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Diocese of Agen

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Diocese of Agen
Dioecesis Agennensis
Diocèse d'Agen
Agen Cathedral
Agen Cathedral
Location
Country France
Ecclesiastical province Bordeaux
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bordeaux
Statistics
Area 5,384 km2 (2,079 sq mi)
Population
Total
Catholics 		(as of 2022)
342,700 (est.)
205,300 (est.)
Parishes 26
Information
Denomination Catholic Church
Sui iuris church Latin Church
Rite Roman Rite
Established 4th Century
Cathedral Cathedral of Saint Caprais of Agen
Deacon and Martyr Saint Stephen
Secular priests 46 (diocesan)
24 (Religious Orders)
14 Permanent Deacons
Current leadership
Pope Leo XIV
Bishop Alexandre de Bucy
Metropolitan Archbishop Jean-Paul André Denis Marcel James
Apostolic Administrator Pierre-Marie Joseph Carré
Bishops emeritus Hubert Herbreteau
Map
Website
catholique-agen.cef.fr

The Diocese of Agen (Latin: Dioecesis Agennensis; French: Diocèse d'Agen) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France.[1]

The Diocese of Agen comprises the département of Lot-et-Garonne, in the région of Aquitaine. It has been successively suffragan to the Archdioceses of Bordeaux (under the old regime), Toulouse (1802–1822), and Bordeaux again (since 1822).[2]

History

Legends which do not antedate the ninth century concerning Saint Caprasius, martyred with St. Fides by Dacianus, Prefect of the Gauls, during the persecution of Diocletian, and the story of Vincentius, a Christian martyr (written about 520), furnish no foundation for later traditions which make these two saints early bishops of Agen.[3]

Cathedral

The Agen Cathedral was formerly located in the church of St. Caprasius, outside the walls of the Roman town. In its reconstructed state, it serves as a specimen of Romanesque architecture, dating from the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries. With the restoration of the diocese in 1802, it was again made the cathedral, in place of the Cathedral of St. Étienne, which had been destroyed during the French Revolution.

The chapter of the cathedral

The trend in the medieval period was for the chapter to acquire more and more of a right, and then an exclusive right, to elect the bishop of the diocese, to the gradual exclusion of the rest of the clergy and the people. This development, however, was often retarded or impeded by other considerations. In the Agennais in the early medieval period, it was the duke of Aquitaine rather than the canons who had the decisive voice in the choosing of a bishop. This can be inferred from the charter granted in 1135 by King Louis VII, the husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine, which restored to the canons of the chapter of Saint-Étienne the freedom to elect a bishop of their choice.[4] When the popes took up residence in Avignon, Clement V reserved to himself the right to appoint bishops for all the dioceses in France.

During the Great Schism, both the Pope in Rome and the Pope in Avignon appointed bishops of Agen, but since Agen and France supported the Popes in Avignon, it was their appointees who received the temporal rights from the king and were installed in the diocese.

In 1516, King Francis I signed at treaty with Pope Leo X, which has come to be called the Concordat of Bologna, in which the King and his successors acquired the right to nominate each and every one of the bishops in France, except those of the dioceses of Metz, Toul and Verdun. The Popes reserved the right to approve (preconise) the selection of the king, and sometimes they declined the nominee.[5] This arrangement lasted, except for the decade (1790–1801) of the French Revolution, down until the Law of the Separation of the Churches and the State of 1905. Thereafter, the popes assumed the sole right to appoint bishops, though the official terminology is still "elect".

Composition

The cathedral chapter was composed of twelve canons and several dignities (not dignitaries). The major dignities were the grand archdeacon and the precentor. The minor dignitaries included the other two archdeacons (Monclar and Marmonde), the sacristan, the porter, and the cantor. The office of cantor was suppressed by Cardinal Leonardo Grosso della Rovere (1487–1519), but was restored by Bishop Antonio della Rovere (1519–1538); it was suppressed a second time, and again restored by Bishop Nicolas de Villars (1587–1608).[6]

The cathedral chapter, and the chapters of all cathedrals and Collegiate churches in France, were abolished by the National Assembly in 1790. The cathedral chapter of Agen was reestablished in the Church of Saint-Caprais by Bishop Jean Jacoupy in 1802, by virtue of an apostolic brief of 10 November 1802. It was composed of 10 canons, the first two of whom were vicars-general of the diocese.[7]

The election of 1477

The last occasion on which the chapter attempted to assert its traditional right to elect the bishop occurred after the death of Bishop Pierre de Bérard on 21 July 1477. The chapter proceeded to the election, and chose Pierre Dubois, canon and cantor of the cathedral chapter of Saint-André in Bordeaux, and he was presented to the archbishop for confirmation.[8] But on 29 September 1477, King Louis XI wrote to the chapter, announcing that he had named Jean de Monchenu to the bishopric of Agen, relying no doubt on the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges (1438).[9] Pope Sixtus IV, however, in a bull dated 4 October 1477, appointed his nephew Galeotto Grosso della Rovere as Bishop of Agen. On 29 December 1477 he issued another bull, confirming the resignation of Bishop-elect Pierre Dubois, and at the end of the year documents in the diocese were being issued sede episcopali vacante.[10] Then on 3 July 1478 Monchenu was transferred, while still bishop-elect of Agen, to the diocese of Viviers, thereby extinguishing his claim on Agen, and on 5 July 1478 Sixtus IV issued yet another bull again naming Galeotto Grosso della Rovere to the diocese of Agen.[11] The matter seemed to be settled.

