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Archdiocese of Rouen

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Archdiocese of Rouen
Archidioecesis Rothomagensis
Archidiocèse de Rouen
Rouen Cathedral
Rouen Cathedral
Location
Country France
Ecclesiastical province Rouen
Statistics
Area 4,228 km2 (1,632 sq mi)
Population
Total
Catholics 		(as of 2022)
872,000
655,000 (75.1%)
Parishes 52
Information
Denomination Catholic
Sui iuris church Latin Church
Rite Roman Rite
Established 2nd Century
(as Diocese)
5th Century
(as Archdiocese)
Cathedral Cathedral of Notre Dame in Rouen
Patron saint Assumption of Our Lady
Secular priests 83 (Diocesan)
22 (Religious Orders)
24 Permanent Deacons
Current leadership
Pope Leo XIV
Metropolitan Archbishop Dominique Lebrun
Suffragans Bayeux and Lisieux
Coutances
Évreux
Le Havre
Sées
Bishops emeritus Jean-Charles Descubes
Map
Website
rouen.catholique.fr

The Archdiocese of Rouen (Latin: Archidioecesis Rothomagensis; French: Archidiocèse de Rouen) is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen archbishops of France, the Archbishop of Rouen's ecclesiastical province comprises the greater part of Normandy. The Archbishop of Rouen is currently Dominique Lebrun.

In 2022, there was one priest for every 6,238 Catholics in the archdiocese.

History

According to legend, developed in the 11th century, the diocese was founded by Nicasius, a disciple of St. Denis who was martyred after arriving in Normandy towards the end of the first century on a mission from Pope Clement I.[1] Most of the episcopal lists of the Diocese of Rouen, however, omit Nicasius' name.[2]

The archdiocese was based on the Roman province of Lugdunensis secunda in the Tetrachy of 295.[3]

Rouen became an archdiocese probably around 744 with the accession of Grimo. The archdiocese effectively collapsed as a result of tenth century Viking raids.[4] Archbishop Franco baptized Rollo of Normandy in 911, the Normans became enthusiastic church reformers and the archbishops were involved in the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Normandy was annexed to France in 1204, and Rouen was later occupied by England from 1419 to 1449 during the Hundred Years' War. In 1562 the city was briefly captured by Huguenots during the French Wars of Religion.

The suffragan dioceses of Rouen in the Middle Ages were Évreux, Avranches, Seès, Bayeux, Lisieux, and Coutances. Today its suffragans are the Diocese of Évreux, the Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux, the Diocese of Coutances, the Diocese of Le Havre, and the Diocese of Sées.

The seat of the archbishop is the 13th century Gothic Rouen Cathedral. The Cathedral Chapter is composed of ten dignitaries (the Dean,[5] the Precentor, the Treasurer, the Archdeacon Major, the Archdeacon Augi (Eu), the Archdeacon of Cales-Major (Grand-Caux), the Archdeacon of Velocassium Franciae (Vexin Français), the Archdeacon of Velocassium Normanniae (Vexin Normande), the Archdeacon of Cales-Minor (Petit-Caux), and the Chancellor); in addition there were forty-seven Canons (which included the offices of Succentor, Theologian and Penitentiary).[6]

In addition to the right to nominate the Archbishop of Rouen (from the Treaty of Bologna of 1516, between Francis I and Leo X[7]), the King of France also enjoyed the right of nomination of a considerable number of benefices in the archdiocese. These included: twenty-four abbeys; fourteen priories; the Dean and Canons of the Church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Ronde in Rouen; and the Dean and nine prebends of the Church of Saint-Mellon-de-Pontoise.[8]

The cathedral was heavily damaged, along with other buildings in Rouen, during World War II and later rebuilt. The archdiocese was the site of the terrorist attack at the church of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, on 26 July 2016.

Bishops

  • Nicasius (c. 250)
  • Mellonius (260–311)
  • Avitianus[9] (311–325)
  • Severus[10] (325–341)
  • Eusebius[11] (c. 341–366)
  • Marcellinus[12] (366–385)
  • Peter I[13] (385–393)
  • Victricius[14] (393–417)
  • Innocent (417–c. 426)[15]
  • Sylvester (c. 426–442)[16]
  • Malsonus (c. 442–451)[17]
  • Germanus[18] (c. 451–462)
  • Crescentius[19] (c. 462–488)
  • Godardus (c. 488–525), Gildard, Gildardus[20]
  • Filleul (525–542)
  • Evodus (542–550)
  • Saint Praetextatus[21] (550–586)
  • Melantius[22] (589–602)
  • Hidulphus[23] (602–631)
  • Romanus[24] (631–640)
  • Saint Ouen[25] (641–689)
  • Ansbert[26] (689–693)
  • Grippo[27] (695–c. 719)
  • Roland (c. 719–c. 732)
  • Hugh of Champagne (720–730)
  • Robert I (740–744)

Archbishops

744–1000

  • Grimo[28] (744–c. 748)
  • Ragenfred (748–753)
  • Remigius (753–762)
  • Hugh II (762–769)
  • Meinhard (769–c. 800)
  • Gilbert (800–828)
  • Ragnoard (828–836)
  • Gombaud (836–849)
  • Paul (849–855)
  • Wenilo[29] (858–869)
  • Adalard[30] (869–872)
  • Riculf (872–876)
  • John I[31] (876–889)
  • Wito[32] (889–c. 910)
  • Franco[33] (911–919)
  • Gonthard[34] (919–942)
  • Hugh III[35] (942–989)
  • Robert II[36] (990–1037)

