The Archdiocese of Besançon (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Archidiœcesis Bisuntina''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Besançon'') is a

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. It comprises the ''

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...

'' of

Doubs Doubs (, ; ; frp, Dubs) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Named after the river Doubs, it had a population of 543,974 in 2019.Montbéliard Montbéliard (; traditional ) is a town in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France, about from the border with Switzerland. It is one of the two subprefectures of the department. History Montbéliard is ...

) and the ''département'' of

sede vacante ''Sede vacante'' ( in Latin.) is a term for the state of a diocese while without a bishop. In the canon law of the Catholic Church, the term is used to refer to the vacancy of the bishop's or Pope's authority upon his death or resignation. Hi ...

. From 1034 to 1184, the archbishop had civil authority within the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

as the prince-archbishop of Besançon. He gradually lost his civil power to the town council; the city became the Imperial city of Besançon in 1184. The city was annexed by France in stages, eventually being fully subsumed by France in 1792 during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. The Archdiocese of Besançon is a

metropolitan see Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a ...

with five suffragan dioceses in its

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of seve ...

: the Dioceses of Belfort-Montbéliard, Nancy, Saint–Claude, Saint-Dié, and

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

Early history of the diocese

Local tradition states that the diocese was evangelized by Saints Ferreolus and Ferrutio (Ferréol and Ferjeux), who were sent here by

St. Irenaeus Irenaeus (; grc-gre, Εἰρηναῖος ''Eirēnaios''; c. 130 – c. 202 AD) was a Greeks, Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christianity, Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, mor ...

Bishop of Lyon The Archdiocese of Lyon (Latin: ''Archidiœcesis Lugdunensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Lyon''), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The Archbishops o ...

. According to the Catholic encyclopedia, " Louis Duchesne proved that these legends belong to a chain of narratives forged in the first half of the 6th century and of which the "passion" of St. Benignus of Dijon was the initial link." During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

several popes visited Besançon, among them

pope Leo IX Pope Leo IX (21 June 1002 – 19 April 1054), born Bruno von Egisheim-Dagsburg, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 February 1049 to his death in 1054. Leo IX is considered to be one of the most historically ...

who consecrated the altar of the old Cathedral of St. Etienne in 1050, and Eugenius III who in 1148 consecrated the church of St. Jean, the new cathedral. A council was held at Besançon in 1162, presided over by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, in the interest of the Antipope Victor IV against Pope Alexander III. Guido of Burgundy, who was pope from 1119 to 1123 under the name of

Calixtus II Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, ...

, and the Jesuit Claude-Adrien Nonnotte (1711–1793), an adversary of

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...

, were natives of Besançon.

Abbeys founded from the diocese

The

monastery of Luxeuil A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

, founded by St. Columbanus (d. 615), gave to the diocese of Besançon a series of saints. First came the direct successors of St. Columbanus: the Abbot St. Eustasius who founded a celebrated school in this monastery; the Abbot St. Valbert who sent monks to found the Abbeys of St. Valéry, St. Omer, and St. Bertin, and died in 665; the Abbot St. Ingofroid; St. Donatus, who became Bishop of Besançon; and St. Ansegisus, author of a celebrated collection of capitularies. The Abbey of Lure (in

Haute-Saône Haute-Saône (; Arpitan: ''Hiôta-Sona''; English: Upper Saône) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of northeastern France. Named after the river Saône, it had a population of 235,313 in 2019.St. Déicole (Deicolus), or Desle, disciple of St. Columbanus; later its abbots were princes of the Holy Empire. The Abbey of Beaume les Dames, founded in the 5th century and in which Gontram,

King of Burgundy The following is a list of the kings of the two kingdoms of Burgundy, and a number of related political entities devolving from Carolingian machinations over family relations. Kings of the Burgundians * Gebicca (late 4th century – c. 40 ...

, was buried, was the school where St. Odo, afterwards

Abbot of Cluny The Abbot of Cluny was the head of the powerful monastery of the Abbey of Cluny in medieval France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, o ...