But on 14 November 1478, Pierre Dubois retracted his resignation, and on 9 April 1479, King Louis referred the entire matter, first to the Parlement of Bordeaux, and then to the Royal Council. On 9 September 1480 Pierre Dubois again submitted his resignation, which, on 17 March 1483 he again retracted.[12] The result was a ten-year-long schism in the diocese of Agen, which was finally ended by the final resignation of all his rights by Pierre Dubois on 25 January 1487, and the death of Galeatto Grosso.[13]

Chapter of Saint-Caprais

Tradition has it that the chapter of Saint-Caprais came into a separate existence when the remains of Saint-Caprais were moved inside the city to the new Cathedral of Saint-Étienne; some of the canons of the old Cathedral of Saint-Caprais moved to Saint-Étienne, while others preferred to stay behind in their accustomed place, where there was plenty of income to sustain them and where they could maintain their prerogatives and preeminence. There is no documentary evidence whatever to sustain this hypothesis for the existence of two chapters. The earliest document, in fact, that refers to the chapter of Saint-Caprais is a charter of 1180 in which the English king Henry II orders the chapter of Saint-Étienne not to harass the chapter of Saint-Caprais economically.[14] There is also a tradition that both chapters were originally composed of regular clergy (monks). There is no evidence for this claim, and indeed in the absence of evidence it is argued by some that the monks were Benedictines, other that they were regular canons, following the Rule of Saint Augustine. What is certain is that the canons were secular canons, not regular canons, by the end of the 13th century.[15]

The chapter of Saint-Caprais had only one dignity, the prior, and a varying number of canons. By 1311 they numbered fifteen, though Pope Martin V in 1417 ordered that they be reduced to twelve, though the actual number of canons was ten, to which the prior was added. Each of the canons was elected by the members of the chapter (in other words, the body coopted its own members, without outside influence), and the prior was elected by the canons. In both the old and the new cathedral, the prior enjoyed the first place in precedence after the bishop, even ahead of the dignities and canons of Saint-Étienne.[16] The canons of Saint-Caprais had no role in the election of a bishop.

Chapter of Poujols

In 1526, Jean d'Esclamals, seigneur de Poujols, and his wife, Catherine de Lévis, in cooperation with the chapter of Saint-Caprais, founded a chapter of canons for whom a church was built, Notre-Dame et Saint-Pierre de Pujols. The bull of creation was signed by Pope Clement VII on 7 September 1526, and it required that the canons reside and perform all of the liturgical offices; the Seigneur, however, was given the right to reduce the requirements, given the needs of the day. By the 18th century none of the canons resided. Originally there was a dean and ten canons, but the revenues were inadequate, and the number was reduced to six. The parish priest of Saint-Colombe de Pujols was a canon ex officio. The chapter of Poujols had precedence in diocesan synods immediately after the chapter of Saint-Caprais.[17]

Revolution

During the French Revolution the diocese of Agen was suppressed by the Legislative Assembly, under the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790).[18] Its territory was subsumed into the new diocese, called 'Lot-et-Garonne', which was coterminous with the new civil department of the same name. Lot-et-Garonne was made part of the Metropolitanate called the 'Métropole du Sud-Ouest'.

The new Civil Constitution mandated that bishops be elected by the citizens of each 'département',[19] The salaries were paid out of funds realized from the confiscation and sale of church properties. After the Concordat of 1801, bishops and priests continued to be salaried and pensioned by the State, down to the Law of Separation of 1905, Article 2.[20]

This system immediately raised the most severe issues in canon law, since the electors did not need to be Catholics and the approval of the Pope was not only not required, but actually forbidden. Erection of new dioceses and transfer of bishops, moreover, was not canonically in the competence of civil authorities or of the Church in France. The result was schism between the 'Constitutional Church' and the Roman Catholic Church.

Since the legitimate bishop of Agen, Jean-Louis de Bonnac, had refused to take the oath to the Constitution, his seat was declared vacant, and an election was ordered. The carefully chosen electors of Lot-et-Garonne met, and on 13 March 1791 chose the Lazarist priest Labarthe, who was the director of the local seminary as their Constitutional bishop. Four days later he declined the election. On 18 March the majority of electors chose Jean-Baptiste Gobel, but he was also elected by the electors of Paris, and he accepted their offer. The electors of Lot-and-Garonne then seemed prepared to pick the titular bishop of Babylon, Jean-Baptiste Dubourg-Miroudot, but Andre Constant, a Dominican professor of theology from Bordeaux, had his name put forward by the Société des Amis de la Constitution. Constant was elected over Miroudot by 232 to 137.[21] Constant resigned in 1801; Bonnac was dismissed by Pius VII in 1801. The diocese of Lot-et-Garonne was likewise abolished, and the diocese of Agen reestablished by papal bull.