1000–1400

  • Mauger (1037–1055)
  • Maurilius (1055–1067)
  • John II (1067–1078)
  • William I Bonne-Âme (1079–1110)
  • Geoffrey Brito (1111–1128)
  • Hugh de Boves (1129–1164)[37]
  • Rotrou (1165–1184)
  • Walter de Coutances (1184–1208)
  • Robert III Poulain[38] (1208–1222)
  • Thibaud d'Amiens[39] (1222–1231)
  • Maurice[40] (1231–1237)
  • Peter II de Colmieu[41] (1237–1245)
  • Eudes I Clement[42] (1245–1247)
  • Eudes II Rigaud[43] (1247–1276)
  • William II de Flavacourt[44] (1276–1306)
  • Bernard de Fargis[45] (1306–1311)
  • Gilles I Aycelin de Montaigu[46] (1311–1319)
  • William III de Durfort[47] (1319–1331)
  • Peter III Roger de Beaufort[48] (1331–1338)
  • Aimery Guenaud[49] (1338–1342)
  • Nicolas I Roger (1342–1347)
  • John III de Marigny (1347–1351)
  • Peter IV de la Forêt (1351–1356)
  • William IV de Flavacourt (1356–1369)
  • Philippe of Alençon (1369–1375)
  • Peter V de la Montre (1375)
  • William V de Lestranges (1375–1388)
  • William VI de Vienne, O.S.B.[50] (1389–1406) (Avignon Obedience)

1400–1800

1800–present

vacant after the French Revolution (1790–1802)

See also

  • Roman Catholicism in France
  • Saint-Louis Church, Rouen

Canonical status and jurisdiction

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen is a archdiocese of the Catholic Church.[86]

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Archdiocese of Rouen — (ROTHOMAGENSIS)

Revived by the Concordat of 1802 with the Sees of Bayeux, Evreux, and Séez as suffragans: it also includes the Department of the Seine Inferieure. The Archdiocese of Rouen was curtailed in 1802 by giving the Archdeanery of Pontoise to the Diocese of Versailles; the Deaneries of Pont Audemer and Bourgtheroulde, and a part of the Deanery of Périer, to the Diocese of Evreux; several parishes of the Deanery of Aumale were annexed to the Diocese of Beauvais. The Archbishop of Rouen bears the title of Primate of Normandy. Rouen, chief city of the Secunda Provincia Lugdunensis under Constantine, and later of Neustria, has been since 912 the capital of Normandy and residence of the dukes.

The episcopal catalogues of the ninth and tenth centuries and the "Liber Eburneus" of the cathedral of Rouen, which extends to 1068, indicate St. Mellon as first Bishop of Rouen; the "Liber Niger" of St. Ouen which comes down to 1079 and the episcopal lists dating from the twelfth century mention the episcopate of a certain Nicasius (Nicaise) as antedating that of St. Mellon. The legend of this Nicaise, based on Hilduin, makes him and his two companions, Quirinus and Scubiculus, disciples of St. Denis who came from Rome to Normandy but suffered martyrdom at their arrival on the banks of the river Epte. It was under the episcopate of William (Bonne Ame) the Good (1079-1110) that the name of Nicaise was placed at the head of the episcopal lists of Rouen. A number of saints were the successors of St. Mellon; according to the chronology of the Abbé Sauvage they were: St. Avitianus (about 314); St. Severus; St. Victricius, born about 330, a soldier in the beginning of his career and as such a confessor of the Faith under Julian the Apostate; made Bishop of Rouen about 380 and died, according to his biographer, Abbé Vacandard, before 409; famous for his friendship with St. Paulinus of Nola and St. Martin, also for going in 396 to England where he worked zealously for the conversion of the English people; his treatise "De Laude Sanctorum" is a strong plea in favour of the devotion to relics; Innocent I commissioned him in 404 to make known in Gaul the "Liber Regularum", which contains urgent instructions for ecclesiastical celibacy, for the respect due to the hierarchy, and Roman supremacy; St. Innocent; St. Evodius (about 430); St. Goldardus (490-525), brother of St. Medardus, one of the assistants at the baptism and coronation of Clovis; St. Flavius; St. Pretextatus (550-586), exiled in 577 by order of King Chilperic, was reinstated in the diocese in 584, and stabbed before the altar in 586 by order of Fredegonde; St. Romanus (631-641) former chancellor of Clotaire II; legend relates how he delivered the environs of Rouen from a monster called Gargouille, having had him captured by a liberated prisoner in commemoration of St. Romain in the Middle Ages the Archbishops of Rouen were granted the right to set a prisoner free on the day that the reliquary of the saint was carried in procession; St. Ouen (Audoennus) (641-684), previous to his appointment as bishop, was chancellor of Dagobert, and wrote a life of St. Eloy (Eligius); his episcopate was distinguished by the foundation of the monasteries of Fontenelle, Jumièges, and Fécamp, by the unceasing efforts he made to exterminate all traces of paganism in his dioceses, and by the arbitration effected through his influence between Austrasia and Neustria; his fame as a miracle-worker was great in the Middle Ages; St. Ansbert (684-92 or 93) chancellor of Clotaire III, and afterwards confined for political reasons by Pepin of Heristal in the Abbey of Hautmont; recently there was found in the library of Carlsruhe a curious little poem of the seventh century written by him on St. Ouen; this poem came originally from the Abbey of Reichenau; St. Hugh (722-30) was a monk of Jumièges before being made bishop; he subsequently combined the Sees of Rouen, Paris and Bayeux, also the abbeys of Jumiegès and Fontenelle; St. Remi (755-772), brother of King Pepin, was also archbishop of Rouen.

