Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Avignon

The Archdiocese of Avignon (Latin: Archidioecesis Avenionensis; French: Archidiocèse d'Avignon) is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese exercises jurisdiction over the territory embraced by the department of Vaucluse, in the Region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It is named for the prefecture of Avignon. The diocese has been led since January 2021 by Archbishop Georges Pontier, whom Pope Francis called out of retirement to serve as Apostolic Administrator.^[1]

Archdiocese of Avignon Archidioecesis Avenionensis Archidiocèse d'Avignon
Avignon Cathedral
Location
Country	France
Ecclesiastical province	Marseille
Metropolitan	Archdiocese of Marseille
Statistics
Area	3,578 km2 (1,381 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2022) 561,469 450,000 (80.1%)
Parishes	173
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	4th Century
Cathedral	Cathedral Basilica of Notre Dame des Doms
Patron saint	Notre-Dame St. Agricola of Avignon
Secular priests	88 (Diocesan) 47 (Religious Orders) 22 Permanent Deacons
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Archbishop	François Fonlupt
Bishops emeritus	Jean-Pierre Cattenoz
Map
Website
Website of the Archdiocese

Established in the 4th century as the Diocese of Avignon, the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese in 1475,^[a] with the suffragan sees of the Diocese of Carpentras, the Diocese of Vaison, and the Diocese of Cavaillon. By the Concordat of 1801 these three dioceses were united to Avignon, together with the Diocese of Apt, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Aix. At the same time, however, Avignon was reduced to the rank of a bishopric and was made a suffragan see of Aix.^[b]

The Archdiocese of Avignon was re-established in 1822,^[c] and received as suffragan sees the Diocese of Viviers (restored in 1822); Diocese of Valence (formerly under Lyon); Diocese of Nîmes (restored in 1822); and Diocese of Montpellier (formerly under Toulouse).

On 16 December 2002, the see – officially Archdiocese of Avignon (-Apt, Cavaillon, Carpentras, Orange, and Vaison) – lost its Metropolitan status and became instead a suffragan see of Marseille. In 2009 its name was changed to Archdiocese of Avignon, the secondary titles being suppressed.

History

There is no evidence that either Saint Rufus, disciple of Saint Paul according to certain traditions the son of Simon of Cyrene, or Saint Justus, likewise held in high honour throughout the territory of Avignon, was venerated in antiquity as bishop of that see. The first bishop known to history is Nectarius,^[2] who took part in several councils about the middle of the fifth century. Saint Agricol (Agricolus), bishop between 650 and 700, is the patron saint of Avignon.

In 1475 Pope Sixtus IV raised the diocese of Avignon to the rank of an archbishopric, in favour of his nephew Giuliano della Rovere who later became Pope Julius II.^[3]

Bishops

To 1000

•  ? - 100: Saint Simon of Cyrene
• 3rd of 4th century: Saint Ruf^[4]
• 439–451: Nectarius^[5]
• 465: Saturinus^[5]
• 475–507: Julianus^[5]
• 524–540: Eucherius^[4]
• 541–554: Antonius^[4]
• 585: Johannes^[4]
• 618: Maximus^[4]
• 7th century: Saint Veredème^[4]
• 7th century (683?): Saint Agricol^[4]
• 855: Ragenutius^[4]
• 860–876: Hilduinus^[4]
• 876–879: Ratifridus^[4]

