The Diocese of Tournai () is a

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

ecclesiastical territory or

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 in Belgium The Belgian Catholic Church, also known as the Catholic Church in Belgium, is part of the global Catholic Church and is under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome and the Episcopal Conference of Bishops. Dioceses There a ...

. The diocese was formed in 1146, upon the dissolution of the Diocese of Noyon and 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 Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

in 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 the

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...

Archdiocese of Mechelen–Brussels. The

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the 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 principa ...

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

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

's heritage since 1936 and as a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

since 2000.

History

As early as the second half of the 3rd century St. Piat evangelized

Tournai Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...

; some sources name him as the first bishop, but this remains unsubstantiated. At the end of the 3rd century

Emperor Maximian Maximian (; ), 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 co-emperor and superior, Diocletian, whose political brain complem ...

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 ( 300 to 600 AD), also known as the Barbarian Invasions, 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 ...

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

St. Remigius Remigius ( or ; – 13 January 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 in the Christ ...

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. Belgian Medieval Dioceses

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 around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

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 (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...

and Therouanne,

Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) 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 the Artois region, with a ...

and

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; ; ), 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 Escaut river. A sub-pref ...

. The same ordinary held both sees for five hundred years. It was only in 1146 that Tournai received its own bishop. 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 () to differentiate him from his father Louis VI, was King of France from 1137 to 1180. His first marriage was to Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and ...

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

Guillaume Fillastre Guillaume Fillastre, sometimes called the Elder (1348 – 6 November 1428), was a French cardinal, canonist, humanist, and geographer. Life Fillastre was born at La Suze, Maine. After graduating as doctor ''juris utriusque'', Fillastre taugh ...

(1460–1473), chancellor of the Golden Fleece;

Michel de Warenghien Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), S ...

(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 (1437 – 3 August 1508), was a church official, and bibliophile. He was the illegitimate son of Duke Philip the Good of Duke of Burgundy, Burgundy and a woman of Venice, Venetian origins, ...

(1487–1507), illegitimate son of

Philip the Good Philip III the Good (; ; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) ruled as Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death in 1467. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonged. During his reign, ...

and noted

bibliophile A bookworm or bibliophile is an individual who loves and frequently reads or collects books. Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. Bibliophiles may have large, specialized book collections. They may highly value old editions, aut ...

, 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 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 List of longest-reign ...

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 François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; 1 ...

(1692–1705);

Louis Marcel de Coëtlogon Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also * ...

(1705–1707); François de Beauveau (1708–1713). After the

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaty, 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 vac ...

(1713) the French were replaced by Germans:

Johann Ernst Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name '' Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious" ...

, 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 principality, principalities in present Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. History Origins and first division The County of Salm arose in the tenth century in Vielsalm, in the Ardennes r ...

(1731–1770); Wilhelm Florentine, Prince of

Salm-Salm The Principality of Salm-Salm (; ) was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. It was located in the present-day French departments of Bas-Rhin and Vosges (department), Vosges; it was one of a number of partitions of Salm (state), Salm. History Salm-Sa ...

(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 associated ...

, which bordered Tournai as far as Ypres. There began the

Diocese of Arras The Diocese of Arras (–Boulogne–Saint-Omer) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Atrebatensis (–Bononiena–Audomarensis)''; French: ''Diocèse d'Arras (–Boulogne–Saint-Omer)'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The episcopal s ...

, 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 (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...

obtained from

Paul IV Pope Paul IV (; ; 28 June 1476 – 18 August 1559), born Gian Pietro Carafa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 May 1555 to his death, in August 1559. While serving as papal nuncio in Spain, he developed ...

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 The Diocese of Bruges (; ) 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-Brussels, which covers all of Belgiu ...

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-Brussels ...

, 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.atholic-Hierarchy]">Ypres (Ieper) (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]/ref> Its seat was Saint Martin's Cathedral in Ypres. In 1969 it was reconstitut ...

. 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). Tournai pan

Bishops

To 1146

* 540 : St.

Eleutherius of Tournai Saint Eleutherius of Tournai () (died c. 532) is venerated as a saint and considered the first bishop of Tournai.Medardus Medardus or Medard (French (language), French: ''Médard'' or ''Méard'') (ca. 456–545) was the Ancient Diocese of Noyon, Bishop of Noyon. He moved the seat of the diocese from Vermand to Noviomagus Veromanduorum (modern Noyon) in northern Fr ...

