The Diocese of Tournai 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 Jo ...

ecclesiastical territory or

diocese In 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 provinces were administratively associ ...

of the

Catholic Church in Belgium The Catholic Church in Belgium, part of the global Catholic Church in Belgium, is under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome and the Episcopal Conference of Bishops. Dioceses There are eight dioceses, including one archdioces ...

. The diocese was formed in 1146, upon the dissolution of the Diocese of Noyon & Tournai, which had existed since the 7th Century. It is now

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

in the

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 sev ...

of the

metropolitan 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 typ ...

Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels In 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 provinces were administratively associate ...

. The

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the raised throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principal ...

is found within the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Tournai, which has been classified both as a major site for

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—al ...

's heritage since 1936 and as a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

since 2000.

History

As early as the second half of the 3rd century St. Piat evangelized Tournai; some sources name him as the first bishop, but this remains unsubstantiated. At the end of the 3rd century

Emperor Maximian Maximian ( la, Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus; c. 250 – c. July 310), nicknamed ''Herculius'', was Roman emperor from 286 to 305. He was ''Caesar'' from 285 to 286, then ''Augustus'' from 286 to 305. He shared the latter title with his ...

rekindled persecutions, and St. Piat was martyred as a result.Warichez, Joseph. "Tournai." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 7 September 2019

Barbarian invasions The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...

began shortly afterwards. These lasted from the end of the 3rd century till the end of the 5th century.

St. Remigius Remigius (french: Remi or ; – January 13, 533), was the Bishop of Reims and "Apostle of the Franks". On 25 December 496, he baptised Clovis I, King of the Franks. The baptism, leading to about 3000 additional converts, was an important event ...

used the good-will of the Frankish monarchy to organize the Catholic hierarchy in the North of Gaul. He confided the Diocese of Arras and Cambrai to St. Vaast (Vedastus), and founded the See of Tournai (c. 500), appointing as its titular Eleutherius. It was probably its status of royal city which secured Tournai's early rise, only to lose its position as capital upon the departure of the

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gaul ...

court. Nevertheless, it maintained its own bishops for nearly a century. Then, at about 626 or 627, under the episcopate of St. Achar, the sees of Tournai and Noyon were reunited, retaining however their separate structures. Tournai lost its privileges and was relegated to level of the neighbouring dioceses, such as

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the C ...

and Therouanne,

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of ...

and

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the ...

. The same ordinary held both sees for five hundred years. It was only in 1146 that Tournai received its own bishop. Belgian Medieval Dioceses

Notable bishops are: St. Eleutherius (beginning of 6th century); St. Achar (626/27 – 1 March 637/38); St. Eloi (641–660); Simon de Vermandois (1121–1146); Walter de Marvis (1219–1251), the great founder of schools and hospitals; Etienne of Tournai (1192–1203), godfather of

Louis VII of France Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger, or the Young (french: link=no, le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI (hence the epithet "the Young") and married Duchess ...

and minister to the queen; Andrea Chini Malpiglia (1334–42), cardinal and papal legate;

Guillaume Fillastre Guillaume Fillastre (the Elder) (b. 1348 at La Suze, Maine, France; d. Rome, 6 November 1428) was a French cardinal, canonist, humanist, and geographer. Life After graduating as doctor ''juris utriusque'', Fillastre taught jurisprudence at Reim ...

(1460–1473), chancellor of the

Golden Fleece In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece ( el, Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας, ''Chrysómallon déras'') is the fleece of the golden-woolled,, ''Khrusómallos''. winged ram, Chrysomallos, that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis, where ...

; Michel de Warenghien (1283–1291), a very erudite doctor; Michel d'Esne (1597–1614), the author of several works.

Raphael de Mercatellis Raphael de Mercatellis, also known as Raphael of Burgundy (1473–3 August 1508), was a church official, imperial counsellor and bibliophile. He was the illegitimate son of Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy and a woman of Venetian origins, the wife ...