Guntbaldus who had played a certain part in the restoration of Louis the Pious, having become Bishop of Rouen, was commissioned in 846 by Sergius II to settle a dispute between Ebbo and Hincmar, and died in 849. The name of a certain St. Leo who suffered martyrdom at Bayonne sometimes appears incorrectly on the lists of archbishops of Rouen at the end of the ninth century and should be struck off. Among the more famous archbishops of Rouen were: Archbishop Franco (911-19), who baptized the Northman chief Rollo; St. Maurille (1055-67), who reformed his clergy and fought the heresy of Berengarius; John of Bayeux (1069-79), whose book on ecclesiastical services regulated religious devotions in Normandy; William I (Bonne Ame) (1071-1119), first a Benedictine and allowed St. Anselm to leave the Abbey of Bec to occupy the See of Canterbury; Hugh of Amiens (1130-74), author of numerous theological works; under his episcopate Rouen was honoured in May, 1131, by a visit from Innocent II, the only pope who ever entered Normandy; Gautier de Coutances called the Magnificent (1184-1207) the favourite companion of Richard the Lion Hearted; Eudes II Rigaud (1247-1274), one of the most eminent statesmen of the day; he accompanied St. Louis on his Tunis crusade and left a diary of his pastoral visitations which has the most important bearing on the ecclesiastical history of the province; Gilles Aycelin (1311-18), Chancellor of France; Pierre Roger (1330-39) became Pope Clement VI; Peter de la Foret (1352-56) was at first Bishop of Paris and became a cardinal in 1356 as Chancellor of France he was one of the most faithful adherents of the dauphin, afterwards Charles V.

During the Hundred Years War the English occupied Rouen from 1417-1449; the Duke of Bedford at his own request was formally made a member of the Chapter of Rouen in 1430. The English rule, so severe for the people, increased the privileges of the clergy but dealt rigorously with such ecclesiastics as were thought rebellious; especially with Archbishop Louis de Harcourt who was deprived in 1421 of his possessions for refusing to pay homage to Henry V. The following should be added to the list of archbishops: John of la Rochetaillée (1423-29), cardinal in 1426; Louis of Luxembourg (1436-42), cardinal in 1439, was the sworn agent in France of Henry VI, King of England; William of Estouteville (1453-83), cardinal in 1437 and commissioned by Nicholas V in 1453 to mediate between France and England, and to obtain from Charles VII certain modifications of the Pragmatic Sanction; Robert of Croismare (1483-93) and Cardinal Georges d'Amboise (1493-1510), both of whom played an important part in the Renaissance movement; the two Cardinals Charles of Bourbon (1550-90 and 1590-94), the first of whom was at one time a candidate for the throne of France; François, Cardinal de Joyeuse (1604-15) who negotiated peace in the name of Henry IV between Paul V and the Republic of Venice; the two François de Harlay (1615-51) and (1651-71); John Nicholas Colbert (1691-1707), son of the minister; Nicholas de Saulx Tavannes (1733-59), cardinal in 1756; Dominic de la Rochefoucauld (1759-1800), cardinal in 1778, president of the clergy at the States General, emigrated after 10 August, 1792, and died in exile at Münster; Etienne Hubert de Cambacérès (1802-18) brother of the archchancellor of Napoleon, cardinal in 1803; Prince de Croy (1823-44), chief almoner of France under the Restoration, and cardinal in 1825; Henry de Bonnechose (1858-83), cardinal in 1863; Léon Thomas (1884-94), cardinal in 1893; William Sourrieu (1894-99), cardinal in 1897.

It is not known exactly whether Rouen became a metropolitan at the time of St. Victricius or under Bishop Grimo, who in 744 received the pallium from Pope Zachary; in the Middle Ages it exercised metropolitan rights over Evreux, Avranches, Seez, Bayeux, Lisieux, and Coutances. It seems that in the seventh century Lillebonne (Juliobona) was for a short time the see of a bishop suffragan of Rouen. The Archbishop of Rouen assumed at an early date the title of Primate of Normandy and Neustria, to indicate the entire independence of his metropolitan see which was directly subject to the Holy See. In vain did Gebuin, Archbishop of Lyons, obtain from Gregory VII two Bulls in 1070 which recognized his primacy over Rouen; they remained unexecuted as well as a similar Bull of Celestine II given in 1144. On 12 November, 1455, Cardinal Dominic Capranica, papal delegate, recognized the independence of the Church of Rouen by giving a definite decision, confirmed in 1457 and 1458 by two Bulls of Callistus III. The Archdeacon of Rouen was known as the "grand archidiacre de la chrétienté". The Chapter, in virtue of a Bull from Gregory XI in 1371, was completely exempt from the archbishop's jurisdiction both spiritual and temporal. Nicholas Oresme (died 1382) was head master of the College of Navarre and Bishop of Lisieux; he translated Aristotle and was dean of the Church of Rouen; the famous Peter d'Ailly and the historian Thomas Basin, later Bishop of Lisieux belonged to the Chapter of Rouen. St. Remy, Bishop of Rouen, was after Chrodigang, Bishop of Metz, the principal initiator in the reform which under Pepin replaced the Gallican with the Roman liturgy. In 1729 the cathedral of Rouen accepted the breviary of Urbain Robinet, vicar-general of Rouen, who revised the liturgy in a Gallican sense. Later Cardinal Bonnechose insisted on the use of the Roman liturgy in the diocese. The Chapter of Rouen preserved the custom until the Revolution of chanting the Office by heart; it was forbidden even to bring a book into the choir. The faculty of Catholic theology of Rouen was founded in 1808 and organized in 1809; it was however suppressed in 1885.

No town of France has produced such marvels of religious architecture as Rouen. The oldest part of the Cathedral, which has survived all fires, is the belfry of St. Romanus's tower, which dates from about 1160; the construction of the nave began about 1200; the Calende portal, so called from an imaginary animal, and the portals of the libraries, famous for the richness of their ornamentation, were finished in the first quarter of the fourteenth century. The Butter Tower (la Tour de Beurre), so called because it was built with the alms derived from the Lenten dispensations, dates from the end of the fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth century, and is one of the most famous edifices in the flamboyant style. The ninety-six choir stalls were carved in the fifteenth century under the direction of Philippot Viart and represent in their workmanship all the professions of the period. There are three celebrated tombs preserved in the cathedral; one, whether correctly or not, is said to be the tomb of Archbishop Maurille, and dates from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries; that of the two cardinals d'Amboise dates from 1520 to 1525 and on it is the statue of George d'Amboise, the work of Jean Goujon; that of Louis de Brézé, attributed in part to Jean Goujon, was executed from 1535 to 1544 at the expense of Diane de Poitiers, widow of Louis de Brézé. The present Church of St. Ouen, where a small Roman apse is still preserved and some bases of Roman pillars dating from the eleventh century, is one of the rare examples that exists in France of a large and beautiful church of the fourteenth century, almost complete, and one of the most delicate pieces of architecture extant. The Church of St. Maclou dates from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries; the folding doors are attributed to Jean Goujon. On one side of the church is a monument unique in its way, the aitre st. Maclou. The word aitre is derived from Atrium. L'aitre St. Maclou, the old cemetery of the parish, is a large rectangular space surrounded by porticoes built in 1526-40, and shows the Renaissance style in all its purity. A Dance of Death (Danse Macabre) sculptured on its columns was unfortunately badly defaced by the Huguenots. The Palace of Justice in Rouen is one of the most celebrated buildings belonging to the end of the Gothic period.