Bishops

to 1200

[c. 303?: Caprasius of Agen (?)][22]
[c. 313: Vincent (?)]
[Auxibius (?)][23]
[Lupus (?)][26]
  • c. 549: Baebianus[27]
  • c. 573: Polemius[28]
  • c. 580: Sugillarius[29]
  • c. 585: Antidius[30]
  • c. 615: Flavardus[31]
  • c. 627: Asodoaldus[32]
  • c. 630: Sallustius[33]
  • c. 642: Sebastianus[34]
  • c. 673: Siboaldus[35]
...
[c. 850: Concordius][36]
...
[c. 977: Gombaud][37]
[c. 982: Arnaud I.][38]
[Sanctius][40]
  • Simon I.
[Arénat (?)]
[Adebert (?)]
  • Arnaud II. de Beauville
  • c. 1049: Bernard I. de Beauville
  • Osius (?)
  • Regino (?)
  • c. 1061: Wilhelm I.
  • Arnaud III.
  • c. 1080: Donaldus[41]
  • c. 1083: Elie I. (?)[42]
  • c. 1083: Simon II.
  • c. 1101?: Géraud I.
  • c. 1105: Isarad
  • c. 1105: Gausbert
  • c. 1118–1128: Aldebert[43]
  • 1128–1149: Raymond-Bernard du Fossat[44]
  • c. 1149: Elie II. de Castillon
  • c. 1180: Peter I.
  • c. 1182: Bertrand I. de Béceyras

from 1200 to 1500

[c. 1367: Richard (?)][62]
  • 1375–1382: Jean II. Belveti[63]
[c. 1379: Jean III.][64]
  • 1382–1383: Simon de Cramaud (Avignon Obedience)[65]
  • 1383–1395: Jean IV. (Avignon Obedience)[66]
  • 1395–1398: Bernard III. Chevenon (Avignon Obedience)[67]
  • 1398–1438: Imbert de Saint-Laurent (Avignon Obedience)[68]
  • 1439–1461: Jean V. Borgia[69]
  • 1461–1477: Pierre IV. de Bérard[70]
[1477: Jean VI. de Monchenu][71]
  • 1478–1487: Galeotto Grosso della Rovere[72]
  • 1487–1519: Cardinal Leonardo Grosso della Rovere[73]

from 1500 to 1800

[1586–1587: Pierre Donault, O.S.B.Clun.][78]

since 1800

  • 1802–1840: Jean Jacoupy (fr)[90]
  • 1841–1867: Jean-Aimé de Levezou de Vezins (fr)[91]
(1867–1871): Sede Vacante[92]
  • 1871–1874: Hector-Albert Chaulet d'Outremont (fr)[93]
  • 1874–1884: Jean-Emile Fonteneau (fr)[94]
  • 1884–1905: Charles-Evariste-Joseph Coeuret-Varin (fr)[95]
  • 1906–1937: Charles-Paul Sagot du Vauroux (fr)
  • 1938–1956: Jean-Marcel Rodié (fr)
  • 1956–1976: Roger Johan
  • 1976–1996: Sabin Saint-Gaudens (fr)
  • 1996–2004: Jean-Charles Descubes (fr)
  • 2005–2023: Hubert Herbreteau (fr)
  • 2024–present: Alexandre de Bucy (pl)

See also

Canonical status and jurisdiction

Roman Catholic Diocese of Agen is a diocese of the catholic church of the Catholic Church.[96]

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Diocese of Agen (Aginnum), The Diocese of, comprises the Department of Lot and Garonne. It has been successively suffragan to the archdioceses of Bordeaux (under the old regime), Toulouse (1802–22), and Bordeaux (since 1822). Legends which do not antedate the ninth century concerning the hermit, St. Caprasius, martyred with St. Fides by Dacianus, Prefect of the Gauls, during the persecution of Diocletian, and the story of Vincentius, a Christian martyr (written about 520), furnish no foundation for later traditions which make these two saints early bishops of Agen. The first bishop of Agen known to history is St. Phœbadius, friend of St. Hilary, who published (in 357) a treatise against the Arians and figured prominently at the Council of Rimini in 359. Among the bishops of Agen were Wilhelmus II, sent by Pope Urban IV (1261–64) to St. Louis in 1262 to ask his aid in favor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople; Bertrand de Goth, whose uncle of the same name was raised from the Archbishopric of Bordeaux to the Papal See under the name of Clement V (1305–14), and during his pontificate visited the city of Agen; Cardinal Jean de Lorraine (1538–50); the Oratorian, Jules Mascaron, a celebrated preacher, transferred from the see of Tulle, to that of Agen (1679–1703); Hébert, who was curé of Versailles, had contributed to the withdrawal of Madame de Montespan from the royal court, and who when appointed Bishop of Agen (1703) had as vicar-general until 1709 the celebrated Belsunce; de Bonnac (1767–1801), who in the parliamentary session of 3 January, 1792, was the first to refuse to sign the constitutional oath. The church of St. Caprasius, a splendid specimen of Romance architecture, dating from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, has been made the cathedral in place of the church of St. Etienne, which was unfortunately destroyed during the Revolution. The Diocese of Agen comprised (end of 1905) 278,740 inhabitants, 47 first class parishes, 397 second class parishes, and 27 vicariates, formerly with State subventions.