(1487–1507), illegitimate son of

Philip the Good Philip III (french: Philippe le Bon; nl, Filips de Goede; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonge ...

and noted

bibliophile Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books. Profile The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...

, was auxiliary bishop of Tournai. During Spanish rule (1521–1667) the see continued to be occupied by natives of the country, but the seize of Tournai by

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

in 1667 caused it to have a number of Frenchmen for bishop: Gilbert de choiseul duplessis praslin (1670–1689); François de La Salle de Caillebot (1692–1705); Louis Marcel de Coëtlogon (1705–1707); François de Beauveau (1708–1713). After the

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne ...

(1713) the French were replaced by Germans: Johann Ernst, Count of

Löwenstein-Wertheim Löwenstein-Wertheim was a county of the Holy Roman Empire, part of the Franconian Circle. It was formed from the counties of Löwenstein (based in the town of Löwenstein) and Wertheim (based in the town of Wertheim am Main) and from 1488 until ...

(1713–1731); Franz Ernst, Count of

Salm-Reifferscheid Salm is the name of several historic countships and principalities in present Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. History Origins The County of Salm arose in the tenth century in Vielsalm, in the Ardennes region of present Belgium. It was ...

(1731–1770); Wilhelm Florentine, Prince of

Salm-Salm The Principality of Salm-Salm (german: Fürstentum Salm-Salm; french: Principauté de Salm-Salm) was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. It was located in the present-day French departments of Bas-Rhin and Vosges; it was one of a number of partitions ...

(1776–1794). The reunion of the see with Noyon and the ensuing removal of the seat of the bishopric bolstered the chapter. The chapter's requirement to appoint only nobility and scholars, as set forth by the old régime, tended to attract the highly born and educated. Illustrious French and Belgian names are inscribed in the archive's registers and on the cathedral's tombstones. The cathedral, long by wide, is surmounted by 5 towers high. The nave and transept are Romanesque (12th century), while the choir is primary Gothic, begun in 1242 and completed in 1325. Originally, the borders of the diocese arguably were those of the ''Civitas Turnacensium'', as mentioned in the "Notice des Gaules". The prescriptions of councils and the interest of the Church both favoured such borders, and they were retained throughout the Middle Ages. The diocese then further extended along the left bank of the river Schelde, from the river Scarpe to the North Sea, with the exception of the Vier-Ambachten (Hulst, Axel, Bouchaute, and Assenede), which are said to have always belonged to the Diocese of Utrecht. The Schelde thus formed the natural border between the Dioceses of Tournai and Cambrai, cutting through the towns of Termonde, Ghent, Oudenarde, and Tournai itself. The North Sea seaboard between the Schelde and the Yser was wholly part of this perimeter. On the far side of the Yser resided the

Diocese of Thérouanne In 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 provinces were administratively associate ...

, which bordered Tournai as far as Ypres. There began the Diocese of Arras, which bordered Tournai as far as the confluence of the Scarpe and the Schelde at Mortgne, France. This vast diocese was for a long time divided into three archdeaneries and twelve deaneries. The archdeanery of Bruges comprised the deaneries of Bruges, Ardenbourg, and Oudenbourg; the archdeanery of Ghent, the deaneries of Ghent, Roulers, Oudenarde, and Waes; the archdeanery of Tournai, the deaneries of Tournai, Seclin, Helchin, Lille, and Courtrai. In 1559, to support the war against Protestantism, King

Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...

obtained from Paul IV the foundation of a series of new dioceses. The ancient Diocese of Tournai was split up, with nearly two-thirds of its territory being cut away. The outlines of the archdeaneries of Bruges and Ghent formed the new diocese of Bruges and

diocese of Ghent The Diocese of Ghent ( Latin: ''Dioecesis Gandavensis'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brusse ...

, and six parishes passed to the new

diocese of Ypres The former Roman Catholic Diocese of Ypres, in present-day Belgium, existed from 1559 to 1801.Ypres (Ieper) (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]/ref> Its seat was Saint Martin's Cathedral">atholic-Hierarchy]">Ypres (Ieper) (Diocese) [Catholic- ...