1000 to 1474

• mentioned 1002: Pierre
• before 1006–1033: Heldebert
• 1033–1036: Senioret
• 1037– after 1047: Benoît I
• before 1050– after 1173: Rostaing II
• 1095– after 1120: Albert
• before 1124–1142: Laugerius
• 1148–after 1148: Geoffroy I
• 1173–1174: Raymond I
• 1174–1177: Geoffroy II
• 1178–1180: Pontius
• 1180–1197: Rostaing III de Marguerite
• 1197–1209: Rostaing IV
• 1209–1216 death: Guillaume I de Montelier^[6]
• mentioned 1225: Pierre II^[6]
• before 1226– after 1230: Nicolas de Corbie^[6]
• mentioned 1238: Benedictus^[6]
• 1242–1261 death: Zoen Tencarari
• 1264–1266: Bertrand de Saint-Martin^[6]
• 1267– c. 1287 death: Robert d'Uzès^[6]
• mentioned 1288: Benoît III^[6]
• 1290– after 1294: André de Languiscel^[6]
• 1300–1310: Bertrandus Aymini^[7][6]
• 1310–1312: Jacques Duèze, later Pope John XXII^[6]
• 1313–1317: Jacques de Via (nephew of John XXII)^[6]
• 1317–1334: John XXII (again)^[6]
• 1336–1349: Jean de Cojordan
• 1349–1352 death: Clement VI
• 1352–1362 death: Innocent VI
• 1362–1366: Anglicus Grimoard (brother Pope Urban V)^[6]
• 1366–1367: Urban V
• 1367–1368: Philippe de Cabassole
• 1368–1371 death: Pierre d'Aigrefeuille^[8]
• 1371–1383: Faydit d'Aigrefeuille^[8]
• 1391–1394: Clement VII (antipope)
• 1394–1398: Benedict XIII (antipope)
• 1398–1406: Gilles de Bellamere
• 1410–1412: Pierre V de Tourroye
• 1412–1415: Simond de Cramaud
• 1415–1419: Guy I de Roussillon-Bouchage
• 1419–1422: Guy II Spifame
• 1422–1432: Guy III de Roussillon-Bouchage
• 1432–1433: Marco Condulmer^[9]
• 1437–1474: Alain de Coëtivy^[9]

Archbishops

• 1474–1503: Giuliano della Rovere (Archbishop from 1475)^[9]
• 1503–1512: Antoine Florès^[10]
• 1512–1517: Orlando Carretto della Rovere (Orland de Roure)
• 1517–1535: Hippolyte de' Medici
• 1535–1551: Alessandro Farnese the Younger
• 1551–1562: Annibale Bozzuti (Annibal Buzzutto)
• 1566–1576: Félicien Capitone
• 1577–1585: Georges d'Armagnac
• 1585–1592: Domenico Grimaldi
• 1592–1598: François-Marie Thaurusi (Francesco Maria Tarugi)^[11][12]
• 1598–1609: Jean-François Bordini^[12]
• 1609–1624: Etienne II Dulci
• 1624–1644: Marius Philonardi^[12]
• 1644–1647: Bernard III Pinelli^[13]
• 1647–1649: César Argelli^[14]
• 1649–1669: Domenico de' Marini^[14]
• 1669–1672: Azzo Ariosto^[15]
• 1673–1686: Hyacinthe Libelli^[15]
• 1686–1689: Alexandre II Montecatini^[15]
• 1690–1705: Lorenzo Fieschi^[15]
• 1705–1717: François Maurice Gonteri ^[15]
• 1742–1757: Joseph Guyon de Crochans^[16]
• 1757–1775: François Maria Manzi^[16]
• 1775–1790: Carlo Vincenzo Giovio^[16]
• 1793–1794: François-Régis Rovère
• 1798: François Etienne
• 1802–1817: Jean-François Périer
• 1821–1830: Etienne-Parfait-Martin Maurel de Mons
• 1831–1834: Louis-Joseph d'Humières
• 1834–1842: Célestin Dupont (Jacques-Marie-Antoine-Célestin du Pont) (also Archbishop of Bourges)
• 1842–1848: Paul Naudo
• 1848–1863: Jean-Marie-Mathias Debelay
• 1863–1880: Louis-Anne Dubreuil

Archbishop Jean-Pierre Cattenoz (left) and Dominique Rey

• 1880–1884: François-Edouard Hasley (also Archbishop of Cambrai)
• 1885–1895: Louis-Joseph-Marie-Ange Vigne
• 1896–1907: Louis-François Sueur
• 1907–1928: Gaspard-Marie-Michel-André Latty^[17]
• 1928–1957: Gabriel-Roch de Llobet^[17]
• 1957–1970: Joseph-Martin Urtasun^[17]
• 1970–1978: Eugène-Jean-Marie Polge^[17]
• 1978–2002: Raymond Bouchex^[17]
• 2002–2021: Jean-Pierre Marie Cattenoz^[17]
• 2021–present: François Fonlupt