Gallia Christiana (ed. Nova, 1720), II, 891–936, Instrumenta, 427–38; Duchesne, Fastes épiscopaux de l'ancienne Gaule, II, 63–64, 142–146 (Paris, 1900); Barrère, Histoire religieuse et monumentale du diocèse d'Agen (Agen, 1855); Chevalier, Topo-bibl. (Paris, 1894–99), 18–19.

Georges Goyau

References

  1. Back to citation David M. Cheney, Catholic-Hierarchy: Diocese of Agen. Retrieved: 2016-07-07. L'Eglise catholique en Lot-et-Garonne: Site du Diocèse d'Agen, Official website, Retrieved: 2016-07-07 (in French)
  2. Back to citation Georges, Goyau (1907). "Diocese of Agen". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  3. Back to citation Du Tems, II, pp. 269–271.
  4. Back to citation Dourengues, pp. 89–90.
  5. Back to citation Jules Thomas, Le Concordat de 1516: ses origines, son histoire au XVIe siècle, Paris: Alphonse Picard 1910, première partie, pp. 329–343; deuxième partie; troisième partie.
  6. Back to citation Sainte-Marthe, Gallia christiana II, pp. 891–894. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 72, note 1, state that there were 6 dignities and 13 canons in 1690.
  7. Back to citation Jean-Baptiste Delrieu (1874). Notice historique sur la vie et l'épiscopat de monseigneur Jean Jacoupy (in French). Agen: Prosper Noubel. p. 219.
  8. Back to citation Barrère, II, p. 148.
  9. Back to citation Durengues, p. 90.
  10. Back to citation Barrère, II, p. 148. Galeazzo was appointed Bishop of Coutances on 3 December 1477: Eubel, II, p. 135.
  11. Back to citation Durengues, p. 90 note 2. Eubel, II, p. 270.
  12. Back to citation Durengues, p. 90 note 2.
  13. Back to citation Barrère, II, p. 150.
  14. Back to citation Durengues, pp, 9–11, with p. 10 note 1.
  15. Back to citation Durengues, pp. 10–11.
  16. Back to citation Durengues, pp. 29–31. List of Priors, beginning with Guillaume Mengot in 1159, at p. 33 note 2.
  17. Back to citation Durengues, pp. 298–301.
  18. Back to citation Ludovic Sciout (1872). "Chapitre IV: La Constitution Civile". Historie de la constitution civile du clergé (1790–1801) (in French). Vol. Tome premier. Paris: Firmin Didot frères.
  19. Back to citation Bishops and priests were also to be salaried by the State. A considerable number of priests in the diocese refused to take the oath and were dismissed. A list of those dismissed: Rene Bonnat, ed. (1908). Inventaire des Archives départementales postérieures à 1789: Lot-et-Garonne. Période révolutionnaire. série L (in French). Agen: Imprimerie Modern (Association Ouvrière). pp. 88–89.
  20. Back to citation Jean Marie Mayeur (1991). La séparation des Églises et de l'État (in French). Paris: Editions de l'Atelier. p. 11. ISBN 978-2-7082-4340-8.
  21. Back to citation Pisani, pp. 441–442.
  22. Back to citation Louis Duchesne, Fastes II, p. 146, points out that neither Caprasius nor Vincent is called a member of the clergy in their Legends. Ni ce saint, ni Saint Vincent, dont on a fait son diacre et son successeur, ne sont présentés, dans leurs légendes respectives, comme des membres du clergé.
  23. Back to citation The name Auxibius is omitted by Gams, p. 479, and by Duchesne.
  24. Back to citation Phoebadius, or Phébade, was a friend of Hilary of Poitiers, who published (in 357) a treatise against the Arians and figured prominently at the Council of Rimini in 359. In 374 the name Foegadius appears in the first place in the Synodical Letter of the Council of Valence, without the name of a diocese, but the texts do not say that he presided at the Council; neither is his name among the subscribers (C. Munier, Concilia Galliae, A. 314 – A. 506 (Turnholt: Brepols 1963), pp. 37, 41–42, 44. He was at the Council of Saragossa in 380. Duchesne, p. 63 no. 1.
  25. Back to citation It is said that Dulcidius was a pupil of Phoebadius, and was designated by him as his successor. On the death of Bishop Phoebadius, the people of Agen acclaimed Dulcidius, and enthroned him in the cathedral. Dulcidius built the basilica in honor of Saints Caprasius and Foi. The building is mentioned by Gregory of Tours, Historia Francorum Book VI, chapter 12, written in the last quarter of the 6th century. Sainte-Marthe, Gallia christiana II, pp. 897–898. Duchesne, p. 63 no. 2.
  26. Back to citation Lupus is ignored by, Sainte-Marthe, Gams, and Duchesne.
  27. Back to citation Bishop Baebianus was present at the Council of Orléans in 549. Duchesne, p. 63 no. 3.
  28. Back to citation Polemius was present at the Council of Paris in 573. Duchesne, p. 63 no. 4.
  29. Back to citation Sugillarius: Gams, p. 479, column 1.