, studied in the tenth century; at the end of the eighth century there was built near it an abbey for Benedictine nuns, members of the nobility. During the French Revolution the superb church of this abbey was laid waste. Other saints of the Diocese of Besançon include the

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

St. Aldegrin (10th century).

Later history

St. Peter Fourier (1565–1640), who inaugurated systematic education for girls, was born in the diocese. The miracle attributed to the "Sacred Host of Faverney", during a fire in the year 1608, was annually commemorated by elaborate ceremonies. The places of pilgrimage were Notre Dame du Chêne at Scey; Notre Dame d'Aigremont; the pilgrimage of Saint Peter of Tarentaise at Cirey-les-Bellevaux, where St. Pierre de Tarentaise died in 1174; Notre Dame des Jacobins at Besançon; and Notre Dame de la Motte at

Vesoul Vesoul () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté located in eastern France. It is the most populated municipality of the department with inhabitants in 2014. The same year, the Communauté d'agglo ...

. Few 19th-century dioceses have undergone similar territorial changes. The Concordat of 1802 gave the Diocese of Besançon all those districts which, in 1822, constituted the Diocese of St.-Claude. In 1806, Besançon was given jurisdiction over the three parishes of the Principality of Neufchâtel ( Switzerland) which fell under the control of the bishopric of Lausanne in 1814. In 1870, after the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine by Germany, the district of Belfort was withdrawn from the bishopric of Strasburg and attached to the diocese of Besançon. The metropolitan jurisdiction of Besançon also underwent changes. In 1802 its suffragans were the Bishoprics of

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...

and

Autun Autun () is a subprefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of central-eastern France. It was founded during the Principate era of the early Roman Empire by Emperor Augustus as Augustodunum to give a Ro ...

(in Burgundy),

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

, Nancy and Strasbourg (in Alsace-Lorraine). Under the Bourbon Restoration, Dijon and Autun were withdrawn from Besançon, which became the metropolitan of the sees of Saint-Dié,

and

Belley Belley () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. History Belley is of Roman origin, and in the 5th century became an episcopal see. It was the capital of the province of Bugey, which was a dependency of Savoy till 1601, whe ...

. In 1874, after the Franco-Prussian War, the churches of Metz and Strasburg were exempt, under the direct control of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

. On 3 November 1979,

Belfort Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Terri ...

, Montbéliard, and the canton of Héricourt (Haute-Saône) were detached from the diocese of Besançon and constituted into a new autonomous diocese, that of Belfort-Montbéliard.

Bishops

To 1000

According to the ''

Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

'', "the catalogue of the earliest bishops of Besançon is to be read with caution." * Ferreolus 180?–211? * Linus * Antidius I. c. 267 * Germanus * Maximinus died before 304 * Paulinus died c. 310 * Eusebius * Hilarius * Pancratius died c. 353 * Justus c. 362 * Aegnanus died c. 374 * Sylvester I 376–396? *Anianus (4th century) * Fronimius * Desideratus * Leontius ?–443 * Chelidonius c. 445, died 451?, deposed by Hilary of Arles * Antidius II * Chelmegisl * Claudius I c. 517 * Urbicus c. 549 * Tetradius I c. 560 * Sylvester II. c. 580 * Vitalis I * St. Rothadius, a monk at

Luxeuil Luxeuil-les-Bains () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. History Luxeuil (sometimes rendered Luxeu in older texts) was the Roman Luxovium and contained many fine buildings ...

and organizer of the monastic life * Nicetas died c. 611 * Protadius 614?–624? * St. Donatus, a monk at Luxeuil, wrote a rule for canon priests in his diocese, died 660 * Migetius * Ternatius died c. 680 * St. Gervase c. 680, died 685) *

Claudius II Marcus Aurelius Claudius "Gothicus" (10 May 214 – January/April 270), also known as Claudius II, was Roman emperor from 268 to 270. During his reign he fought successfully against the Alemanni and decisively defeated the Goths at the Battle ...

