The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Montpellier (–Lodève–Béziers–Agde–Saint-Pons-de-Thomières) (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Archidioecesis Metropolitae Montis Pessulani (–Lotevensis–Biterrensis–Agathensis–Sancti Pontii Thomeriarum)''; French: ''Archidiocèse Metropolitain de Montpellier (–Lodève–Béziers–Agde–Saint-Pons-de-Thomières)'') is an archdiocese of the

Latin Rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church '' sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language once ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in south-western

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. It was probably created in the 3rd century AD. The current metropolitan archbishop is

Pierre-Marie Carré Pierre-Marie Carré (born 22 April 1947) is a French prelate of the Catholic Church who was archbishop of Montpellier from 2011 to 2022, where he was first archbishop coadjutor for a year. He was archbishop of Albi from 2000 to 2010. Biography P ...

; the immediate past Archbishop Emeritus is

Guy Marie Alexandre Thomazeau Guy Marie Alexandre Thomazeau (born 5 December 1937) was the Archbishop of Montpellier from 2002 to 2011. He was earlier Bishop of Beauvais, Bishop of Noyon, Bishop of Senlis, and auxiliary bishop of Meaux Meaux () is a Communes of France, com ...

. On September 16, 2002, as part of the reshuffling of the map of the French ecclesiastical provinces, the

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

of Montpellier (Lodève, Béziers, Agde, and Saint-Pons-de-Thomières) ceased to be a suffragan of Avignon and was elevated to archdiocese and metropolitan of a new ecclesiastical province, with the dioceses of

Carcassonne Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the Au ...

, Mende, Nimes (Uzès and Alès) and Perpignan–Elne as suffragans.

History

When the

Concordat of 1802 The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII, signed on 15 July 1801 in Paris. It remained in effect until 1905, except in Alsace-Lorraine, where it remains in force. It sought national reconciliation b ...

reestablished this diocese, it accorded to it also the ''département'' of Tarn, which was detached from it in 1822 by the creation of the Archdiocese of Albi; and from 1802 to 1822, Montpellier was a suffragan of

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

. A Papal Brief of 16 June 1877, authorized the bishops of Montpellier to style themselves bishops of Montpellier, Béziers,

Agde Agde (; ) is a commune in the Hérault department in Southern France. It is the Mediterranean port of the Canal du Midi. Location Agde is located on the Hérault river, from the Mediterranean Sea, and from Paris. The Canal du Midi conne ...

Lodève Lodève (; oc, Lodeva ) is a commune in the département of Hérault, in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. The derivation of the city's name is from Gaulish ''Luteva'', composed of lut-, swamp, ...

and Saint-Pons, in memory of the different dioceses united in the present diocese of Montpellier. Maguelone was the original diocese. Local traditions, recorded in 1583 by Abbé Gariel in his ''Histoire des évêques de Maguelonne'', affirm that St. Simon the Leper, having landed at the mouth of the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

with St. Lazarus and his sisters, was the earliest apostle of Maguelone. Gariel invokes in favour of this tradition a certain manuscript brought from Byzantium. But the chronicler,

Bishop Arnaud de Verdale A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

(1339–1352) was ignorant of this alleged Apostolic origin of Maguelone. It is certain that the tombstone of a Christian woman named Vera was found at Maguelone; Le Blant assigns it to the 4th century. The first historically known Bishop of Maguelone, Boetius, assisted at the Council of Narbonne in 589. Maguelone was completely destroyed in the course of the wars between

Charles Martel Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesm ...

and the

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

s. The diocese was then transferred to Substantion, but Bishop Arnaud (1030–1060) brought it back to Maguelone which he rebuilt. Near Maguelone had grown up by degrees the two villages of Montpellier and Montpellieret. According to legend, they were in the tenth century the property of the two sisters of St. Fulcran, Bishop of Lodève. About 975 they gave them to Ricuin, Bishop of Maguelone. It is certain that about 990 Ricuin possessed these two villages; he kept Montpellieret and gave Montpellier in fief to the family of the Guillems. In 1085 Pierre, Count of Substantion and

Melgueil Mauguio (; , primarily ''Melguelh'') is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. History The city of Mauguio, seventh city of the Herault department and chief town of the district, is located 11 km east of Montpellier. ...

, became a vassal of the Holy See for this countship, and relinquished the right of nomination to the diocese of Maguelone.