  30. Back to citation Antidius participated at the Council of Mâcon in 585, and is mentioned by Gregory of Tours, Historia Francorum, Book VIII, chapter 2. Duchesne, p. 63 no. 5.
  31. Back to citation Flavardus was present at the Council of Paris in 615. Duchesne, p. 63 no. 6.
  32. Back to citation Bishop Asodaldus was present at the Council of Clichy on 27 September 627. C. Declercq, Concilia Galliae, A. 511 – A. 695 (Turnholt: Brepols 1963), p. 296. Duchesne, p. 63 no. 7.
  33. Back to citation Sallustius was in office before April 630. He received a letter from Desiderius of Cahors (Saint Géri) before he became Bishop of Cahors in 630. Saint-Marthe, Gallia christiana II, p. 899. Barrère, I, pp. 148–149. Duchesne, p. 63 no. 8.
  34. Back to citation Bishop Sebastianus is known from his subscription to one charter, a grant of privileges by Pope John IV to the monastery of Saint-Croix or Saint Faron. Barrère, I, p. 150. He is not accepted by Gams, p. 470, column 1. Most of the surviving documents of John IV are forgeries: P. Jaffé-S. Loewenfeld, Regesta pontificum Romanorum II, editio altera (Leipzig 1885), pp. 227–228.
  35. Back to citation Siboaldus was present at the Council of Bordeaux (Modogarnomense), ca. 662–675. De Clercq, p. 313. Duchesne, p. 64 no. 9.
  36. Back to citation Concordius is not listed in Gallia christiana, Gams, or Duchesne.
  37. Back to citation The 'Basque' Episcopi Vasconiensis, including Gombaudus, as well as the diocese of the Gascons itself, are rejected by J.-F. Bladé, L'évêché des Gascons (Paris: Picard 1899). See also, P. Fontanié, "L'évêché des Gascons, par M. J.-F. Bladé," Bulletin archéologique et historique de la Société archéologique de Tarn-et-Garonne 27 (1899) 289–291.
  38. Back to citation Du Tems, II, p. 274, points out that the one and only document that establishes Arnaud as Bishop of Agen also speaks of Hugh as Bishop of Agen, making it necessary to consider Arnaud as bishop of some other diocese. Du Temps is correcting an error made in Gallia christiana II.
  39. Back to citation Hugo: Sainte-Marthe, Gallia christiana II, pp. 901–902. Du Tems, II, p. 274. Gams, p. 479 column 1.
  40. Back to citation Sancho: Sainte-Marthe, Gallia christiana II, p. 902. Du Tems, II, p. 274, does not mention Sancho. Gams, p. 479 column 1, also omits Sancho.
  41. Back to citation Bishop Donaldus (Gams calls him Donatus) signed a charter during the Council of Bordeaux in 1080. Sainte-Marthe, Gallia christiana II, p. 904. Gams p. 479.
  42. Back to citation Gams places Elias before Donaldus/Donatus. Gams, p. 479.
  43. Back to citation Aldebert was confirmed at the Council of Angoulême in 1118: Sainte-Marthe, Gallia christiana II, pp. 908–909. Barrère, I, p. 319.
  44. Back to citation Raymond had previously been Abbot of Saint-Sever. He died on 27 March 1149. Sainte-Marthe, Gallia christiana II, pp. 909–911. Barrère, I, pp. 319–326.
  45. Back to citation Arnaud de Rovinjan died in 1228. Barrère, I, pp. 344–377. Eubel, I, p. 76.
  46. Back to citation Arnaud V.: Barrère, II, pp. 377–378. Eubel, I, p. 76.
  47. Back to citation The chapter of the Cathedral of Agen had elected one of their archdeacons as bishop. Pope Gregory IX, however, judged that he was insufficient for the task, and, on 21 February 1231, provided (appointed) instead Geraud, the dean of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. Geraud died in 1232. Lucien Auvray, Les registres de Grégoire IX, Tome premier (Paris: Albert Fontemoing 1896), pp. 356–357, no. 550. Eubel, I, p. 76, with note 1.
  48. Back to citation Raoul is also named de Peyrines or de Pinis, and Fisquet calls him Raoul de la Roche-Aymon. He had been Abbot of Clairvaux (1224–1233). He was elected Bishop of Agen in 1233, and was consecrated by the Papal Legate, Eudes de Châteauroux, Bishop of Frascati. Raoul was transferred to the diocese of Lyon) by Pope Gregory IX in 1235, and granted the pallium on 15 January 1236. He died on 5 March 1236. Fisquet, Honore (1864). La France pontificale (Gallia Christiana): Metropole de Lyon et Vienne: Lyon (in French). Paris: Etienne Repos. pp. 275–276. Eubel, I, pp. 77, 316.
  49. Back to citation Arnaud de Galard: Hugues Du Tems (1774). Le clergé de France (in French). Vol. Tome second. Paris: Brunet. p. 280. Gams, p. 479. Eubel, I, p. 77.
  50. Back to citation Pierre de Reims died on 29 January 1247. Barrère, II, pp. 2–3. Gams, p. 479. Eubel, I, p. 77.