*Then jointly with Noyon * c. 626–c. 638 :

Acarius Acarius (died 14 March 642), venerated as Saint Acarius, 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 ...

* 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 or Balderic was the forty-second bishop of Tournai and Noyon (1099–1112).F. Hennebert, "Baldéric", ''Biographie Nationale de Belgique''vol. 1(Brussels, 1866), 659-661. He was born in Artois and was a canon and cantor in the dioceses of C ...

* 1114–1123 : Lambert * 1123–1146 :

Simon of Vermandois Simon of Vermandois (1093–1148) was a French nobleman and bishop. He was a son of Hugh I of Vermandois. Elected bishop of Noyon in 1123, he was excommunicated in 1142 by Pope Innocent II, for divorcing his brother Raoul I, Count of Vermandois fr ...

* 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 who became bishop of Tournai in 1192. Biography He was born at Orléans in 1128; died at Tournai in Septembe ...

* 1203–1218 : Gossuin * 1219–1251 : Walter of Marvis * 1252–1261 : Walter of Croix * 1261–1266 : Johann I. Buchiau * 1267–1274 :

John of Enghien John of Enghien (died 1281) was the 54th bishop of Tournai and the 69th bishop of Liège in the Low Countries. Life John of Enghien was born to a noble family in the County of Hainaut, son of Siger of Enghien and Alix of Sotteghem. Alphonse Le Roy ...

* 1275–1282 : Philipp Mus * 1283–1291 : Michael von Warenghien * 1292–1300 : Johann III. von Vassogne * 1301–1324 : Guy of Boulogne * 1324–1326 : Elie de Ventadour * 1326–1333 : Guillaume de Ventadour * 1333 : Theobald of Saussoire * 1334–1342 : André Ghini * 1342–1349 :

Jean IV. des Prés Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jean ...

* 1349–1350 : Pierre de Forest (also

Bishop of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been create ...

) * 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 Jean de Harcourt (died 13 June 1452) was a French priest and bishop. His parents were Jacques d'Harcourt, seigneur de Montgomery, and Jeanne d'Enghien. He was canon of Laon, then bishop of Amiens from 1418 and finally bishop of Tournai from 1433. ...

* 1437–1460 :

Jean Chevrot Jean Chevrot (c. 1395, Poligny, Jura - 23 September 1460, Lille) was a French bishop who served as president of the council of Burgundy for Philip the Good and Isabella of Portugal (1397-1471), Isabella of Portugal. He was a multi-talented ministe ...

* 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 produc ...

* 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 cardinal (catholic), cardinal. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's Lord High Almoner, almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and ...

* 1519–1524 :

Louis Guillard Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also * ...

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

Charles de Croÿ Charles de Croÿ Prince of Chimay (; 1506 – 11 December 1564) was a bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tournai, 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 wa ...

* 1564–1574 :

Gilbert d'Oignies Gilbert d'Oignies (ca. 1520–1574) was a bishop of Tournai in the Habsburg Netherlands. Life Gilbert was born in Lille or Tournai around 1520, the son of Jean d'Oignies and Marguerite de Launir. Charles Piot, "Oignies (Gibert d')", ''Biographie ...

* 1574–1580 :

Pierre Pintaflour Pierre Pintaflour (1502–1580) was a humanist from the Habsburg Netherlands, writing under the pen name Thindari, who became bishop of Tournai. Life Pintaflour was born in Strazeele (Cassel, Nord, castellany of Cassel) in 1502, the second son o ...

* 1583–1586 : Maximilien Morillon * 1586–1592 : Jean Vendeville (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 Archdiocese of Toulouse (–Saint Bertrand de Comminges–Rieux) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the Department of Haute-Garonne and its seat is Toulouse Cathedral. Archbi ...

) * 1713–1731 :

Johann Ernst von Löwenstein-Wertheim Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name '' Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious" ...

* 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 Jean Joseph Delplancq (1767–1834) was a 19th-century bishop of Tournai and one of the founders of the Catholic University of Leuven. Life Delplancq was born in Thieu on 30 January 1767. Aloïs Simon, "Delplancq, Jean Joseph", in ''Biographie Na ...

* 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 Guy Harpigny (born 13 April 1948 in Luttre) is a Belgian Bishop of the Catholic Church. He was ordained to the priesthood on 7 July 1973. On 22 May 2003 he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Tournai by Pope John Paul II Pope John P ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Diocese Of Tournai

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