The former Breton and French Catholic Diocese of Saint-Malo (, then ) existed from at least the 7th century until the French Revolution. Its seat was at Aleth until the 12th century, when it was moved to

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo language, Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. The Fortification, walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth ...

. Its territory extended over some of the modern departments of

Ille-et-Vilaine Ille-et-Vilaine (; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Ill-e-Vilaenn'', ) is a departments of France, department of France, located in the regions of France, region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in the northwest of the country. It is named a ...

Côtes-d'Armor The Côtes-d'Armor ( , ; ; , ), formerly known as Côtes-du-Nord until 1990 (, ), is a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 600,582.Poutrocoet.

History

In early Brittany, church organization was not centered on cities and dioceses, since the Roman system of government had not reached so far to the west and north, but on monasteries, populated from the British isles and Ireland. Dol, Treguier, and Alet were considered monastery-bishoprics until the 11th century. Already by the mid-6th century the metropolitan bishop of Tours was struggling to exert his authority over the bishops of Brittany. At the Council of Tours in 567, which was attended by no bishop of Brittany, a canon forbade the consecration of any bishop of Armorica without the consent of the metropolitan. In 826, after two generations of warfare between Franks and Britons, Brittany was conquered, and created a duchy by the Franks.

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (; ; ; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aquitaine from 781. As the only ...

made the Breton

Nominoe Nominoe or Nomenoe (; ; 763, 7 March 851) was the first Duke of Brittany from 846 to his death. He is the Bretons, Breton ''pater patriae'' and to Breton nationalism, Breton nationalists he is known as ' ("father of the country"). Or ...

the first duke. But when the Emperor Louis died in 840, Nominoe embarked on an independence campaign for Brittany, while posing as a loyal adherent of the distant Emperor Lothair. His plan included ridding himself of bishops who had supported the Gallicising of the Breton church. Simony was a convenient charge. Bishop Rethwalatrus is referred to as ''Redhuualatro episcopo in Poutrocoet'' in a document of 863, in the cartulary of Redon, and again in 858. Incursions of the Normans into Brittany began in 843 with the sack of Nantes, repeated in 853 and 866. Treguier and Dol and the whole north coast were ravaged between 878 and 882. The abbey of Landévennec was destroyed in 913. In 919, there was general devastation throughout Brittany, causing nobles and monks, with their treasures, to flee the country. The abbey of Redon was destroyed. By 936, the Normans were masters of all Brittany. In 965, Bishop Salvator, along with Abbot Juanus of Saint-Malo, was forced to flee to Paris from the Normans. He died there, perhaps around 1000. At a synod held by

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 historica ...

in Reims in October 1049, several clergy of Tours laid a complaint through the archbishop of Reims before the assembly. The bishop of Dol and seven of his suffragans had attempted to secede from the metropolitanate of Tours, and form their own ecclesiastical province, with the bishop of Dol as archbishop and metropolitan, all without papal authority and contrary to custom. Pope Leo ordered the bishop to appear next year at the Roman synod to answer the charges. On 1 September 1050, he wrote to the duke and count of Brittany, informing them that, in accordance with previous papal decisions, all their bishops were subject to the archbishop of Tours, and that in no way could he approve the demand for a separate ecclesiastical province. He had excommunicated all the bishops, not only for their presumption, and their failure to appear at the Roman synod, but for their involvement in simony as well. They were not to carry out ecclesiastical functions or impart blessings.

Saint-Malo

The town of Saint-Malo lies at the mouth of the

Rance River The Rance (; , ) is a river of northwestern France. It is long. The semi-tidal river flows into the English Channel between Dinard and Saint-Malo. Before reaching the Channel, its waters are barred by a 750 metre long dam forming the Rance tid ...

, on the east (right) bank. It was originally an island in the estuary, similar in situation to Mont Saint-Michel. Eventually, Saint-Malo became the seat of the bishop, though it is still in a monastery. In 1062, Bishop Rainaldus signed himself ''episcopus de Masloo de Bidainono'' The cathedral of Saint-Vincent dates from the 12th to 14th century. The cathedral was staffed by a corporation called the Chapter, led by four dignities (the Dean, the Archdeacon of Dinan, the Archdeacon of Pohorët, and the Cantor) and twenty-three canons. Before the transfer of the diocese to Saint-Malo, the canons were Canons Regular of Saint-Victor de Paris. In 1319, however, they were secularized by order of

Pope John XXII Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Papacy, Avignon Pope, elected by ...

