 1318-1324 Louis of Poitiers-Valentinois († 1327) (also Bishop of Viviers and Bishop of Metz)
  • 1324-1329 Pierre de Rochefort
  • 1329-1335 Jean de Chalon-Arlay (also Bishop of Basel)
  • 1335-1338 Guy Baudet (Chancellor of France)
  • 1338-1342 Jean des Prez († 1349) (Bishop of Tournai)
  • 1342-1344 Jean d'Arcy (Bishop of Autun)
  • 1344-1345 Hugues de Pomarc
  • 1345-1374 William of Poitiers
    William of Poitiers
    William of Poitiers was a Norman chronicler most famous for his eulogistic account of Duke William of Normandy , called the Gesta Guillelmi II ducis Normannorum.-Life:...

  • 1374-1395 Bernard de la Tour d'Auvergne
  • 1395-1413 Louis I of Bar
    Louis I of Bar
    Louis I of Bar was a French bishop of the 15th century.-Life:He was a son of Robert I of Bar and his wife Marie Valois, . As the couple's fifth son, he was destined for a career in the church...

     (Administrator from 1397; also Bishop of Poitiers 1391-1392, 1423-1424, Bishop of Beauvais 1395, 1397 Cardinal Deacon of S. Agatha dei Goti, 1409 Cardinal Priest of SS. Dodici Apostoli, 1412 Cardinal Bishop of Porto and S. Rufina and Administrator of the Bishopric of Verdun
    Bishopric of Verdun
    The Bishopric of Verdun was also a state of the Holy Roman Empire; it was located at the western edge of the Empire and was bordered by France, the Duchy of Luxembourg, and the Duchy of Bar. It was annexed to France in 1552; this was recognized by the Holy Roman Empire in the Peace of Westphalia of...

     1413-1420, 1424-1430)
  • 1413-1433 Charles de Poitiers
  • 1433 Jean Gobillon († c. 1435)
  • 1433-1452 Philippe de Vienne
  • 1452-1453 Jean d'Aussy
  • 1453-1481 Guy Bernard
  • 1481-1497 Jean I d'Amboise
  • 1497-1512 Jean II d'Amboise

1500-1700

  • 1512-1529 Michel Boudet
  • 1530-1561 Claude de Longwy
  • 1562-1565 Louis de Bourbon
    Louis de Bourbon
    Louis de Bourbon may refer to:* Louis de Bourbon, Prince-Bishop of Liège of the fifteenth century* Louis de Bourbon, comte de Vermandois , eldest surviving son of Louis XIV of France and his mistress, Louise de la Vallière...

  • 1566-1568 Pierre de Gondi
    Pierre de Gondi
    Pierre de Gondi, cardinal de Retz was a French bishop and cardinal of the Gondi family.-Life:Born in Lyon, he was a brother of Albert de Gondi and a protégé of Catherine de Médicis...

     (also Bishop of Paris 1573-1588, Abbot of Saint-Aubin-d'Angers, La Chaume
    La Chaume
    La Chaume is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...

    , Sainte-Croix de Quimperlé and Buzay)
  • 1569-1614 Charles de Perusse des Cars
  • 1615-1655 Sébastien Zamet, whose vicar-general, Charles de Condren, became later Superior General
    Superior general
    A Superior General, or General Superior, is the Superior at the head of a whole religious order or congregation.The term is mainly used as a generic term, while many orders and congregations use other specific titles, notably:* Abbot general...

     of the Oratorians and gave the college of Langres to the Society of Jesus
    Society of Jesus
    The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...

     in 1630
  • 1655-1670 Louis Barbier de La Rivière
  • 1671-1695 Louis Armand de Simiane de Gordes
  • 1696-1724 François-Louis de Clermont-Tonnerre

1700-1900

  • 1724-1733 Pierre de Pardaillan de Gondrin
    Pierre de Pardaillan de Gondrin
    Pierre de Pardaillan de Gondrin was a French bishop.-Life:The son of the duc d'Antin and grandson of Madame de Montespan, Pierre de Pardaillan de Gondrin was a doctor of theology and canon of Paris and of Strasbourg...

  • 1741-1770 Gilbert Gaspard de Montmorin de Saint-Hérem
  • 1770-1802 César-Guillaume de La Luzerne
  • 1791-1802 Hubert Wandilincourt
  • vacancy
  • 1817-1821 César-Guillaume de La Luzerne
  • Gilbert-Paul Aragonès d'Orcet (1823-1832)
  • Jacques-Marie-Adrien-Césaire Mathieu (1832-1834) (Archbishop of Besançon)
  • Pierre-Louis Parisis (1834-1851) (Bishop of Arras), celebrated for the part he took in the Assembly of 1848 in the discussions on the liberty of teaching (liberté d'enseignement) and for founding the ecclesiastical college of St. Dizier even before the Loi Falloux (see Falloux du Coudray) was definitely passed
  • Jean-Jacques-Marie-Antoine Guerrin (1851-1877)
  • Guillaume-Marie-Frédéric Bouange (1877-1884)
  • Alphonse-Martin Larue (1884-1899)
  • Sébastien Herscher (1899-1911)

From 1900

  • Marie-Augustin-Olivier de Durfort de Civbac de Lorge (1911-1918) (also Bishop of Poitiers)
  • Théophile-Marie Louvard (1919-1924) (Bishop of Coutances)
  • Jean-Baptiste Thomas (1925-1929)
  • Louis-Joseph Fillon (1929-1934) (Archbishop of Bourges)
  • Georges-Eugène-Emile Choquet (1935-1938) (Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes)
  • Firmin Lamy (1938-1939)
  • Louis Chiron (1939-1964)
  • Alfred-Joseph Atton (1964-1975)
  • Lucien Charles Gilbert Daloz (1975-1980) (Archbishop of Besançon)
  • Léon Aimé Taverdet
    Léon Aimé Taverdet
    Léon Aimé Taverde, F.M.C is an French Prelate of Roman Catholic Church.Léon Aimé Taverde was born in Avanne, France, ordained a priest on September 25, 1955. Taverde was appointed bishop to the Diocese of Langres on October 14, 1981 and ordained bishop November 29, 1981...

    , F.M.C. (1981-1999)
  • Philippe Jean Marie Joseph Gueneley (since 1999)
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