Among the twelve Benedictine abbeys for men which the Diocese of Rouen possessed under the old regime must be mentioned, besides Fontenelle and Jumièges, the Benedictine Abbey of St. Ouen de Rouen, founded in 548, where a school of theology flourished which was recognized by Gregory IX in 1238; and the Abbey of Fécamp, dedicated to the Trinity in 658 by St. Waningus (Vaning), Governor of Neustria and Count of the Palace under Clovis II. This was first occupied by nuns under the direction of St. Hildemarche, was ruined by the Normans in 841, and reopened for priests by Richard, first Duke of Normandy, who had the present beautiful church dedicated in 990. St. William (1001-28) was the first Abbot of Fécamp; he had among his successors the future Pope Clement VI and Jean Casimir, King of Poland, who, after abdicating his throne, became Abbot of Fécamp in 1669. The Abbey of St. George de Boscherville was founded in 1060 by Raoul de Tancarville, chamberlain of William the Conqueror. The abbey of Tréport was founded in 1056-59 by Robert, Count d'Eu, companion of William the Conqueror. During the religious wars the Calvinists committed great ravages in Rouen; having become masters of the city 16 April, 1562, they devastated St. Ouen, made a pyre in the centre of the church with the stalls and fragments of the superb screen, and then burnt the body of St. Ouen and other relics of the basilica. Rouen was retaken 26 October, 1562, by François de Guise and Antoine de Bourbon; the majority of Charles IX was proclaimed there in 1563. Rouen, which had declared for the League, was ineffectually besieged by Henry IV from December, 1591, to April, 1592, and only surrendered in 1594 to the new Bourbon king.

In the eleventh century an association of distinguished men was founded at Rouen in honour of the Immaculate Conception. Its chief or president was called "prince". In 1486 Pierre Daré, lieutenant-general of the bailiwick of Rouen, was "prince" and converted the association into a literary society which awarded a prize for the best poems written on the Immaculate Conception. Every stanza of the poems, according to a special rule, must end with the same verse as the first; this repeated verse, which they called "palinodie", gave the name of "Palinod" to the confraternity. Malherbe took the prize in 1555; Pierre Corneille competed in 1633, but does not seem to have been crowned; Jacqueline Pascal received the prize in 1640; Thomas Corneille in 1641. The three-volume Bible, finished at the end of the twelfth century for the Chapter of Rouen, is one of the finest specimens of calligraphy of the Middle Ages. A copy of the "Chroniques de Normandie", made at Rouen about 1450 for the aldermen and given to Colbert in 1682 for the royal library, is illustrated with ten miniatures which are among the most beautiful productions of the fifteenth century., The finest copy extant of the "Chroniques de Monstrelet" was made at Rouen and contains drawings of the greatest importance for the history of the fifteenth century. The manuscripts, written in the sixteenth century by order of Cardinal George d'Amboise, who brought back with him the most beautiful manuscripts from the royal library of Naples, compare favourably with those of the best Italian masters.

Besides those already mentioned, many saints are connected with the history of the Diocese of Rouen or are the objects there of special devotion: St. Severus (sixth century) who perhaps was the Bishop of Avranches and whose relics are preserved at the cathedral of Rouen; St. Austreberta, Benedictine abbess (seventh century); St. Sidonius, of Irish origin (seventh century); the hermit St. Clair, of Vexin, martyr of the ninth century; St. Lawrence O'Toole, Archbishop of Dublin, died at Eu in the diocese 1180; Blessed Joan of Arc was imprisoned at Rouen in the tower constructed in 1206 by King Philip Augustus, and was burned in the old market place 31 May, 1431, after her so-called abjuration at the cemetery of St. Ouen; St. John Baptist de la Salle, who established the first novitiate of the Brothers of the Christian Schools at St. Yon near Rouen in 1705 and died at Rouen in 1719. The saints given to the diocese by Fontenelle and Jumièges must also be mentioned. The saints of Fontenelle are: the founder, St. Wandrille (Wandregesilus) (570-667); the abbots St. Bain (about 729), St. Wando (742-756); St. Gerbold (died 806); St. Ansegisus (823-833), who compiled the capitularies or statutes of Charlemagne and Louis the Pious; St. Gerard (1008-31); and the monks St, Gond (died about 690); St. Erembert, who became, about 657, Bishop of Toulouse; St. Wulfram, Archbishop of Sens and apostle of the Frisians (died in 720); St. Agatho; St. Désiré; St. Sindoard; St. Condé (second half of the seventh century); St. Erbland or Hermeland, who died in 715 after founding the monastery of Hindre (Indret) in the Diocese of Nantes; St. Erinhard (died 739); St. Hardouin (died 811). The saints of Jumièges are: the founder, St. Philcert (675); St. Aicadre (died 687), and St. Gontard (1072-95). The distinguished natives of the diocese should also be mentioned: the two Corneille brothers; the philosopher, Fontenelle (1657-1757); the Jesuit, Brumoy (1688-1742), famous for his translations of Greek plays; the Jesuit, Gabriel Daniel (1649-1728), whose three-volume "History of France", published in 1713, is considered the first reliable and complete history of France; Cavelier de la Salle (1640-87), explorer of the Valley of the Mississippi; the Protestant theologian, Samuel Bochart (1599-1677), a famous Oriental scholar; the numerous Protestant family of Basnage, the most distinguished member of which, Jacques Basnage (1653-1723), is well known as a historian and diplomat; the liberal publicist, Armand Carrel (1800-36); Boildieu, the composer (1775-1834) and pupil of the cathedral music school of Rouen.

