The Archdiocese of Monaco () is an exempt Latin ecclesiastical territory or

archdiocese 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 associated ...

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 ...

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

. It is directly subject to the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

and not part of any

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 ...

. The archdiocese's

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral church, or ...

and thus seat of its archbishop is the

Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate The Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate (French language, French: ''Cathédrale de Notre-Dame-Immaculée''; Latin: ''Cathedralis Templum de Nostra Domina Immaculata''), formerly called the ''Cathedral of Saint Nicholas'' (demolished in 1874),. Now t ...

(Saint Nicholas's or Monaco Cathedral).

Dominique-Marie David Dominique-Marie Jean Michel David (born 21 September 1963) is a French prelate of the Catholic Church who has been the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monaco, Archbishop of Monaco since 2021. He is a member of the Emmanuel Community. Biography Dav ...

was appointed as Archbishop of Monaco by

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

on 21 January 2020.

History

Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII (; ; born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the most unfortunate o ...

visited in 1532. It was established as a pre-diocesan jurisdiction on 30 April 1868, as the Territorial Abbacy of Saints-Nicholas-et-Benoît, on territory split off from the

Diocese of Nice The Diocese of Nice (Latin: ''Dioecesis Nicensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Nice'') is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the Department of Alpes-Maritimes. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Ma ...

. It was promoted as the Diocese of Monaco by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

on 15 March 1887, and it was elevated to the rank of an archdiocese by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

on 30 July 1981.

Ordinaries

;Abbots Ordinary of Saints-Nicholas-et-Benoît * Romarico Flugi d’Aspermont,

Subiaco Cassinese Benedictines The Subiaco Cassinese Congregation is an international union of Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine houses (abbeys and priories) within the Benedictine Confederation. It developed from the Subiaco Congregation, which was formed in 1867 through the ...

(O.S.B. Subl.) (1868.05.21 – 1871) * Léandre de Dou, O.S.B. Subl. (1871–1874) * Hildebrand Marie Dell’Oro di Giosué, O.S.B. Subl. (1874–1875) * ''

Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

'' Lorenzo Battista Biale (1875 – death 1877), while Bishop of

Ventimiglia Ventimiglia (; , ; ; ) is a resort town in the province of Imperia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is located west of Genoa, and from the French-Italian border, on the Gulf of Genoa, having a small harbour at the mouth of the Roia river, w ...

(Italy) (1837.05.19 – death 1877) * ''

'' Charles-Bonaventure-François Theuret (1878.07.15 – 1887.03.15 ''see below''),

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Hermopolis Maior (1878.07.15 – 1887.03.15) ;Exempt Bishops of Monaco * Charles-Bonaventure-François Theuret (''see above'' 1887.03.15 – death 1901.11.11) * Jean-Charles Arnal du Curel (1903.10.02 – death 1915.06.06) * Gustave Vié (1916.05.08 – death 1918.07.10) * Georges-Prudent-Marie Bruley des Varannes (1920.12.16 – 1924.02.13), emeritate as

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Claudiopolis in Honoriade Claudiopolis () was an ancient city in the Roman province of Paphlagonia (and later Honorias) in northern Asia Minor. It was an episcopal see during Late Antiquity, and remains a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church. Residential bishopric a ...

(1924.02.13 – death 1943.05.29) * Auguste-Maurice Clément (1924.04.25 – 1936.03.02), emeritate as Titular Bishop of

Algiza Algiza is a former ancient city (under the name Argiza) and bishopric in Asia Minor, now a Latin Catholic titular see. Its modern location is Baliapasakov in Asian Turkey. History Algiza was important enough in the Late Roman province of Asia ...

(1936.03.02 – death 1939.03.03) * Pierre-Maurice-Marie Rivière (1936.03.02 – 1953.05.13), emeritate as

Anchialus In Greek mythology, the name Anchialus (Ancient Greek: Ἀγχίαλος means 'near the sea') may refer to the following characters: *Anchialus, a 'well-skilled' Greek warrior who participated in the Trojan War. He and Menesthes, while riding a ...

(1953.05.13 – 1961.11.07) * Gilles-Henri-Alexis Barthe (1953.05.13 – 1962.05.04), later Bishop of Fréjus–Toulon (France) (1962.05.04 – retired 1983.02.08) * Jean-Édouard-Lucien Rupp (1962.06.09 – 1971.05.08); previously Titular Bishop of

Arca in Phoenicia Arqa (; ) is a Lebanese village near Miniara in Akkar Governorate, Lebanon, 22 km northeast of Tripoli, near the coast. The town was a notable city-state during the Iron Age. The city of ''Irqata'' sent 10,000 soldiers to the coalition ag ...

