The Archdiocese of Dijon (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Archidioecesis Divionensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Dijon'') is a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The archepiscopal see is

Dijon Cathedral Dijon Cathedral, or the Cathedral of Saint Benignus of Dijon (), is a Roman Catholic church architecture, church located in the town of Dijon, Burgundy (region), Burgundy, France, and dedicated to Saint Benignus of Dijon. The Gothic architectur ...

, which is located in the city of

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

. The diocese comprises the entire department of

Côte-d'Or Côte-d'Or () is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.

, in the

Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

Bourgogne Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. T ...

. Originally established as the Diocese of Dijon in 1731, and suffragan to the

Archdiocese of Lyon The Archdiocese of Lyon (; ), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archbishops of Lyon are also called primates of Gaul. The oldest diocese in Fran ...

, the diocese was elevated to the rank of archdiocese in 2002. The most significant jurisdiction change occurred after the

Concordat of 1801 The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between the First French Republic and the Holy See, signed by First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII on 15 July 1801 in Paris. It remained in effect until 1905, except in Alsace–Lorraine, ...

, when the diocese annexed the department of

Haute-Marne Haute-Marne (; English: Upper Marne) is a department in the Grand Est region of Northeastern France. Named after the river Marne, its prefecture is Chaumont. In 2019, it had a population of 172,512.Diocese of Langres. Since 2022 the archbishop has been .

History

Myths

Between the years 506 and 540, it was revealed to Gregory, Bishop of Langres, an ancestor of

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (born ; 30 November – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours during the Merovingian period and is known as the "father of French history". He was a prelate in the Merovingian kingdom, encom ...

, that a tomb which the piety of the peasants led them to visit contained the remains of St. Benignus. He had a large

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

erected over it, and soon travellers from Italy brought him the acts of this saint's martyrdom. These acts are part of a collection of documents according to which

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

was evangelized in the 2nd century by St. Benignus, an Asiatic priest and the disciple of St. Polycarp, assisted by two ecclesiastics, Andochius and Thyrsus. The good work is said to have prospered at

Autun Autun () is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region of central-eastern France. It was founded during the Principate era of the e ...

, where it received valuable support from the youthful Symphorianus; at Saulieu where Andochius and Thyrsus had established themselves; at

Langres Langres () is a commune in France, commune in northeastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Departments of France, department of Haute-Marne, in the Regions of France, region of Grand Est. History As the capital ...

where the three brothers, Speusippus, Eleusippus, and Meleusippus, were baptized, and finally at Dijon. In the meantime the persecution of

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( ; ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors ...

broke out, and St. Benignus and his companions were put to death. The doubts first raised by Boulliau and Tillemont in the 17th century concerning the authenticity of these acts seem justified by the conclusions of G. Van Hooff and

Louis Duchesne Louis Marie Olivier Duchesne (; 13 September 1843 – 21 April 1922) was a French priest, philology, philologist, teacher and a critical historian of Christianity and Roman Catholic liturgy and institutions. Life Descended from a family of Bri ...

, according to which the ''Acts of St. Benignus'' and the martyrdom of the three brothers of Langres, on which the aforesaid traditions are based, are apocryphal and copied from Cappadocian legends. Animated polemics arose among the scholars of France on the apostolate of St. Benignus.

Langres and Dijon

Under the Merovingians and Carolingians, most of the bishops of Langres resided at Dijon, e.g. St. Urbanus (5th century), St. Gregory, and St. Tetricus (6th century), who were buried there. When, in 1016, Lambert, Bishop of Langres, ceded the seigniory and county of Dijon to King Robert of France, the Bishops of Langres made Langres their place of residence.

Diocese

In 1731,

Pope Clement XII Pope Clement XII (; ; 7 April 16526 February 1740), born Lorenzo Corsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1730 to his death in February 1740. Clement presided over the growth of a surplus in the papal ...

made Dijon a diocese. When formed, it was composed of 164 parishes divided among seven regional deaneries. 155 of these parishes had been part of the Diocese of Langres, and 19 others had come from the Diocese of Besançon. The seven deaneries were supervised by the two archdeacons. The Abbey of Saint-Etienne of Dijon (5th century) long had a Chapter of Canons Regular who observed the Rule of St. Augustine; the Chapter was altered to one of secular canons by

Pope Paul V Pope Paul V (; ) (17 September 1552 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death, in January 1621. In 1611, he honored Galileo Galilei as a mem ...

in 1611, and

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI (; ; ; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI was a patron of the arts an ...

made its church the cathedral of Dijon; during the Revolution the cathedral was transformed into a forage storehouse. The former abbatial church of Saint-Bénigne became the cathedral of Dijon early in the 19th century. From the 1730s the Chapter was composed of six dignities and twelve Canons. The city of Dijon had some 30,000 inhabitants, and was divided into seven parishes. There were two colleges for the education of the young, along with eight houses of male religious, and eight monasteries of men.

Revolution

The diocese of Dijon was abolished during the French Revolution by the Legislative Assembly, under the

Civil Constitution of the Clergy The Civil Constitution of the Clergy () was a law passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution, that sought the Caesaropapism, complete control over the Catholic Church in France by the National Constituent Assembly (France), French gove ...