Urban II Pope Urban II ( la, Urbanus II; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening th ...

charged the Bishop of Maguelone to exercise the papal suzerainty, and he spent five days in this town when he came to France to preach the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic r ...

. In 1215

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...

gave the countship of Melgueil in fief to the Bishop of Maguelone, who thus became a Prince-bishop. From that time the Bishop of Maguelone had the

right of coinage From the Middle Ages to the Early modern period (or even later), to have minting rights was to have "the power to mint coins and to control currency within one's own dominion." History In the Middle Ages there were at times a large number of mi ...

Pope Clement IV Pope Clement IV ( la, Clemens IV; 23 November 1190 – 29 November 1268), born Gui Foucois ( la, Guido Falcodius; french: Guy de Foulques or ') and also known as Guy le Gros (French for "Guy the Fat"; it, Guido il Grosso), was bishop of Le Pu ...

reproached (1266) Bishop Bérenger Frédol with causing to be struck in his diocese a coin called "Miliarensis", on which was rend the name of Mahomet; in fact at that date the bishop, as well as the King of Aragon and the Count of Toulouse, authorized the coinage of Arabic money, not intended for circulation in Maguelone, but to be sold for exportation to the merchants of the Mediterranean. In July, 1204, Montpellier passed into the hands of Peter II of Aragon, son-in-law of the last of the Guillems;

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 12 ...

, son of Peter II, united the city to the Kingdom of Majorca. In 1282 the King of Majorca paid homage to the King of France for Maguelone. Bérenger Frédol, Bishop of Maguelone, ceded Montpellier to Philip IV of France (1292).

James III of Majorca James III ( – ), known as James the Rash (or the Unfortunate), was King of Majorca from 1324 to 1344. He was the son of Ferdinand of Majorca and Isabella of Sabran. Life James was born in Catania, Sicily. Margaret of Villehardouin, James's ...

sold Montpellier to Philip VI (1349); and the city, save for the period from 1365 to 1382, was henceforth French. Urban V had studied theology and canon law at Montpellier and was crowned pope by Cardinal Ardouin Aubert, nephew of

Innocent VI Pope Innocent VI ( la, Innocentius VI; 1282 or 1295 – 12 September 1362), born Étienne Aubert, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 December 1352 to his death in September 1362. He was the fifth Avignon pope a ...

, and Bishop of Maguelone from 1352 to 1354; hence the attachment of Pope Urban for this diocese which he favoured greatly. In 1364 he founded at Montpellier of a Benedictine monastery under the patronage of St. Germain, and came himself to Montpellier to see the new church (9 January - 8 March 1367). He caused the city to be surrounded by ramparts, in order that the scholars might work there in safety; and finally he caused a large canal to be begun by which Montpellier might communicate with the sea. At the request of King Francis I, who pleaded the epidemics and the ravages of the pirates which constantly threatened Maguelone, Pope Paul III transferred the see to Montpellier (27 March 1536). Montpellier, into which

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

was introduced in February, 1560, by the pastor, Guillaume Mauget, was much troubled by the wars of religion. Under Henry III of France a sort of Calvinistic republic was installed there. The city was reconquered by Louis XIII (October, 1622). Among the 54 bishops of Maguelone, and the 18 bishops of Montpellier, may be mentioned: Blessed

Louis Aleman Louis Aleman (16 September 1450) was a French Roman Catholic cardinal and a professed member of the now-suppressed Canons Regular of Saint John Baptist. He served as the Archbishop of Arles from 1423 until his resignation in 1440 when he had resi ...

(1418–1423), later

Bishop of Arles The former French Catholic Archbishopric of Arles had its episcopal see in the city of Arles, in southern France.Guillaume Pellicier (1527–68), whom king Francis I of France sent as an ambassador to Venice, and whose leaning as a humanist and naturalist made him after Scévole de Sainte-Marthe "the most learned man of his century"; the preacher Pierre Fenouillet (1608–52);

François de Bosquet François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, Kin ...

(1657–76), whose historical labours were very useful to the celebrated Baluze; the bibliophile Colbert de Croissy (1696–1738), who induced the Oratorian Pouget to compose in 1702 the famous "Catechism of Montpellier", condemned by the Holy See in 1712 and 1721 for

Jansenistic Jansenism was an early modern theological movement within Catholicism, primarily active in the Kingdom of France, that emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination. It was declared a heresy by th ...

tendencies; Fournier (1806–34), who in 1801 was confined for a time in the madhouse at Bicêtre at the command of Napoleon I Bonaparte, for a sermon against the Revolution. Among the numerous councils and synods held at Montpellier, the following merit mention: the council of 1162 in which Pope Alexander III excommunicated the antipope, Victor; the provincial synod of 1195, which was occupied with the Saracens of Spain and the

Albigenses Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France. Follo ...