The principal pilgrimages of the archdiocese are: Our Lady of Salvation (Notre Dame de Salut), near Fécamp, which dates from the eleventh century; Our Lady of Good Help (Notre Dame de Bon Secours) at Blosseville, a pilgrimage which existed in the thirteenth century; Our Lady of the Waves (Notre Dame des Flots) at St. Adresse, near the harbour of Havre, is a chapel built in the fourteenth century. Before the Law of 1901 directed against the religious orders, there were in the Diocese of Rouen, Benedictines, Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans, Picpusiens, Fathers of the Holy Ghost and of the Sacred Heart of Mary, and Brothers of the Christian Schools. Some religious orders for women originated in the diocese, of which the most important are the Sisters of Providence, a teaching order founded in Rouen in 1666 by the Minim Barré and the priest Antoine de Lahaye, and the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, hospitaliers and teachers, founded at Ernemont in 1698 by Archbishop Colbert. The religious owned in the Diocese of Rouen at the end of the nineteenth century 6 infant asylums, 43 infant schools, 1 asylum for deaf-mutes, 5 orphanages for boys, 1 orphanage for children of both sexes, 28 girls' orphanages, 3 schools of apprenticeship, 7 societies for preservation, 1 house of correction, 38 hospitals, 1 dispensary, 26 houses of religious who care for the sick in their homes, 4 houses of convalescence, 2 homes for incurables, 1 asylum for the blind. In 1910 the Diocese of Rouen had 863,879 inhabitants, 5 archdeaconeries, 45 deaneries, 16 first-class parishes, 47 second-class parishes, 599 succursal parishes, 53 curacies and about 800 priests.

Gallia Christ. (nova) (1759), XI, 1-121, instr. 58; FISQUET. La France pontificale (Rouen, Paris, 1866); DUCHESNE, Fastes épiscopaux, II, 200-11; SAUVAGE, Elenchi episcoporum Rotomagensium in Anal. Boll. VIII (1889); FALLUE, Histoire politique et religieuse de l'église métropolitaine et du diocèse 4e Rouen (Rouen, 1850); VACANDARD, St Victrice évêque de Rouen (Paris, 1903); IDEM, Vie de St Ouen, évêque de Rouen (Paris, 1902); CHÉRUEL, Histoire de Rouen sous la domination anglaise au XVe siècle (Rouen. 1840); THIERRY, Armorial des archevêques de Rouen (Rouen, 1864); LOTH, Histoire du cardinal de la Rochefoucauld et du diocèse de Rouen pendant la Révolution (Rouen, 1893); CLÉRAMBRAY, La Terreur à Rouen (Rouen, 1901); TOUGARD, Catalogue des saints du diocèse de Rouen (Rouen, 1897); IDEM, L'hagiographie Rouennaise in Revue catholique de Normandie, 1909; LONGNON, Pouillés de la province de Rouen (Paris, 1903); Palinods présentés au Puy de Rouen, ed. ROBLLARD DE BEAUREPAIRE (Rouen, 1896); GUIOT, Les trois siècles palinodiques ou histoire générale des palinods, ed. TOUGARD (Rouen, 1898); SARRAZIN, Histoire de Rouen d'après les miniatures des manuscrits (Rouen, 1904); COOK, The Story of Rouen (London, 1899); COLLETTE, Histoire du bréviaire de Rouen (Rouen, 1902); ENLART, Rouen (Paris, 1904); PERKINS, The Churches of Rouen (London, 1900); LAALAND, A Short Guide to Rouen (Rouen, 1907); CHEVALIER, Topobibl., 2618-28.