  51. Back to citation Bishop Guillaume was appointed bishop by Pope Innocent IV on 8 April 1247. He was sent by Pope Urban IV (1261–64) to King St. Louis in 1262 to ask his aid in favor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople. He was named Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem on 9 December 1262 by Pope Urban IV. Barrère, II, pp. 3–17. Gams, p. 479. Eubel, I, p. 77.
  52. Back to citation Guillaume III had been bishop of Lydda in Palestine. He was transferred to Agen on 8 May 1263 by Pope Urban IV, and made his formal entry into Agen on 22 July 1263. Barrère, II, pp. 20–27. Gams, p. 479. Eubel, I, p. 77, 305.
  53. Back to citation Pierre Jerlandi had been archdeacon of Brulhois and canon of the Cathedral of Saint-Étienne. He was elected by the cathedral chapter. He was confirmed 14 May 1264. He died on 28 July 1271. Barrère, II, pp. 27–32. Eubel, I, p. 77.
  54. Back to citation Arnaud: On 25 March 1272 King Philip III authorized his Seneschal to accept the oath of allegiance from the bishop. Barrère, II, pp. 32–43. Eubel, I, p. 77.
  55. Back to citation Jerlandi had been a canon of the cathedral. He was granted the right to make a Will by Pope Nicolas IV on 10 December 1289. He died toward the end of September 1291. Sainte-Marthe, Gallia christiana II, pp. 920–921. Barrère, II, pp. 44–66. Eubel, I, p. 77.
  56. Back to citation Bertrand was uncle of Bertrand de Got, Archbishopric of Bordeaux, who became Pope Clement V (1305–14), and during his pontificate visited the city of Agen. Bertrand was transferred to the diocese of Langres in 1306. Eubel, I, pp. 77, 307.
  57. Back to citation Bernard, a nephew of Pope Clement V, was appointed Bishop of Agen by his uncle on 25 February 1306. He was transferred to the diocese of Rouen on 4 June 1306, and then to Narbonne. Eubel, I, pp. 77, 425.
  58. Back to citation Bertrand was transferred back to the diocese of Agen from Langres on 15 November 1306. He died on 5 May 1313. Eubel, I, pp. 77, 307.
  59. Back to citation Amanieu was appointed by Clement V on 11 January 1314, and granted an indult to delay his consecration as bishop. He died in 1357. Eubel, I, pp. 77.
  60. Back to citation Deodatus was appointed on 12 June 1357 by Pope Innocent VI. Eubel, I, p. 77.
  61. Back to citation Raymond de Salg had previously been dean of Notre-Dame de Paris, Bishop of Elne (1357–1361), and Bishop of Embrun (1361–1364). He was transferred to Agen by Pope Urban V on 10 January 1364. Barrère, II, pp. 122–124. Eubel, I, p. 77, 234, 239.
  62. Back to citation Richard: Barrère, II, pp. 123–124, points out that Richard never took possession of the See of Agen. He was a candidate of Edward the Black Prince.
  63. Back to citation Jean, a canon of Bordeaux, had been Bishop of Lombès (1362–1363). He was then transferred to Dax, and was transferred from the diocese of Dax (1363–1375) to Agen by Pope Gregory XI on 8 June 1375. He was transferred to the diocese of Albi on 30 May 1382 by Pope Clement VII of the Avignon Obedience. Eubel, I, p. 77, 81, 97.
  64. Back to citation Jean III is the same person as Jean II. Eubel, I, p. 77. Cf. Barrère, II, pp. 124–125.
  65. Back to citation Cramaud (his name, not his place of origin) was appointed Bishop of Agen by Clement VII on 30 May 1382. He was transferred to the diocese of Béziers on 7 August 1383, and then to Poitiers on 24 November 1385. Eubel, I, p. 77, 138, 399. Howard Kaminsky, "The Early Career of Simon De Cramaud". Speculum, vol. 49, no. 3, 1974, pp. 499–534. JSTOR.
  66. Back to citation Jean had been Abbot of the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Croix (Bordeaux). He was appointed by Clement VII on 7 August 1383. He died in 1395. Sainte-Marthe, Gallia christiana II, pp. 926–927. Eubel, I, p. 77.
  67. Back to citation Bernard had previously been Treasurer of the cathedral chapter of Beauvais. He was appointed Bishop of Agen by Benedict XIII on 12 July 1395. He was transferred to the diocese of Saintes on 19 June 1398, and then to the diocese of Amiens on 20 March 1411, and then to Beauvais on 29 March 1413. He died on 16 February 1420. Eubel, I, p. 77, 85, 132, 537.
  68. Back to citation Imbertus was appointed on 27 March 1398. He died in 1438. Gams, p. 479. Eubel, I, p. 77.
  69. Back to citation Jean de Bogia (Borgia) had been dean of the Collegiate Church of Builiaco (diocese of Castres). He was elected bishop of Agen in 1438, and granted his bulls on 9 January 1439. He resigned in 1461. Barrère, II, pp. 134–137. Eubel, II, p. 82.
  70. Back to citation Pierre Bernardi was granted his bulls by Pope Pius II on 10 June 1461. He died on 21 July 1477. Eubel, II, p. 82.