; the council of 1215, which was presided over by Peter of Benevento, legate of the Holy See and passed important canons concerning discipline, and declared also that subject to the approval of the pope, Toulouse and all the other towns taken from the Albigenses should be given to Simon de Montfort; the council of 1224, which rejected the request of Raymond, Count of Toulouse. who promised to protect the Catholic Faith and demanded that Amaury de Montfort withdraw his claims to the countship of Toulouse; the council of 1258, which by permitting the seneschal of Beaucaire to arrest ecclesiastics taken in the act of crime, in order to hand them over to the bishop, made way for royal magistrates to exercise a certain power within the limits of ecclesiastical jurisdiction and thus inaugurated the movement as a result of which, under the name of "privileged cases", a certain number of offences committed by ecclesiastics became amenable to lay justice.

Saints

Special honour is paid in the present diocese of Montpellier to Saint

Pontius of Cimiez Saint Pontius of Cimiez, also known as Pons of Cimiez (french: Pons de Cimiez, Ponce de Cimiez) was a Christian saint and martyr in third century Gaul. His feast day is 14 May. Life Born at Rome into a pagan family, Pontius converted to Chri ...

(''Pons de Cimiez''), martyr under Emperor Valerian, patron of

Saint-Pons-de-Thomières Saint-Pons-de-Thomières (; Languedocien: ''Sant Ponç de Tomièiras'') is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. History It is named after its patron saint, Saint Pontius of Cimiez (''Pons de Cimiez'' ...

; Sts. Tiberius and Modestus and St. Florence, martyrs at

under Diocletian; St. Severus, Abbot of St. André, at Agde (d. about 500);

Saint Maxentius Saint Maxentius ( – ; french: Saint Maxence, Maixent) was born in Agde, France, and originally had the name ''Adjutor''. He was trained by Saint Severus and became a monk in his abbey. ''Butler's Lives of the Saints'' offers the following rem ...

, a native of

and founder of the Abbey of St-Maixent, in

Poitou Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...

(447–515);

St. Benedict of Aniane Benedict of Aniane ( la, Benedictus Anianensis; german: Benedikt von Aniane; 747 – 12 February 821 AD), born Witiza and called the Second Benedict, was a Benedictine monk and monastic reformer, who left a large imprint on the religious prac ...

, and his disciple and first historian, Saint Ardo Smaragdus (d. in 843); St. Guillem, Duke of

Aquitaine Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 Janu ...

, who in 804, founded near Lodève, on the advice of St. Benedict of Aniane, the monastery of Gellone (later St-Guillem du Désert), died there in 812, and under the name of "Guillaume au Court Nez" became the hero of a celebrated epic chanson; St. Etienne,

Bishop of Apt The former French Catholic diocese of Apt, in southeast France, existed from the fourth century until the French Revolution. By the Concordat of 1801, it was suppressed, and its territory was divided between the diocese of Digne and the diocese o ...

(975–1046), born at Agde; Blessed Guillaume VI, Lord of Montpellier from 1121 to 1149 and who died a Cistercian at Grandselve Abbey; Peter of Castelnau, Archdeacon of Maguelone, inquisitor (d. in 1208); Gérard de Lunel (St. Gerard), Lord of Lunel (end of thirteenth century); the celebrated pilgrim, St. Roch, who was born at Montpellier about the end of the thirteenth century, saved several cities of Italy from the pest, and returned to Montpellier to live as a hermit, where he died in 1325.

Bishops of Maguelone

* Boèce (Boecio/Boetius) 589 * Geniès (Genesio/Genesius, Ginesius) 597–633? * Gumild 672 oder 673 * Vincent 683 * Johann MagueloneJohann I. 791 * Ricuin I. 812–817 * Argemire 818 or 819 * Stabellus 821–823 * Maldomer 867 * Abbo 875–897 * Gontier 906–909 *

Pons The pons (from Latin , "bridge") is part of the brainstem that in humans and other bipeds lies inferior to the midbrain, superior to the medulla oblongata and anterior to the cerebellum. The pons is also called the pons Varolii ("bridge of Va ...