References

  1. Back to citation Samantha Kahn Herrick (2007). Imagining the Sacred Past: Hagiography and Power in Early Normandy. Cambridge MA USA: Harvard University Press. pp. 5, 14–20, 45–50, 94–113. ISBN 978-0-674-02443-4. The monks of S. Ouen appear to have had an active part.
  2. Back to citation Duchesne, p. 205.
  3. Back to citation René Herval, "Les origines chrétiennes de la Seconde Lyonnaise (Normandie actuelle)" in Études Normandes, 1963, n° 163, p. 1–11 (online reading in French) Archived 31 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Back to citation Douglas 1964, p. 105.
  5. Back to citation For the Deans of the Cathedral Chapter of Rouen, see Fisquet, pp. 358-366. Already by the end of the 11th century the canons had ceased living together under a common rule (Fisquet, p. 3).
  6. Back to citation Gallia christiana IX (Paris 1759), p. 3. Ritzler, V, p. 336, note 1, states that there were fifty canons in 1671; he includes the three offices in the number of canons.
  7. Back to citation R. J. Knecht (1984). Francis I. Cambridge MA USA: Cambridge University Press. pp. 49–65. ISBN 978-0-521-27887-4.
  8. Back to citation The benefices available in 1648 are listed in: Pouillé royal contenant les bénéfices appartenant à la nomination ou à la collection du roi (in French). Paris: Gervais Alliot. 1648. pp. 139–143.
  9. Back to citation Bishop Avitianus was present at the Council of Arles in 314. C. Munier, Concilia Galliae, A. 314 – A. 506 (Turnholt: Brepols 1963), p. 16 (Ibidianus), 18 (Avitianus). Fisquet, p. 14. Duchesne, p. 206 no. 2.
  10. Back to citation Fisquet, p. 15. Duchesne, p. 206 no. 3.
  11. Back to citation He subscribed the acts of the Council of Cologne of 346, and the Council of Sardica in 347. J.D. Mansi (ed.) Sacrorum conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus II (Florence 1759), p. 1371 and 1379. Fisquet, p. 15. Duchesne, p. 206 no. 4.
  12. Back to citation Marcellinus: Fisquet, p. 15. Duchesne, p. 206 no. 5
  13. Back to citation Peter: Fisquet, p. 15. Duchesne, p. 206 no. 6.
  14. Back to citation Victricius visited Rome toward the end of 403. Fisquet, pp. 15–20. Duchesne, p. 206 no. 7.
  15. Back to citation Innocent: Fisquet, p. 21.
  16. Back to citation Sylvester: Fisquet, p. 21. Duchesne, p. 207 note 2, remarks that his name does not appear in the two oldest episcopal lists.
  17. Back to citation Malsonus: Fisquet, p. 21.
  18. Back to citation Germanus participated in the first Council of Tours in 461. Meunier, p. 148. Fisquet, p. 21. Duchesne, pp. 208–209, no. 21.
  19. Back to citation Only his name is known from the episcopal lists. Fisquet, p. 21. Duchesne, pp. 204 and 207 no. 13
  20. Back to citation Gildaredus took part in the First Council of Orléans in 511. C. De Clercq, Concilia Galliae, A. 511 – 695 (Turnhout: Brepols 1963), p. 13 and 14 (Geldaredus), 15 and 16 (Gildaredus, and Gildardus), 17 (Gelidandus), 19 (Gildaredus). Fisquet, pp. 21–22. Duchesne, p. 207 no. 14 with note 3: "C'est tout ce qu'on peut dire de certain."
  21. Back to citation Praetextatus was present at the Council of Tours in 567. In 577, at a council in Paris, he was accused of treason by King Chilperic, and imprisoned until the king's death in 584. He was present at the Council of Mâcon in 585. On 14 April (or 24 February) 586, Queen Fredegund had him assassinated. Fisquet, pp. 22–27. Duchesne, p. 207, no. 16.
  22. Back to citation Melantius was the recipient of a papal letter in June 601. Fisquet, pp. 27–28. Duchesne, p. 207, no. 17.
  23. Back to citation Hidulfus was present at the Council of Paris in 614. Duchesne, p. 207, no. 18.
  24. Back to citation Fisquet, pp. 28–31.
  25. Back to citation Fisquet, pp. 31–36.
  26. Back to citation Ansbert, former Abbot of Fontanelle, is attested in 688/689 in a charter issued during a provincial council. He was imprisoned by Pippin d'Heristal in the Abbey of Hautmont (Cambrai) where he died in 692 or 693. Duchesne, pp. 208–209, no. 21.
  27. Back to citation Grippo is attested in a charter of 696/697. Duchesne, p. 209, no. 22
  28. Back to citation Grimo is attested in 744, as the recipient of the pallium from Pope Zacharias at the request of Saint Boniface. Philipp Jaffé, Regesta pontificum Romanorum edition altera Tomus I (Leipzig 1885), p. 264, nos. 2269–2271. Duchesne, p. 209 no. 26.
  29. Back to citation Wenilo (Ganelon): He participated in the Synod apud Carisiacum (palatium) of 858; the Council of Metz in 859; the Council of Tulle apud Saponarias (Savonnières) on 14 June 859; the Council of Aix on 9 January 860; the Council of Tulle apud Tusiacum (Teuzey) on 22 October 860; the Council of Pitres in 862; the Council of Soissons on 18 August 866; the Council of Troyes on 25 October 867; the Council of Quierzy on 5 December 868; and the Councils of Verberie (Vermerium palatium) and Pitres in 869. Jacques Sirmond, Concilia antiqua Galliae Tomus III (Paris 1629), p. 117 and 131, 144, 157, 162, 297 and 302, 358. Abbé Cochet, "Palace of Charles the Bald," The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Review (1859), pp. 476–479 (on the palace at Pitres). Fisquet, pp. 46–47. Council of Verberie: J.-D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XVI (Venice 1771), p. 568.
  30. Back to citation Adalardus was present at the Council of Deuzey in August 871. J.-D. Mansi, p. 677. Fisquet, p. 47.
  31. Back to citation Bishop John was present at the Council of Metz in 888: J.-D. Mansi, Sacrorum conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XVIII (Venice 1773), p. 72. Fisquet, pp. 48–50.
  32. Back to citation Bishop Witton took part in the Assembly at the royal palace of Verberie (Vermieriense palatium) near Compiègne on 30 September 892: Édouard Favre (1893). Eudes, comte de Paris et roi de France, (882-898) (in French). Paris: É. Bouillon. p. 145. He was also present at the Council of Trosley (Troslejanum) under the presidency of the Archbishop Hervé of Reims of 26 June 909. Mansi XVIII, p. 308. Fisquet, pp. 51–52.
  33. Back to citation Fisquet, pp. 52–54.