(1954.10.28 – 1962.06.09) &

Auxiliary Bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

France of the Eastern Rite The Ordinariate for Eastern (Rite) Catholics in France (or France of the Eastern Rite) (French: ''Ordinariat des catholiques de rite oriental résidant en France'') is a Catholic Ordinariate for Eastern Catholic faithful (pseudo-diocesan juris ...

(France) (1954.10.28 – 1962.06.09); later

Apostolic Pro-Nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is a ...

(papal diplomatic envoy) to Iraq (1971.05.08 – 1978), Titular Archbishop of

Dionysiopolis Dionysiopolis (, "city of Dionysus") or Dionysopolis (Διονύσου πόλις), was a city of Phrygia in Asia Minor. The demonym ''Dionysopolitae'' (Διονυσοπολίτης) occurs on coins, and in a letter of M. Cicero to his brother Qui ...

(1971.05.08 – 1983.01.28), Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Kuwait (1975–1978),

Permanent Observer Observer status is a privilege granted by some organizations to non-members to give them an ability to participate in the organization's activities. Observer status is often granted by intergovernmental organizations (IGO) to non-member parties and ...

Office of the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG, ) in Geneva, Switzerland, is one of the four major offices of the United Nations where numerous different UN agencies have a joint presence. The main UNOG administrative offices are located inside ...

(UNOG) (1978 – retired 1980) * Edmond-Marie-Henri Abelé (1972.06.27 – 1980.12.01), later Bishop of

Digne Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte ...

(France) (1980.12.01 – 1987.06.02) ;Exempt Archbishops of Monaco *

Charles Amarin Brand Charles-Amarin Brand (27 June 1920 – 31 March 2013) was a French prelate of the Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, lar ...

(1981.07.30 – 1984.07.16); previously Titular Bishop of

Uthina :'' Uthina'' is also a spider genus ( Pholcidae) Uthina or Oudna () was an ancient Roman-carthage city located near Tunis, Tunisia. History Uthina was a town in the province of Africa Proconsularis, now northern Tunisia. Uthina became a Roman c ...

(1971.12.28 – 1981.07.30) & Auxiliary Bishop of Fréjus–Toulon (France) (1971.12.28 – 1976.11.18), Auxiliary Bishop of

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

(France) (1976.11.18 – 1981.07.30); later

Archbishop-Bishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

of Strasbourg (1984.07.16 – 1988.06.01), Vice-President of Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (1986–1990), Archbishop of

(France) (1988.06.01 – 1997.10.23), President of Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (1990–1993) *

Joseph-Marie Sardou Joseph-Marie Sardou, S.C.J. (25 October 1922 – 19 September 2009) was a French Roman Catholic archbishop. Ordained to the priesthood on 12 May 1949, Sardou was appointed Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monaco, by Pope John Paul ...

Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus The Timon David Fathers, officially known as the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (; ; abbreviated SCJ) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic religious congregation of pontifical right. It was founded in 1852 by Joseph-Marie Timon-David. ...

(T.D.) (1985.05.31 – retired 2000.05.16) *

Bernard Barsi Bernard César Augustin Barsi (4 August 1942 – 28 December 2022) was a French prelate of the Catholic Church who was the archbishop of Monaco from 2000 to 2020. Biography Barsi was born on 4 August 1942 in Nice, France. He was ordained a pries ...

(16 May 2000 – 21 January 2020) *

(21 January 2020 – present)

Parishes

There are five parish churches: Saint-Charles Church, Church St. Devote, Saint Martin Church and Saint Nicholas Church. Chapels include: Chapel of Mercy, Chapel of the Sacred Heart and the Carmelite Chapel. On Sunday 13 November 2011, the parish church of Saint Martin celebrated its centenary in the presence of

Prince Albert II Albert II (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born 14 March 1958) is Prince of Monaco, reigning since 2005. Born at the Prince's Palace of Monaco, Albert is the second child and only son of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace. He attend ...

and Princess Charlene, with Princess Caroline and Princess Alexandra of Hanover. Archbishop Barsi blessed the Byzantine cross and the third bell named "Alexandra".Centenary of Saint-Martin parish
/ref>

References

;Additional sources *

External links

*
Catholic-Hierarchy

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monaco, Archdiocese Christian organizations established in 1887 Roman Catholic dioceses in Europe Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 19th century Catholic Church in Monaco 1887 establishments in Monaco

History

Ordinaries

Parishes

See also

References

External links