  71. Back to citation Jean is not in Gams, p. 479. He was nominated to the diocese of Agen by King Louis XI, but on 4 October 1477 Pope Sixtus IV appointed his nephew, Galeotto Grosso della Rovere. While still claiming to be bishop-elect of Agen, he was transferred to the diocese of Viviers on 3 July 1478. Durengues, p, 90 note 1. Eubel, II, pp. 82, 270.
  72. Back to citation Galeazzo was the brother of Leonardo Grosso della Rovere. He was granted his bulls for Agen on 3 July 1478 by his uncle, Pope Sixtus IV. He died in 1487. Eubel, II, p. 82.
  73. Back to citation Leonardo della Rovere was granted his bulls on 9 December 1487 by his grand-uncle, Pope Sixtus IV (della Rovere), but since he was only 23 and below the minimum age for consecration he was initially only Administrator of the diocese. He was named a Cardinal by his cousin, Pope Julius II (della Rovere), on 1 December 1505, and allowed to retain the diocese of Agen. He had the task of negotiating the completion of Pope Julius' tomb with Michelangelo. He resigned the diocese in favor of Antonio della Rovere on 22 March 1519. He died in Rome on 17 September 1520. Eubel, II, p. 82 with note 3; III, p. 10 no. 7.
  74. Back to citation Antonio is sometimes wrongly called Marc-Antoine de La Rovère. Antonio was a native of Turin, and the brother of Giovanni Francesco della Rovere, Archbishop of Turin. He was a protonotary apostolic and had been canon of the Cathedral of Turin. He was appointed by Pope Clement VII on 22 March 1519, and granted a dispensation because he was not yet of canonical age for consecration as a bishop. He took possession of the diocese through a Procurator, Jean de Valier, on 21 November 1520. In 1524, during a trip from Italy to Agen, he took under his patronage as his physician Julius Caesar Scaliger, the Classical scholar. Antonio returned to Italy where he died in 1538. Sainte-Marthe, Gallia christiana II, pp. 929–930. Barrère, II, pp. 189–194, 207. Eubel, III, p. 98.
  75. Back to citation The Cardinal de Lorraine was named Administrator of the diocese of Agen on 24 May 1538 by Pope Paul III. He died on 18 May 1550. Eubel, III, p. 98, with note 5.
  76. Back to citation Bandello's family had supported the French, and after the Battle of Pavia they sought refuge in France, under the protection of the Fregosi. Bandello was approved in Consistory by Pope Julius III on 1 September 1550. He resigned the diocese in 1554, in favor of his pupil, the Genoese Janus Fregoso. Barrère, II, pp. 209–216. Eubel, III, p. 98.
  77. Back to citation Bishop Janus, the son of Cesare Fregoso the general of the Venetian armies, who was Abbot Commendatory of Fontfroide (Narbonne), was appointed by Pope Julius III on 23 January 1555, on the nomination of King Henri III. He required a dispensation because he was below the canonical age for consecration. He did not make his formal entry into Agen until 7 September 1558. It was during his government that the Wars of Religion enveloped Agen. He died on 16 October 1586. Sainte-Marthe, Gallia christiana II, pp. 930–931. Barrère, II, pp. 216–337. Eubel, III, p. 98.
  78. Back to citation Donault (Donnaud, Donauld), a monk of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre-de-Lézat, never took possession of the diocese of Agen. He was transferred to the diocese of Mirepoix by Pope Sixtus V on the nomination of Henri III on 11 September 1587. Barrère, II, p. 338. Eubel, III, p. 246.
  79. Back to citation Villars was Treasurer of La Sainte Chapelle and a Councilor of the Parlement of Paris. He was nominated by Henri III, and approved by Pope Sixtus V on 18 December 1587. He died on 10 December 1608. Barrère, II, p. 339. Eubel, III, p. 98.
  80. Back to citation Gelas was a nephew of Bishop de Villars, and archdeacon of Agen. He was preconised on 29 April 1609 by Pope Paul V. He died on 26 December 1630. Aimé Vingtrinier (1877). Vieux souvenirs lyonnais (in French). Lyon: Meton. pp. 119–121. Sainte-Marthe, Gallia christiana II, pp. 931–932. Gauchat, IV, p. 72 with note 2.
  81. Back to citation Daillon was nominated by King Louis XIII, and preconised in Consistory by Pope Urban VIII on 12 May 1631. He was transferred to the diocese of Albi on 28 January 1636. He died in July 1674. Gauchat, IV, p. 72 with note 3; 75.
  82. Back to citation Barthélémi d'Elbène was nominated by King Louis XIII on 1 March 1636, though he was not in holy orders, and approved in Consistory by Pope Urban VIII on 9 June 1636. He died on 4 March 1663. Gauchat, IV, p. 72 with note 4.