. This situation lasted until the beginning of the 19th century. The French Revolution created the Department of Jemappes, which in 1815 became the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, whose borders coincided with those of the Diocese of Tournai, after a concordat between the plenipotentiaries of Pius VI and the consular government of the republic. The Bishop of Tournai retained only two scores of the parishes formerly under his jurisdiction, but received on the right bank of the Schelde a number of parishes which, prior to the Revolution, had belonged to the Diocese of Cambrai (302), Namur (50), and Liège (50).

Bishops

To 1146

* 540 : St.

Eleutherius of Tournai Saint Eleutherius of Tournai (french: Eleuthère) (died c. 532) is venerated as a saint and considered the first bishop of Tournai.

(Eleuthere) * c. 549 and 552 : Agrecius * 545 : Medardus *Then jointly with Noyon * c. 626–c. 638 :

Acarius Saint Acarius (died 14 March 642) was a monk of Luxeuil Abbey, who became bishop of Doornik and Noyon, which today are located on either side of the Franco- Belgian border. Life Acarius was born to a noble family of Burgundy. He entered the Abbe ...

* 641–660 : Eligius * c. 661–c. 686 : Mummolenus * Gondoin * c. 700 : Antgaire * c. 715 : Chrasmar * c. 721 : Garoul * c. 723 : Framenger * c. 730 : Hunuan * c. 740 : Gui et Eunuce * c. 748 : Elisée * c. 756/765 : Adelfred * ? : Didon * 769–c. 782 : Giselbert * c. 798/799 : Pleon * c. 815 : Wendelmarus * c. 830/838 : Ronegaire * c. 830/838 : Fichard * 840–860 : Immon * 860–879 : Rainelme * 880–902 : Heidilon * 909 : Rambert * 915–932 : Airard * †936 : Walbert * 937–950 : Transmar, Transmarus * 950–954 : Rudolf * 954–955 : Fulcher * 955–977 : Hadulphe * 977–988 :

Liudolf of Vermandois Liudolf of Vermandois (died before 9 November 986), son of Adalbert I, Count of Vermandois, and Gerberge of Lorraine. Luidolf was appointed Bishop of Noyon in 979 after the death of his predecessor Hadulphe, as reported by Flodoard Flodoard of R ...

* 989–997 : Radbod I * 1000–1030 : Hardouin * 1030–1044 : Hugo * 1044–1068 : Balduin * 1068–1098 : Radbod II * 1099–1112 :

Baldric of Noyon Baldric of Noyon was the forty-second bishop of Tournai (1099–1112).F. Hennebert, "Baldéric", ''Biographie Nationale de Belgique''vol. 1(Brussels, 1866), 659-661. A chronicle of Arras and Cambrai has mistakenly been attributed to him. His survivi ...

* 1114–1123 : Lambert * 1123–1146 : Simon of Vermandois * Diocese split

1146 to 1500; bishops of Tournai

* 1146–1149 : Anselm * 1149–1166 : Gerard * 1166–1171 : Walter * 1173–1190 : Everard * 1193–1203 :

Stephen of Tournai Stephen of Tournai, (18 March 1128 - 11 September 1203), was a Canon regular of Sainte-Geneviève (Paris), and Roman Catholic canonist Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulati ...

* 1203–1218 : Gossuin * 1219–1251 : Walter of Marvis * 1252–1261 : Walter of Croix * 1261–1266 : Johann I. Buchiau * 1267–1274 : John of Enghien * 1275–1282 : Philipp Mus * 1283–1291 : Michael von Warenghien * 1292–1300 : Johann III. von Vassogne * 1301–1324 : Guy of Boulogne (also

Bishop of Cambrai The Archdiocese of Cambrai ( la, Archdiocesis Cameracensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Cambrai'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France, comprising the arrondissements of Avesnes-sur-Help ...

) * 1324–1326 : Elie de Ventadour * 1326–1333 : Guillaume de Ventadour * 1333 : Theobald of Saussoire * 1334–1342 : André Ghini * 1342–1349 : Jean IV. des Prés * 1349–1350 : Pierre de Forest (also

Bishop of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Parisiensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Paris'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France ...

