The Archdiocese of Algiers (, ) is the
metropolitan see for the
ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...
of
Algiers
Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
in
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
.
History
The diocese was established on 10 August 1838 as the Diocese of Algiers from
Diocese of Islas Canarias in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. Later that same year, it united with the
Diocese of Iulia Caesarea.
It was promoted to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Algiers on 25 July 1866.
Special churches
La
Cathédrale du Sacré-Cœur d'Alger (Sacred Heart Cathedral of Algiers) is the current cathedral of the archdiocese. It is a concrete Modernist church that was built in 1956. It became a cathedral in 1962.
The previous cathedral was the French colonial Cathedral of St. Philip of Algiers. The Cathedral of St. Philip of Algiers was established by converting the
Ketchaoua Mosque
The Ketchaoua Mosque (), also known as Djamaa Ketchaoua, is a mosque in the city of Algiers, the capital of Algeria. It was built during Ottoman period in the 17th century and is located at the foot of the Casbah of Algiers, a UNESCO World Herit ...
in 1845, but was reconverted to the Ketchaoua Mosque in 1962.
The diocese also has a Minor Basilica at the Basilique de
Notre Dame d'Afrique in Algiers.
Bishops
Apostolic Vicars of Algiers
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Philippe le Vacher,
CM (1651 – 17 July 1662)
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Benjamin Huguier,
CM (1662 – April 1663)
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Jean Le Vacher,
CM (23 May 1668 – 29 July 1683)
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Michel de Montmasson,
CM (8 January 1685 – 5 July 1688)
#
José Gianola
José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ).
In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...
,
O.SS.T (1690–1693)
#
Yves Laurence,
CM (September 1693 – 11 March 1705)
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Lambert Duchêne,
CM (1705 – December 1736)
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Pierre Favoux,
CM (1737 – 15 July 1740)
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Adrien Poissant,
CM (22 July 1740 – 1 June 1741)
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Charles-Marie-Gabriel Poirier du Burgh,
CM (June 1741 – July 1743)
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Adrien Poissant,
CM (July 1743 – 3 August 1746)
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Arnoult Bossu,
CM (3 August 1746 – 1757)
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Théodore Groiselle,
CM (30 November 1757 – 5 September 1763)
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Charles la Pie de Savigny,
CM (5 September 1763 – April 1765)
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Philippe Joseph Le Roy,
CM (April 1765 – 1772)
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Charles la Pie de Savigny,
CM (1772 – April 1773)
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Pierre François Viguier,
CM (April 1773 – 28 May 1778)
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Charles Cosson,
CM (20 October 1778 – 11 February 1782)
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Michel Ferrand,
CM (20 March 1782 – 2 May 1784)
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Jean-Alasia Erat,
CM (20 January 1785 – 5 April 1798)
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Jean-Claude Vicherat,
CM (1798–1802)
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Jean-François Chossat,
CM (March 1823 – June 1825)
#
Jean-Louis Solignac,
CM (1825–1827)
Bishops of Algiers
#
Antoine-Adolphe Dupuch (13 September 1838 – 9 December 1845)
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Louis-Antoine-Augustin Pavy (16 April 1846 – 16 November 1866)
Archbishops of Algiers
#
Charles Lavigerie
Charles Martial Allemand Lavigerie, M. Afr. (31 October 1825 – 26 November 1892) was a French Catholic prelate and missionary who served as Archbishop of Carthage and Primate of Africa from 1884 to 1892. He previously served as Archbishop o ...
(27 March 1867 – 25 November 1892), elevated to Cardinal in 1882
#
Prosper Auguste Dusserre (26 November 1892 – 30 December 1897)
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Fédéric-Henri Oury (28 November 1898 – 15 December 1907)
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Barthélemy Clément Combes (22 January 1909 – 2 January 1917)
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Auguste-Fernand Leynaud (2 January 1917 – 5 August 1953)
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Léon-Étienne Duval
Léon-Étienne Duval (9 November 1903 – 30 May 1996) was a French prelate and cardinal. He served as Archbishop of Algiers from 1954 to 1988, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965.
Biography
Léon-Étienne Duval was born in Chênex ...
(3 February 1954 – 19 April 1988), elevated to Cardinal in 1965
#
Henri Antoine Marie Teissier (19 April 1988 – 24 May 2008)
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Ghaleb Moussa Abdalla Bader (24 May 2008 – 23 May 2015), appointed nuncio and titular Archbishop
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Paul Desfarges,
SJ (24 December 2016 – 27 December 2021)
#
Jean-Paul Vesco (27 December 2021
[ – present)
]
Coadjutor archbishops
* Prosper Auguste Dusserre (1880–1892)
* Henri Antoine Marie Teissier (1980–1988)
Auxiliary bishops
* Pierre-Jean-Joseph Soubiranne (22 December 1871 – 27 February 1880), appointed Bishop of Belley, France
* Salvator-Alexandre-Félix-Carmel Brincat (28 June 1889 – 1903)
* Alexandre Piquemal (26 February 1909 – 4 June 1920)
* Paul Pierre Pinier (13 December 1947 – 27 March 1954), appointed Bishop of Constantine (-Hippone)
* Gaston Marie Jacquier (4 December 1960 – 8 July 1976)
Other bishops who were priests of the diocese
This list contains men, living and deceased, who were priests of this diocese before becoming bishops elsewhere.
* Victor-Félix Bernadou (priest: 19 December 1840 – 7 April 1862), appointed Bishop of Gap, France; future Cardinal
* Alphonse Émile Georger
Alphonse may refer to:
* Alphonse (given name)
* Alphonse (surname)
* Alphonse Atoll, one of two atolls in the Seychelles' Alphonse Group
*Alphonso (mango), a mango-cultivar from India
See also
*Alphons
Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adel ...
(priest: 29 June 1965 – 10 July 1998), appointed Bishop of Oran
* Henri Antoine Marie Teissier (priest: 24 March 1955 – 30 November 1972)), appointed Bishop of Oran (later returned here as Coadjutor)
See also
* List of Catholic dioceses in Algeria
References
Sources
GCatholic.org
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Algiers
Roman Catholic dioceses in Algeria
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
Religious organizations established in 1838
Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 19th century
1838 establishments in Algeria