  34. Back to citation Fisquet, p. 54.
  35. Back to citation Fisquet, pp. 54–55.
  36. Back to citation Fisquet, pp. 55–59.
  37. Back to citation Grégory Combalbert (2013), "Formation et déclin d’un réseau réformateur. Hugues d’Amiens, archevêque de Rouen, et les évêques normands, entre le pape et le duc (fin des années 1130-1164)," Annales de Normandie 63e année, n° 2, juillet-décembre 2013, pp. 3-48. (in French)
  38. Back to citation Robert Poulain was granted his bulls of consecration and installation on 23 August 1208. Fisquet, pp. 110–112. Eubel, I, p. 425.
  39. Back to citation Thibaud: Fisquet, pp. 112–114.
  40. Back to citation Maurice: Fisquet, pp. 115–119.
  41. Back to citation Colmieu: Fisquet, pp. 119–121.
  42. Back to citation Bishop Odo's election was not canonically carried out and so it was quashed by Pope Innocent IV, who immediately provided him anyway, on 30 March 1245. Odo died on 5 May 1247. Fisquet, pp. 121–123. Eubel, I, p.425 with note 5.
  43. Back to citation Rigaud: Fisquet, pp. 123–132.
  44. Back to citation Flavacourt: Fisquet, pp. 132–138.
  45. Back to citation Fargis: Fisquet, pp. 138–140.
  46. Back to citation Aycelin: Fisquet, pp. 141–144.
  47. Back to citation Fisquet, pp. 144–146.
  48. Back to citation Pierre Roger de Beaufort (Pope Clement VI): Fisquet, pp. 146–153.
  49. Back to citation Aimeric Guenod: Fisquet, pp. 153–155.
  50. Back to citation Guillaume de Vienne had been Abbot of Saint-Seine (Langres). He was named Bishop of Autun on 11 February 1379 by Clement VII, and then Bishop of Beauvais on 26 August 1387. He was appointed Archbishop of Rouen on 29 March 1389. Archbishop Guillaume died on 18 February 1407. Fisquet, pp. 175–177. Eubel, I, p. 73, 426.
  51. Back to citation Louis d'Harcourt was the nephew of Queen Jeanne, wife of King Charles V of France. He was elected on 18 March 1407, at the age of 28, but his election was contested by Cardinal Jean d'Armagnac, who had been appointed by Benedict XIII. Louis was represented at the Council of Pisa (1409) by procurators, where Benedict XIII and Gregory XII were deposed and excommunicated. Louis d'Harcourt was provided by Pope Alexander V on 29 July 1409, thereby clarifying his title to the bishopric of Rouen. He died on 19 November 1422. Fisquet, pp. 177–179. Eubel, I, p. 426.
  52. Back to citation La Roche-Taillée: Fisquet, pp. 179–182. Eubel, I, p. 225.
  53. Back to citation Hugues des Orges was already Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne (1416–1431). He was granted his bulls for Rouen on 26 January 1431. He died on 19 August 1436. Fisquet, pp. 182–184. Eubel, I, p. 153; II, p. 225.
  54. Back to citation Fisquet, pp. 184–186. Eubel, I, p. 225.
  55. Back to citation Roussel: Fisquet, pp. 186–189.
  56. Back to citation Croixmare: His father was President of the Court of the Exchequer of Rouen; his mother was a niece of Archbishop Raoul Roussel. Robert, who was Archdeacon of Grand-Caux, was elected by the Chapter on 20 March 1483. He took possession by proxy on 13 May. Fisquet, pp. 195–196.
  57. Back to citation Cardinal d'Amboise died on 25 May 1510 at the house of the Carthusians in Lyon. Fisquet, pp. 196–210. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica III, p. 287 note 2.
  58. Back to citation Georges d'Amboise was the nephew of the Cardinal d'Amboise. He was elected by the forty-four Canons of Rouen, on the recommendation of King Louis XII on 30 July 1510; this was the last occasion on which the Archbishop was chosen by the Cathedral Chapter. Georges was not yet a priest, and at the age of 23 required a dispensation to be ordained. He was granted his bulls as Administrator on 11 August 1511, with the condition that he would not be consecrated until he was twenty-seven; he signed for his financial obligations to the Papacy on 11 September, and took his oath to the King on 14 October 1511. He was consecrated bishop on 11 December 1513, and was granted the pallium by Pope Leo X on 9 April 1514. He died on 25 August 1550. Fisquet, pp. 210–213. Eubel, III, p. 287, with note 3.
  59. Back to citation Charles de Bourbon was the brother of Antoine de Bourbon, the father of the future Heni IV of France. He was appointed Archbishop of Rouen by King Henri II of France, on 26 August 1550, the day after the death of Cardinal d'Amboise, and preconised (approved) by Pope Julius III on 3 October 1550. In 1589, after the assassination of King Henri III, the Cardinal de Bourbon was proclaimed his successor as King Charles X of France. Captured by Henry IV at Blois, he died in prison in the Château de Fontenay-le-Comte on 9 May 1590. Fisquet, pp. 213–219. Eubel, III, p. 287.
  60. Back to citation Bourbon was elected Coadjutor Archbishop of Rouen on 1 August 1583, but he never received episcopal consecration. He was named a cardinal on 12 December 1583 at the age of 21. He died on 30 July 1594. Salvador Miranda, The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, Bourbon de Vendome, Charles III de, retrieved: 2017-01-05.</
  61. Back to citation Charles de Bourbon was the half brother of King Henry IV of France, who named him Archbishop of Rouen on 13 November 1594. His bulls were not granted, however, until 26 March 1597. He was consecrated a bishop on 27 December 1597 by Cardinal Pierre de Gondi, Archbishop of Paris. He resigned the diocese on 1 December 1604. He died in his Abbey of Marmoutiers (diocese of Tours) on 15 June 1610, a month after the assassination of his brother. Fisquet, pp. 221–223. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 298, with note 2.
  62. Back to citation De Joyeuse: Fisquet, pp. 223–229. Gauchat, IV, p. 298, with note 3.
  63. Back to citation Harlay: Fisquet, pp. 229–234. Gauchat, IV, p. 298, with note 4.
  64. Back to citation Harlay: Fisquet, pp. 234–250. Gauchat, IV, p. 298, with note 5.
  65. Back to citation Médavy: Fisquet, pp. 250–253. Jean, p. 338. Ritzler, V, p. 356 with note 2.
  66. Back to citation Colbert: Fisquet, pp. 253–257. Jean, p. 338–339. Ritzler, V, p. 356 with note 3.