  83. Back to citation Joly was nominated by Louis XIV, and approved in Consistory by Pope Alexander VII on 12 January 1665. He died on 21 October 1678. Pierre Hébrard (1905). Histoire de Messire Claude Joly, éveque et comte d'Agen (1610–1678) (in French). Agen: F. Brousse. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 72.
  84. Back to citation Mascaron was a celebrated preacher, and was nominated Bishop of Tulle by Louis XIV in 1671. He was consecrated a bishop in Paris on 8 May 1672 by Archbishop François de Harlay. He was transferred to the See of Agen on 8 January 1680 by Pope Innocent XI. He died on 16 November 1703. (fr) Jean, p. 127. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 72 with note 3.
  85. Back to citation Hébert had been curé of Versailles. He contributed to the withdrawal of Madame de Montespan from the royal court, and when appointed Bishop of Agen had as vicar-general until 1709 the celebrated Belsunce. Antoine Durengues, Vie de M Hébert, évêque et comte d'Agen (Agen: Imp. et lithographie agenaises, 1898). Jean, pp. 127–128. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 72 with note 4.
  86. Back to citation Jean d'Yse de Saléon was Vicar General of Tours when he was nominated bishop of Agen by Louis XV on 26 November 1728. He was confirmed by Pope Benedict XIII on 8 February 1730, and consecrated a bishop by the Bishop of Saintes, Léon de Beaumont on 16 April 1630. He resigned the diocese on 1 November 1735, and was appointed to the diocese of Rodez on 11 April 1736, and then to Vienne on 19 December 1746. He died in Vienne on 10 February 1751. Honoré Jean P. Fisquet (1864). La France pontificale: Metropole d'Aix: Digne (in French). Paris: Etienne Repos. p. 122. Jean, p. 128. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 72 with note 5; VI, p. 361.
  87. Back to citation Chabannes was nominated by King Louis XV on 8 October 1735, and preconised (approved) by Pope Clement XII on 19 December 1735. He was consecrated a bishop on 29 January 1736 by the Archbishop of Bourges, Frédéric-Jérôme de La Rochefoucauld. He died on 26 July 1767. Jean, pp. 128–129. Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 69 with note 2.
  88. Back to citation Bonnac had been Vicar General of Bourges when he was named Bishop of Agen on 1 November 1767 by Louis XV. He was preconised (approved) by Pope Clement XIII on 25 January 1768, and was consecrated on 14 February by Archbishop Alexandre-Angélique Talleyrand de Périgord. He made his solemn entry into Agen on 30 October 1768. In the parliamentary session of 3 January 1792, Bonnac was the first to refuse to sign the constitutional oath. He emigrated to Bavaria, and in 1801 refused to resign and continued to do so until the restoration of the Bourbons in 1815. He was nonetheless dismissed by Pope Pius VII on 29 November 1801, along with all the other bishops in France. Jean, p. 129. Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 70 with note 3.
  89. Back to citation Constant was consecrated on 5 June 1791 at Bordeaux by the metropolitan Pierre Pacareau. His consecration was valid, but illicit, uncanonical, and schismatic. He resigned in 1801, following the signing of the Concordat of 1801. Pisani, pp. 441–445.
  90. Back to citation Jacoupy: Jean-Baptiste Delrieu (1874). Notice historique sur la vie et l'épiscopat de monseigneur Jean Jacoupy (in French). Agen: Prosper Noubel. A. Durenges, in: Société bibliographique (France) (1907). L'épiscopat français..., pp. 1–2.
  91. Back to citation Levezou: A. Durenges, pp. 2–3.
  92. Back to citation After the death of Bishop Levezou, the government of Napoleon III nominated the curate of a parish in Grenoble, Abbé Gerin. The Vatican did not approve the nomination, and the diocese remained vacant until the collapse of the Second Empire. A. Durenges, p. 3.
  93. Back to citation Outremont: A. Durenges, pp. 3–4.
  94. Back to citation Fonteneau, a priest of Bordeaux, became Private Secretary to Cardinal Donnet, who named him Vicar General of Bordeaux in 1864. On 14 November 1874 Fonteneau was nominated Bishop of Agen, and was preconised on 21 December by Pope Pius IX; he was consecrated a bishop in Bordeaux on 25 January 1875 by Cardinal François Donnet. He was transferred to the Archdiocese of Albi in 1884, and died on 23 March 1899. A. Durenges, pp. 4–5.
  95. Back to citation Couret-Varin: A. Durenges, p. 5.
  96. Back to citation Roman Catholic Diocese of Agen, official website

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44°12′25″N 0°37′10″E / 44.20694°N 0.61944°E

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