, 685, died 693? * Felix c. 710 * Tetradius II died 732 * Albo c. 742 * Wandelbert * Evrald * Arnoul * Hervaeus 757–762 * Gedeon died 796 * Bernoin 811–829 * Amalwin 838–840 * Arduicus 843–872 * Theoderic I 872–895 * Berengar 895–831 * Aymin c. 914 * Gontier c. 931 * Gottfried I 944–953 * Guy 958–970 * Guichard * Leutald 993–994

1000–1300

* Hektor 1002–1015 * Walter I 1016–1031 *St. Hugh I of Besançon (Hugh I of Salins) (1031–1067), prince of the Empire, founded markets and schools in Besançon * Hugo II de Montfaucon died 1085 * Hugo III of Burgundy 1085–1101, son of

William I, Count of Burgundy William I (1020 – 12 November 1087), called the Great (''le Grand'' or ''Tête Hardie'', "the Stubborn"), was Count of Burgundy from 1057 to 1087 and Mâcon from 1078 to 1087. He was a son of Renaud I and Alice of Normandy, daughter of Richar ...

, brother of Pope Callixtus II * Hugo IV 1102–1107 * Guillaume I de Arguel 1109?–1117 * Anseric de Montréal 1117–1134 * Humbert 1134–1162 * Walter II 1162–1163 * Herbert (schismatic) 1163–1170 * Eberhard de Saint-Quentin 1171–1180 * Theoderic II. de Montfaucon 1180–1191 * Etienne de Vienne 1191–1193 * Amadeus de Tramelay 1197–1220 * Gerard I. de Rougemont 1221–1225 * Jean I. Allegrin (

John Halgren of Abbeville John Halgren of Abbeville ( – 28 September 1237) was a French scholastic theologian and cleric. He served successively as a university professor, priest, prior, archbishop, cardinal, apostolic legate and diplomat. John was born around 1180 in Ab ...

) 1225–1227 * Nicolas de Flavigny 1227–1235 * Gottfried II. 1236–1241 * Jean II. 1242–1244 * Guillaume II. de la Tour 1245–1268 * Odo de Rougemont 1269–1301

1300–1500

* 1302–1311 : Hugues de Chalon (also prince-bishop of Liège) * 1312–1333 : Vital de Maignaut * 1333–1355 : Hugues de Vienne * 1355–1361 :

Jean de Vienne Jean de Vienne (1341 – 25 September 1396) was a French knight, general and Admiral of France during the Hundred Years' War. Early life Jean de Vienne was born at Dole, in what is now Franche-Comté. As a nobleman, he started his military car ...

* 1361–1362 : Louis de Montbéliard * 1363–1370 : Aymon de Villersexel * 1371–1391 : Guillaume de Vergy * 1391–1404 : Gerard d'Athies * 1405–1429 : Thiébaudde Rougemont * 1430–1437 :

Jean de La Rochetaillée Jean de La Rochetaillée (died 1437) was a French churchman, eminent jurist, and Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal. His real name was Jean de Fort. He was bishop of Saint-Papoul in 1413, bishop of Geneva in 1418, and bishop of Paris in 1421/2. He ...

* 1437–1438 : François Condomieri * 1438–1439 : Jean de Norry * 1439–1462 : Quentin Ménard * 1462–1498 : Charles de Neufchâtel

1500–1800

* 1498-1502 : François de Busleyden (on the French-language Wikipedia) * 1502–1541 : Antoine I. de Vergy * 1541–1544 : Cardinal Pierre de la Beaume (had been Coadjutor from 1530; Cardinal in 1541) * 1544–1584 : Claude III. de la Beaume (Cardinal in 1578) * 1584–1586 : Cardinal Antoine II. de Perrenot; also known as Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle, was the minister of

Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...

and built the palace of Besançon * 1586–1636 : Ferdinand de Rye * 1636–1637 : Francois III. de Rye ( Coadjutor from 1623) * 1637–1654 : Claude IV. de Achey * 1654–1659 : Charles Emanuel de Gorrevot, never consecrated * 1659–1662 : Jean Jacques Fauche * 1662–1698 : Antoine Pierre I. de Gramont, also known as Antoine-Pierre de Grammont, opposed

Jansenism Jansenism was an early modern theological movement within Catholicism, primarily active in the Kingdom of France, that emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination. It was declared a heresy by th ...