See also

• Catholic Church in France
• List of Catholic dioceses in France
• Timeline of Avignon

Notes

1. On 21 November 1475
2. On 29 November 1801
3. On 6 October 1822

References

1. Henning, Christophe (12 January 2021). "Pope appoints retired bishop to heal divided French diocese". La Croix International. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
2. Gagnière et al. 1979, p. 109.
3. Girard 1958, pp. 71–72.
4. Duprat 1909b, p. 151.
5. Palanque 1951, pp. 132–133.
6. Eubel 1913, p. 123.
7. Gams 1857, p. 504.
8. Eubel 1913, p. 124.
9. Eubel 1914, p. 100.
10. Eubel 1923, p. 126.
11. Eubel 1923, p. 127.
12. Gauchat 1935, p. 105.
13. Gauchat 1935, pp. 105–106.
14. Gauchat 1935, p. 106.
15. Ritzler & Sefrin 1952, p. 109.
16. Ritzler & Sefrin 1958, p. 111.
17. Delaunay 2016.

Sources

• Delaunay, Cécile (20 June 2016). "L'Épiscopat francais depuis 1919" (PDF). Centre national des Archives de l'Église de France. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
• Duprat, E. (1908). "Les origines de l'église d'Avignon". Mémoires de l'Académie de Vaucluse (in French). 8: 373–405.
• Duprat, E. (1909a). "Les origines de l'église d'Avignon (suite)". Mémoires de l'Académie de Vaucluse (in French). 9: 1–50.
• Duprat, E. (1909b). "Les origines de l'église d'Avignon (suite et fin)". Mémoires de l'Académie de Vaucluse (in French). 9: 105–168.
• Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1913). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. 1 (1198–1431) (2nd ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana. pp. 123–124.
• Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1914). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. 2 (1431–1503) (2nd ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana. p. 100.
• Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1923). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. 3 (1503–1592) (2nd ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana. pp. 126–127.
• Gagnière, Sylvain; et al. (1979). Histoire d'Avignon (in French). Aix-en-Provence, France: Édisud. ISBN 2-85744-056-1.
• Gams, Pius Bonifacius (1857). Series episcoporum Ecclesiae catholicae (in Latin). Graz: Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt. pp. 503–505.
• Gauchat, Patritius (Patrice) (1935). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. 4 (1592–1667). Münster: Libraria Regensbergiana. pp. 105–106.
• Girard, Joseph (1958). Évocation du Vieil Avignon (in French). Paris: Les Éditions de Minuit. OCLC 5391399.
• Palanque, Jean-Rémy (1951). "Les évêchés provençaux à l'époque romaine" (PDF). Provence Historique (in French). 1 (3): 105–143.
• Ritzler, Remigium; Sefrin, Pirinum, eds. (1952). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. 5 (1667–1730). Münster: Monasterii Sumptibus. p. 109.
• Ritzler, Remigium; Sefrin, Pirinum, eds. (1958). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. 6 (1730–1799). Münster: Monasterii Sumptibus. p. 111.

Further reading

• Albanes, J. H.; Chevallier, Ulisse (1920). Gallia christiana novissima: Avignon : (évêques, archevêques, prévots) (in Latin). Montbéliard: Soc. Anonyme d'Impr. Montbéliardaise.
• Duchesne, Louis (1907). Fastes épiscopaux de l'ancienne Gaule (in French). Vol. Tome 1: Provinces du Sud-Est. Paris: Albert Fontemoing. pp. 266–270.
• Girard, Joseph (1931). "Avignon (Diocèse)". Dictionnaire d'Histoire et de Géographie ecclésiastiques (in French). Vol. 5: Athéisme – Azzon. Paris: Letouzey et Ané. Columns 1142–1153. OCLC 163130941.

External links

• Official site of the Diocese of Avignon
• Diocese of Avignon on the website of the Église catholique en France
• "Archdiocese of Avignon France". GCatholic.org.
• Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Avignon" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

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