) * 1351–1377 : Pierre d'Arbois * 1379–1388 : Pierre d'Auxy ** 1380–1384 : Jean de West * 1388–1410 : Louis de la Trémouille * 1410–1433 : Jean de Thoisy * 1433–1437 : Jean d'Harcourt * 1437–1460 : Jean Chevrot * 1460–1473 :

* 1474–1483 :

Ferry de Clugny Ferry de Clugny, Cardinal and Bishop of Tournai (Autun ca. 1430 – Rome 7 October 1483) was a highly placed statesman and ecclesiastic in the service of the Dukes of Burgundy. He was born at Autun, Burgundy, of a distinguished house that produ ...

* 1483–1505 : ''Schism''

1500 to 1800

* 1505–1513 : Charles de Hautbois * 1514–1518 :

Thomas Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's Lord High Almoner, almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the ...

* 1519–1524 : Louis Guillard, bishop-elect from 1513 but displaced by Wolsey until 1519 * 1524–1564 :

Charles de Croÿ Charles de Croÿ Prince of Chimay ( nl, Karel van Croij; 1506 – 11 December 1564) was a bishop of the See of Tournai in present-day Belgium from 1524 until 1564. Charles was born in 1506 as a member of the House of Croÿ. He was a nephew of ...

* 1564–1574 : Gilbert d'Oignies * 1574–1580 : Pierre Pintaflour * 1580–1586 : Maximilien Morillon * 1586–1592 :

Jean Vendeville Jean Vendeville (24 June 1527 – 15 October 1592) was a law professor and a bishop of Tournai. Life Vendeville was possibly born in Lille, the son of Guillaume Vendeville and Marie Des Barbieux.Alexis Possoz, ''Mgr Jean Vendeville, évêque de T ...

(Jean Venduille) * 1592–1597 : ''Vacant'' * 1597–1614 : Michel D'Esne * 1614–1644 : Maximilien Villain * 1644–1660 : François Villain * 1660–1689 : Gilbert de Choiseul * 1689–1705 : François de Caillebot de La Salle * 1705–1707 : Louis-Marcel de Coëtlogon-Méjusseaume * 1707–1713 : René de Beauveau (then

Bishop of Toulouse The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toulouse (–Saint Bertrand de Comminges–Rieux) ( la, Archidioecesis Tolosana (–Convenarum–Rivensis); French: ''Archidiocèse de Toulouse (–Saint-Bertrand de Comminges–Rieux-Volvestre)''; Occitan: ''A ...

) * 1713–1731 : Johann Ernst von Löwenstein-Wertheim * 1731–1770 : Franz Ernst von Salm-Reifferscheid * 1770–1776 : ''Vacant'' * 1776–1793 : Wilhelm Florentin von Salm-Salm (then

Archbishop of Prague The following is a list of bishops and archbishops of Prague. The bishopric of Prague was established in 973, and elevated to an archbishopric on 30 April 1344. The current Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Prague is the continual successor of the bi ...

) * 1793–1802 : ''Vacant''

From 1800

* 1802–1819 : François-Joseph Hirn * 1819–1829 : ''Vacant'' * 1829–1834 : Jean Joseph Delplancq * 1835–1872 : Gaspard-Joseph Labis * 1873–1880 : Edmond Dumont :fr:Edmond Dumont * 1881–1897 : Isidore-Joseph du Rousseaux * 1897–1915 : Carolus Gustavus Walravens * 1915–1924 : Amédée Crooy * 1924–1939 : Gaston-Antoine Rasneur * 1940–1945 : Luigi Delmotte * 1945–1948 : Etienne Carton de Wiart * 1948–1977 : Charles-Marie Himmer * 1977–2002 : Jean Huard * 2003–present : Guy Harpigny

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Diocese Of Tournai

Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Eurome ...

Religious organizations established in the 1140s 1146 establishments in Europe Roman Catholic dioceses established in the 12th century