(1790). Its territory was subsumed into the new diocese, called 'Côte-d'Or ', which was part of the Metropolitanate called the 'Metropole de l'Est' (which included eight new 'départements'). The Civil Constitution mandated that bishops be elected by the citizens of each 'département', which immediately raised the most severe canonical questions, since the electors did not need to be Catholics and the approval of the Pope was not only not required, but actually forbidden. Erection of new dioceses and transfer of bishops, moreover, was not canonically within the competence of civil authorities or of the Church in France. The result was schism between the 'Constitutional Church' and the Catholic Church. The legitimate bishop of Dijon, René de Mérinville, refused to take the oath, and therefore the episcopal see was declared vacant. He was in fact one of the thirty bishops who subscribed to the ''Exposition des principes, sur la Constitution civile du Clergé'' (30 October 1790). He emigrated to Germany and took up residence at Karlsruhe. On 15 February 1791 the electors of 'Côte-d'Or' were assembled, and elected the former Jesuit Jean-Baptise Volfius, whose brother was a member of the Constituent Assembly, as their president; they then proceeded to elect him as their bishop. Volfius travelled to Paris for his consecration, which was carried out on 13 March by Jean-Baptiste Gobel, the Bishop of Lydda ''in partibus'', who had just been installed as Constitutional Bishop of Paris. Volfius, and all the Constitutional Bishops, were required to resign in May 1801 by First Consul Bonaparte, who was negotiating with

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

the

(15 July 1801). Once the Concordat went into effect, Pius VII was able to issue the appropriate bulls to restore many of the dioceses and to regulate their boundaries, most of which corresponded closely to the new 'départements'. The Bull ''Qui Christi Domini'' created the Diocese of Dijon out of the two 'départements' of Côte-d'Or and Haute-Marne. The diocese of Langres was reestablished in principle in 1817, but difficulties between the King and the Pope postponed the implementation of Langres until 1823.

Separation of Church and State

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

's request in 1904 for the resignation of Albert-Léon-Marie Le Nordez, Bishop of Dijon since 1899, was one of the incidents which led to the Law of Separation of 1905 and the rupture of relations between France and the Holy See.

Bishops

* Jean Bouhier (1731–1743) * Claude Bouhier (1743–1755) * Claude-Marc-Antoine d'Apchon (1755–1776) * Jacques-Joseph-François de Vogüé (1776–1787) * René des Monstiers de Mérinville (1787–1790) (1801) ** Jean-Baptiste Volfius (1791–1793) (Constitutional Bishop of Côte-d-Or). * Henri Reymond (1802–1820) * Jean-Baptiste Dubois (1820–1822) * Jean-François Martin de Boisville (1822–1829) * Jacques Raillon (1829–1830) (also

Archbishop of Aix The Archdiocese of Aix-en-Provence and Arles (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Aquensis in Gallia et Arelatensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse d'Aix-en-Provence et Arles''; Occitan Provençal: ''Archidiocèsi de Ais de Provença e Arle'' or ''Archidioucès ...

) * Claude Rey (1831–1838) * François-Victor Rivet (1838–1884) * Jean-Pierre-Bernard Castillon (1885–1885) * Victor-Lucien-Sulpice Lécot (1886–1890) (later

Archbishop of Bordeaux The Archdiocese of Bordeaux (–Bazas) (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Burdigalensis (–Bazensis)''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Bordeaux (–Bazas)''; Occitan: ''Archidiocèsi de Bordèu (–Vasats)'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or a ...

) * Fédéric-Henri Oury (1890–1898) (later Archbishop of Algiers) * Albert-Léon-Marie Le Nordez (1898–1904) * Pierre Dadolle (1906–1911) * Jacques-Louis Monestès (1911–1915) * Maurice Landrieux (1915–1926) * Pierre-André-Charles Petit de Julleville (1927–1936) (also

Archbishop of Rouen The Archdiocese of Rouen (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rothomagensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rouen'') is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the Archbishop of Rouen's ecclesi ...

) * Guillaume-Marius Sembel (1937–1964) * André-Jean-Marie Charles de la Brousse (1964–1974) * Albert Florent Augustin Decourtray (1974–1981) (also

Archbishop of Lyon The Archdiocese of Lyon (; ), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archbishops of Lyon are also called Primate o ...

) * Jean Marie Julien Balland (1982–1988) (also

Archbishop of Reims The Archdiocese of Reims or Rheims (; French language, French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese around 250 by Sixtus of Reims, the diocese w ...