  67. Back to citation D'Aubigné: Fisquet, pp. 257–260. Jean, p. 339. Ritzler, V, p. 356 with note 4.
  68. Back to citation Besons: Fisquet, pp. 260–263. Jean, pp. 339–340. Ritzler, V, p. 356 with note 5.
  69. Back to citation Tressan: Fisquet, pp. 263–265. Jean, p. 340. Ritzler, V, p. 356 with note 6.
  70. Back to citation Saulx-Tavannes was born in Paris in 1690, and became a Knight Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem in 1692. He was a Doctor in theology. He was Bishop of Chalons and Peer of France from 1721 to 1733, and was Grand Almoner of King Louis XV. He was nominated Archbishop of Rouen by King Louis XV on 28 August 1733, and preconized (approved) by Pope Clement XII on 18 December 1733. He was created a cardinal on 5 April 1756 by Pope Benedict XIV; he never visited Rome and never received a titular church. He died in Paris on 10 March 1759. Fisquet, pp. 265–268. Jean, pp. 340–341. Ritzler, V, p. 150 with note 5; VI, pp. 18 no. 56; 359 with note 2. Georges Clause, ed. (1989). Le Diocèse de Châlons (in French). Paris: Editions Beauchesne. pp. 86, 105, 112. ISBN 978-2-7010-1185-1.
  71. Back to citation Rochefoucauld was born in the Château de Saint-Ilpize (diocese of Mende), and held the Licenciate in theology. He had previously been Vicar General of Bourges and then Archbishop of Albi (1747–1759). He was granted the pallium for Rouen on 2 June 1759, and named a cardinal by Pope Pius VI on 1 June 1778, though he never received a titular church and never participated in a papal election. King Louis XVI named him Commander of the Order of the Holy Spirit on 14 May 1780. He participated in the Estates General of 1789, and was a member of the Constituent Assembly. In August 1790 he emigrated, travelling first to Bruxelles, then to Maastricht, and finally to Münster, where he died on 23 September 1800. Fisquet, pp. 268–275. Jean, pp. 341–342. Ritzler, VI, pp. 32; 73, with note 2; 359, with note 3.
  72. Back to citation Leverdier was elected in January 1791, and resigned on 6 March 1791, without having been consecrated and without having taken up any duties. Fisquet, pp. 275–276.
  73. Back to citation Charrier was elected on 20 March 1791 and consecrated on 10 April; he took possession of the diocese on 17 April. After three weeks he quit his office and returned to his family in Lyon; in 1793 he was imprisoned. He denounced civil marriage. On 9 April 1802, Pope Pius VII named him Bishop of Versailles. He died on 17 March 1827. Fisquet, pp. 276–283.
  74. Back to citation Charles Ledré (1943). Le Cardinal Cambacérès, archevèque de Rouen (1802-1818): La réorganisation d'un diocèse franc̦ais au lendemain de la Révolution (in French). Paris: Librairie Plon, Les Petits-Fils de Plon et Nourrit. Julien Loth in: Société bibliographique (France) L'épiscopat français... pp. 538–539.
  75. Back to citation Bernis: Julien Loth in: Société bibliographique (France) L'épiscopat français... pp. 539–540.
  76. Back to citation Croÿ-Solre: Julien Loth in: Société bibliographique (France) L'épiscopat français... pp. 540–542.
  77. Back to citation Blanquart: Julien Loth in: Société bibliographique (France) L'épiscopat français... p. 542.
  78. Back to citation Bonnechose: Julien Loth in: Société bibliographique (France) L'épiscopat français... pp. 543–544. Louis François Nicolas Besson (1887). Vie du cardinal de Bonnechose: archevêque de Rouen (in French). Vol. I. Paris: Retaux-Bray.
  79. Back to citation Thomas: Julien Loth in: Société bibliographique (France) L'épiscopat français... pp. 544–545.
  80. Back to citation Sourrieu: Julien Loth in: Société bibliographique (France) L'épiscopat français... pp. 545–546.
  81. Back to citation Fuzet: Julien Loth in: Société bibliographique (France) L'épiscopat français... pp. 546–547.
  82. Back to citation Dubois studied at the seminary in Le Mans, and became a priest of the diocese. In 1895 he was named an Honorary Canon of the Cathedral of Mans. In 1898–1901 he was Vicar-General of Le Mans. On 5 April 1901 he was nominated Bishop of Verdun by French President Emile Loubet, and he was preconized (approved) on 18 April 1901. He was consecrated on 2 July 1901. On 30 November 1909 he was named Archbishop of Bourges, and on 13 March 1916 Archbishop of Rouen. Dubois was named a cardinal by Pope Benedict XV on 4 December 1916, and on 13 December 1920 Archbishop of Paris. He was the leading opponent of L' action française in France, and a staunch ultramontane. He died in Paris on 23 September 1929.Martin Bräuer (2014). Handbuch der Kardinäle: 1846-2012 (in German). De Gruyter. p. 238. ISBN 978-3-11-026947-5.
  83. Back to citation Archbishop du Bois de La Villerabel was deposed in 1936 because of his long and vocal support for L'Action française: Eugen Joseph Weber (1996). The Hollow Years: France in the 1930s. NY: Norton. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-393-31479-3. Du Bois of Rouen is not to be confused with Du Bois of Aix, an ardent supporter of Marshal Pétain.
  84. Back to citation Petit was born in Dijon, and carried out his studies in the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice in Paris. After ordination he studied in Rome from 1903 to 1905. From 1905 to 1910 he taught in the seminary of Issy in Paris. In 1927 he was named Bishop of Dijon, and on 29 September he was consecrated in Paris by Cardinal Dubois. On 7 August 1936 he was promoted Archbishop of Rouen, and on 18 February 1946 was named Cardinal priest by Pope Pius XII. He died on 10 December 1947. Bräuer, p. 307. Roger Brain (1948), Le Cardinal Petit de Julleville, (Paris: Centre de documentation sacerdotale, 1948). Salvador Miranda, The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, Petit de Julleville, retrieved: 2017-01-04.
  85. Back to citation Lebrun was formerly Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Etienne; appointed Friday, July 10, 2015, by Pope Francis, to succeed Archbishop Jean-Charles Marie Descubes.
  86. Back to citation Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen, official website

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