and the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. In 1691, he transferred to Besançon the University of Dôle. * 1698–1717 : Francois-Joseph de Grammont * 1717–1721 : René de Mornay * 1723–1731 : Honoré de Grimaldi * 1733–1734 : Antoine-Francois de Bliterswijk-Montcley * 1735–1754 : Antoine Pierre II. de Grammont * 1754–1774 : Antoine Clairiard de Choiseul de Beaupré (Cardinal in 1761) * 1774–1792 : Raymond de Durfort * 1791–1793 : Philippe-Charles-François Seguin ** 1791–1801 : Flavigny ** 1798–1801 : Demandre

From 1800

* Claude Le Coz (1802–1815), former

constitutional bishop During the French Revolution, a constitutional bishop was a Catholic bishop elected from among the clergy who had sworn to uphold the Civil Constitution of the Clergy between 1791 and 1801. History Constitutional bishops were often priests wit ...

who opposed the

Concordat A concordat is a convention between the Holy See and a sovereign state that defines the relationship between the Catholic Church and the state in matters that concern both,René Metz, ''What is Canon Law?'' (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1960 st Edi ...

* Gabriel Cortois de Pressigny 1817–1823 * Paul-Ambroise Frère de Villefrancon 1823–1828 * Louis-François-Auguste de Rohan-Chabot (1828–1833) ( Cardinal in 1830) * Louis-Guillaume-Valentin DuBourg, P.S.S. 3 Feb 1833 to 12 Dec 1833 * Jacques-Marie-Adrien-Césaire Mathieu (1834–1875) (Cardinal in 1850), who defended episcopal temporal power, and was a member of the "Opposition" at the First Vatican Council. He opposed strenuously in his diocese the "simultaneous churches" which sprang up throughout the district of

Montbéliard Montbéliard (; traditional ) is a town in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France, about from the border with Switzerland. It is one of the two subprefectures of the department. History Montbéliard is ...

where there were many Protestants. * Pierre-Antoine-Justin Paulinier 1875–1881 *

Joseph-Alfred Foulon Joseph-Alfred Foulon (29 April 1823 – 23 January 1893) was a French Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Lyon. Life Foulon was born in Paris and studied in the Saint-Sulpice Seminary. He was ordained priest on 18 December 1847 in Paris, w ...

(30 Mar 1882 - 26 May 1887), appointed Archbishop of Lyon (-Vienne) (Cardinal in 1887) * Marie-Joseph-Jean-Baptiste-André-Clément-Fulbert Petit 1894–1909 * François-Léon Gauthey (20 Jan 1910 – 25 Jul 1918) * Louis Humbrecht (14 Sep 1918 – 28 Jun 1927) * Charles Binet (31 Oct 1927 – 15 Jul 1936) (Cardinal in 1927) * Maurice-Louis Dubourg (9 Dec 1936 – 31 Jan 1954) * Marcel-Marie-Henri-Paul Dubois (10 Jun 1954 – 2 Jul 1966) * Marc-Armand Lallier (26 Aug 1966 – 6 Mar 1980) * Lucien Daloz (12 Dec 1980 – 13 Aug 2003) *

André Jean René Lacrampe André Jean René Lacrampe, Ist. del Prado (17 December 1941 – 15 May 2015) was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Besançon. He was born on 17 December 1941 in Agos-Vidalos, a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France ...

, Ist. del Prado (13 Aug 2003 – 25 Apr 2013) * Jean-Luc Marie Maurice Louis Bouilleret (17 November 2013 – present)

References

Sources

catholic-hierarchy

Bibliography

Reference works

* (Use with caution; obsolete) * (in Latin) * (in Latin) * * * * * * *

Studies

* * *Hours, Henri (ed.) (1999): ''Fasti Ecclesiae Gallicanae. Répertoire prosopographique des évêques, dignitaires et chanoines des diocèses de France de 1200 à 1500. IV. Diocèse de Besançon''. Turnhout, Brepols. *

External links

article
Website of the archdiocese
{{DEFAULTSORT:Besancon, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Besancon