) * Michel Coloni (1989–2004) * Roland Minnerath (2004–2022) * Antoine Hérouard (2022–present), (11/02/2022)

Architecture

Romanesque architecture was very popular in Burgundy; its masterpiece is the Cathedral of Saint-Bénigne of Dijon, consecrated by Paschal II in 1106 and completed in 1288. The Gothic style, although less used, characterizes the churches of Notre-Dame de Dijon (1252–1334), Notre-Dame de Semur, and l'Abbaye Saint-Seine; it was also the style of the Sainte-Chapelle of Dijon, which is no longer in existence. Under the dukes of Burgundy, at the close of the 14th and beginning of the 15th century, Burgundian art flourished in a surprising degree. The Chartreuse de Champmol, on which

Philip the Bold Philip II the Bold (; ; 17 January 1342 – 27 April 1404) was Duke of Burgundy and ''jure uxoris'' Count of Flanders, Artois and Burgundy. He was the fourth and youngest son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxembourg. Philip was th ...

had Claus Sluter, the sculptor, at work from 1389 to 1406, and which was the acme of artistic excellence, was almost totally destroyed during the Revolution; however, two superb traces of it may still be seen, namely the Puits des prophètes and the portal of the church. The Beaune hospital (1443) is a fine specimen of the Gothic style, and the church of Saint-Michel in Dijon (1497) has 16th- and 17th-century porches covered with fantastic bas-reliefs. The Abbeys of Cîteaux, Fontenay, and Flavigny (where in the 19th century

Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire Jean-Baptiste Henri-Dominique Lacordaire, OP (; 12 May 1802 – 21 November 1861), often styled Henri-Dominique Lacordaire, was a French Catholic priest, journalist, theologian and political activist. He re-established the Dominican Order in ...

installed a Dominican novitiate) were all within the territory of Dijon.

Saints

The following saints are specially honoured: * Sequanus (Saint Seine), b. at Mesmont, Côte-d'Or, d. 580, founder of the monastery of Réomé around which sprang up the town of Saint-Seine-l'Abbaye *

William of Volpiano William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

(961-1031), a native of

Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...

, Abbot of

Saint Bénigne Benignus of Dijon () was a martyr honored as the patron saint and first herald of Christianity of Dijon, Burgundy (Roman ''Divio''). His feast falls, with All Saints, on November 1; his name stands under this date in the '' Martyrology of St. ...

at Dijon in 990, and reformer of the Benedictine Order in the 11th century; *

Robert of Molesme Robert of Molesme (1028 – 17 April 1111) was an abbot, and a founder of the Cistercian Order. He is venerated as a Christian saint. Life Robert was born about 1029 near Troyes, a younger son of Thierry and Ermengarde, nobles of Champagne. ...

, joint founder with

Alberic of Cîteaux Alberic of Cîteaux (died 26 January 1109), sometimes known as Aubrey of Cîteaux, was a French monk and abbot, one of the founders of the Cistercian Order. He is now honored as a saint. Life Alberic was a hermit in the forest of Collan in Fra ...

and

Stephen Harding Stephen Harding () (28 March 1134) was an English-born monk and abbot, who was one of the founders of the Cistercian Order. He is honored as a saint in the Catholic Church. Early life Stephen was born in south-west England and, as a youth, ...

of the monastery of Cîteaux in 1098 *Stephen Harding, who died in 1134, third Abbot of Cîteaux, under whose administration the monasteries of

La Ferté Abbey La Ferté Abbey (; ) was a Cistercians, Cistercian monastery founded in 1113 in La Ferté-sur-Grosne in the present commune of Saint-Ambreuil, Saône-et-Loire, France, the first of the Primary abbey, four great daughter-houses of Cîteaux Abbey. I ...

, Pontigny, Clairvaux, and Morimond were established *

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercians, O.Cist. (; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, Mysticism, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercia ...

(1090–1153) *

Jane Frances de Chantal Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name including list of persons and characters with the name * Jane (surname), related to the given name including list of persons and characters with the name Film and television * ''Jan ...

(1572–1641), b. at Dijon, who, having heard

Francis de Sales Francis de Sales, Congregation of the Oratory, C.O., Order of Minims, O.M. (; ; 21 August 156728 December 1622) was a Savoyard state, Savoyard Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Geneva and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He became n ...

's Lenten discourses at Dijon in 1604, conceived a friendship for him *, canon of Saint-Etienne de Dijon (17th century) * (1619–48), surnamed the "little saint of Beaune", noted for having visions of the Infant Jesus, in consequence of which the pious association known as the Family of the Holy Child Jesus was organized and later raised by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

to the dignity of an archconfraternity. Among the famous persons of Dijon the Seneschal

Philippe Pot Philippe Pot (1428–1493) was a Duchy of Burgundy, Burgundian nobleman, military leader, and diplomat. He was the ''Lord, seigneur'' of La Rochepot, La Roche and Thorey-sur-Ouche, a Knight of the Golden Fleece, and the Seneschal, Grand Sen ...

(1428–94) is remembered for his exploits against the Turks in 1452 and his deliverance from his captors. Bossuet was a native of Dijon. Hubert Languet, the Protestant publicist (1518–81), was born at Vitteaux.

References

Sources

Reference Works

* pp. 548–549. (Use with caution; obsolete) * p. 284. (in Latin) * * *

Studies

* * * * *

External links

* Centre national des Archives de l'Église de France
''L’Épiscopat francais depuis 1919''
. Retrieved 24 December 2016. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dijon, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of

1731 establishments in France