. The canons were not subject to epsicopal jurisdiction, but depended directly upon the Holy See (Papacy). Bishop Pierre Benoît (1349–1359) held a diocesan synod in 1349. Bishop Guillaume Poulart (1359–1374) attended the provincial council of Tours in March 1365, which met at Angers, under the presidency of Archbishop Simon. Bishop Robert de la Motte (1389–1423) held diocesan synods in 1402 and 1406. Bishop Pierre Piédru (1434–1449) attended the provincial council of Tours, held in Angers in 1448. Bishop Jean L'Espervier (1450–1486) presided over a diocesan synod in 1452.

Concordat of Bologna

In 1516, following the papal loss of the

Battle of Marignano The Battle of Marignano, which took place on 13–14 September 1515, near the town now called Melegnano, 16 km southeast of Milan, was the last major engagement of the War of the League of Cambrai. It pitted the French army, composed of t ...

Pope Leo X Pope Leo X (; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political and banking Med ...

signed a

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 ...

with King Francis I of France, removing the rights of all French entities which held the right to elect to a benefice, including bishoprics, canonicates, and abbeys, and granting the kings of France the right to nominate candidates to all these benefices, provided they be suitable persons, and subject to confirmation of the nomination by the pope. This removed the right of cathedral chapters to elect their bishop, or even to request the pope to name a bishop. The Concordat of Bologna was strongly protested by the University of Paris and by the Parliament of Paris.

Seminary

Bishop Achille de Harlay de Sancy (1631–1644) was interested in improving the quality of his clergy, and this of necessity involved creating a seminary. He invited Father

Vincent de Paul Vincent de Paul, CM (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660), commonly known as Saint Vincent de Paul, was an Occitan French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor. In 1622, Vincent was appointed as chaplain to the galleys. ...

, the co-founder and superior of the

Congregation of the Mission The Congregation of the Mission (), abbreviated CM and commonly called the Vincentians or Lazarists, is a Catholic Church, Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men founded by Vincent de Paul. It is associated with the Vin ...

to visit his diocese and consider the possibilities in Saint-Malo. The bishop waS also abbot commendatory of the abbey of Saint-Meen (Mevennius), for which he had obtained the necessary permissions to convert into a seminary from

King Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest of any monar ...

, and from the reluctant but eventually compliant Benedictines. De Paul was agreeable, and in 1645 his priests, called colloquially Lazarists, opened the institution, which they staffed down until the abolition of religious orders by the French Revolution in 1791. In 1739, the city of Saint-Malo had a population of 7,000 persons. The diocese had 162 parishes.

French Revolution

One of the first acts of the French Revolution was the abolition of feudalism and its institutions, including estates, provinces, duchies, baillies, and other obsolete organs of government. Even before it directed its attention to the Church directly, the National Constituent Assembly attacked the institution of monasticism. On 13 February 1790. it issued a decree which stated that the government would no longer recognize solemn religious vows taken by either men or women. In consequence, Orders and Congregations which lived under a Rule were suppressed in France. Members of either sex were free to leave their monasteries or convents if they wished, and could claim an appropriate pension by applying to the local municipal authority. These decrees applied to the five monasteries of men in the diocese of Saint-Malo: St.-Meen, Montfort, St. Jean des Prés, Beaulieu, and Painpont. Also suppressed were the two monasteries of women. The Assembly ordered the replacement of political subdivisions of the ''ancien régime'' with subdeivisions called "departments", to be characterized by a single administrative city in the center of a compact area. The decree was passed on 22 December 1789, the boundaries fixed on 26 February 1790, with the institution to be effective on 4 March 1790. Saint-Malo was assigned to the Departement d' Ille-et-Vilaine, with its administrative center at Rennes. The National Constituent Assembly then, on 6 February 1790, instructed its ecclesiastical committee to prepare a plan for the reorganization of the clergy. At the end of May, its work was presented as a draft

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 ...

, which, after vigorous debate, was approved on 12 July 1790. There was to be one diocese in each department, requiring the suppression of approximately fifty dioceses. Saint-Malo was an obvious target, given the relatively small population. The suppression of dioceses by the state was uncanonical. In the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, the National Constituent Assembly also abolished cathedral chapters, canonicates, prebends, chapters and dignities of collegiate churches, chapters of both secular and regular clergy of both sexes, and abbeys and priories whether existing under a Rule or ''in commendam''. Bishop Gabriel Cortois de Pressigny resigned as bishop of Saint-Malo in 1801, at the request of Pope Pius VII.

Suppression

In 1801, when

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 ...

restored the hierarchy in France, the diocese of Saint-Malo was not restored. Its territory was distributed among the dioceses of Rennes, Vannes, and Saint-Brieuc.

Bishops of Aleth

::P. B. Gams points out that all names before 817 are at least doubtful. *

Aaron According to the Old Testament of the Bible, Aaron ( or ) was an Israelite prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of Moses. Information about Aaron comes exclusively from religious texts, such as the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament ...

* Suliac *

Saint Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany. The walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the All ...

or Maclovius (487–565) * Gurval * Colfin oder Colaphin * Armael oder Armel * Enogat * Maëlmon, ca. 650 * Godefroi or Geofroi c. 656 * Oedmal * Hamon I. * Noedi * Ritwal * Tutamen * Ravili * Bili I. * Meen or Moene * Ebon or Edon * Guibon or Guibert * Hamon II. * Walter * Cadocanan * Rivallon I. * Judicaël I. * Réginald or Regimond * Menfenic * Budic or Benedikt * Docmaël or Idomaël * Johannes * Walter * Hélogard or Haelocar (811–816) * Ermorus or Ermor (833–834) * Iarnwaltus or Jarnuvalt (835–837) * Main, Maen or Mahen (840–846) * ? Salocon (c. 848) * Rethwalatrus or Retuvalart (857–867) * Ratvomo or Ratwili (867–872) * Bilius * Salvator (tenth century) * Raoul ( 990–1008) ... * Hamon (III) (c. 1028) ::''Sede vacante in Aleth'' * Martin (c. 1054) ... * Renaud or Rainaud (c. 1062) ... * Daniel (I) (c. 1085) * Benedict (II.) ( 1092–1111) * Judicaël (II) (1089–1111) * Rivallon (II) (1112–1118) * Daniel (II) (c. 1120) * Donoald (1120–1143)

Bishops of Saint-Malo

1146–1400

* Jean de Châtillon (1146–1163) * Albert or Aubert (1163–1184) * Pierre Giraud or Géraud (1184–1218) * Radulfus (1219–1230) * Geoffroi de Pontual 1231–1255 * Nicolas de Flac (1254–1262) :: hillipe de Bouchalampe, O.Cist. (1263)* Simon de Cliçon or Clisson (1264–1286) * Robert du Pont (1287–1310) * Raoul Rousselet (1310–1317) * Alain Gonthier (1318–1333) * Yves le Prévôt de Bois Boëssel 1333–1348 * Guillaume Mahé (1348–1349) * Pierre Benoît or de Guémené 1349–1359 * Guillaume Poulart (1359–1374) * Josselin de Rohan (1375–1389) * Robert de la Motte d'Acigné (1389–1423)

1423–1827

* Guillaume de Montfort (1423–1432) * Amaury de la Motte d'Acigné (1432–1434) * Pierre Piédru (1434–1449) * Jacques d'Espinay-Durestal (1450) * Jean L'Espervier (1450–1486) * Pierre de Montfort de Laval (1486–1493) * Guillaume Briçonnet 1493–1513 * Denis Briçonnet (1513–1535) * François Bohier (1535–1569) * Guillaume Ruzé (1570–1572) * François Thomé (1573–1586) * Charles de Bourgneuf (1586–1596) * Jean du Bec (1598–1610) * Guillaume le Gouverneur (1610–1630) :: ctavien de Marillac (1630)* Achille de Harlay de Sancy (1631–1644) *

Ferdinand de Neufville Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...

(1644–1657) * François de Villemontée (1658–1670) *

Sébastien de Guémadeuc Sébastien is a common French given name. It is a French form of the Latin name ''Sebastianus'' meaning "from Sebaste". Sebaste was a common placename in classical Antiquity, derived from the Greek word ''σεβαστος'', or ''sebastos'', mea ...

(1671–1702) * Vincent-François des Maretz (1702–1739) * Jean-Joseph de Fogasses (1739–1767) * Antoine-Joseph des Laurents (1767–1785) * Gabriel Cortois de Pressigny (1785–1791) : Siméon L'Archant de Grimouville (1817)

References

Sources

*Duchesne, Loui
''Fastes épiscopaux de l'ancienne Gaule: Vol. II: L'Aquitaine et les Lyonnaises''
. deuxième edition. Paris: Thorin & fils, 1899 * pp. 548–549. (Use with caution; obsolete) * p. 301. * p. 175. * * p. 219. *Hauréau, Bartholomaeus (1856)
''Gallia Christiana: in provincias ecclesiasticas distributa.''
. Volume 14 Paris: Didot, 1856. pp. 993-1037; "instrumenta," pp. 233-244. * * * * *Tresvaux, François Marie (1839)
''L' église de Bretagne ou histoire des siéges épiscopaux, séminaires et collégiales, abbayes et autres communautés de cette province: d'après les matériaux de Dom Hyacinthe Morice de Beaubois''
. Paris: Mequignon, 1839. {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint-Malo, Ancient Diocese of

Dioceses established in the 7th century 7th-century establishments in Francia