937–947 * Ricuin II. 975 * Peter I. de Melgueil 988–1030 or 1004–1019 * Arnaud I. 1030–1060 *

Bertrand Bertrand may refer to: Places * Bertrand, Missouri, US * Bertrand, Nebraska, US * Bertrand, New Brunswick, Canada * Bertrand Township, Michigan, US * Bertrand, Michigan * Bertrand, Virginia, US * Bertrand Creek, state of Washington * Saint-Bertr ...

I. 1060 or 1061–1079 or 1080 * Godefroi (Geoffroi) 1080–1104 * Walter von Lille 1104–1129 * Raimond I. 1129–1158 * Jean de Montlaur 1158–1190 * Guillaume de Raimond 1190–1195 * Guillaume de Fleix 1195–1202 * Guillaume D`Autignac (Antignac) 1203 or 1204–1216 * Bernard de Mèze 1216–1230 or 1232 * Jean de Montlaur II 1232–1247 *

Reinier Saccoin Reinier is the Dutch form of the Germanic masculine given name ''Raginheri'', composed of the two elements ''ragin'' ("advice") and ''heri'' ("army"). It is equivalent to Scandinavian ''Ragnar'', German '' Rainer'', French '' Rainier'', and Spanis ...

1247–1249 * Pierre de Conques 1248–1256 *

Guillaume Christophe Guillaume may refer to: People * Guillaume (given name), the French equivalent of William * Guillaume (surname) Other uses * Guillaume (crater) See also * '' Chanson de Guillaume'', an 11th or 12th century poem * Guillaume affair, a Cold War espi ...

1256–1263 * Bérenger Frédol 1263–1296 * Gaucelin de La Garde 1296–1304 or 1305 * Pierre de Lévis de Mirepoix 1305 or 1306–1309 *

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

1309–1317 *

Gaillard Saumate Gaillard () is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. Gaillard lies on the border with Switzerland, 5 km east of the city centre of Geneva. The biggest border crossing is ca ...

1317–1318 * André de Frédol 1318–1328 * Jean de Vissec 1328–1334 * Pictavin de Montesquiou 1334–1339 *

Arnaud de Verdale Arnaud may refer to: People * Arnaud (given name) or Arnauld (formerly Arnoul), the French form of the German given name Arnold * Arnaud (surname) or Arnauld (formerly Arnoul), the French form of the name Arnold * Arnauld family, a noble French f ...

1339–1352 * Aldouin Alberti 1352–1353 *

Durand de Chapelles Durand may refer to: Places United States * Durand Township, Winnebago County, Illinois * Durand, Illinois, a village ** Durand High School (Illinois), a public high school * Durand, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Durand, Kansas, a ...

1353–1361 * Pierre de Canillac 1361 *

Dieudonné de Canillac Dieudonné is a French name meaning "Gift of God", and thus similar to the Greek-derived Theodore or the Spanish Diosdado. It may refer to: People Given name * Dieudonné Cédor (1925–2010), Haitian painter * Dieudonné Costes (1892–1973), ...

1361–1367 * Gaucelin de Déaux (Dreux) 1367–1373 * Pierre de Vernols 1373–1389 * Antoine de Lovier 1389–1405 * Pierre Adhémar 1405 or 1408–1415 * Louis Allemand 1418–1423 *Guillaume Forestier 1423–1429 * Léger Saporis D'Eyragues 1429–1430 * Bertrand Robert 1431–1433 * Robert de Rouvres 1433–1453 * Maur de Valleville 1453–1471 * Jean Bonald 1471 oder 1472–1487 * Guillaume Le Roy de Chavigny 1487–1488 * Izarn Barrière 1487 or 1488–1498 * Guillaume Pellicier 1498–1527 or 1529

Bishops of Montpellier

* Guillaume Pellicier II 1527 or 1529–1568 (of Montpellier from 1535) * Antoine de Subjet de Cardot 1573–1596 * Guitard de Ratte 1596–1602 *

Jean Garnier Jean Garnier (11 November 1612 – 26 November 1681) was a French Jesuit church historian, patristic scholar, and moral theologian. Life He was born at Paris, entered the Society of Jesus at the age of sixteen, and, after a distinguished course ...

1603–1607 * Pierre Fenolliet (Fenouillet) 1607–1652 * Rinaldo d'Este 1653–1655 (Cardinal) *

François Bosquet François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, Kin ...

1655–1676 * Charles de Pradel 1676–1696 * Charles-Joachim Colbert de Croissy 1696–1738 * Georges-Lazare Berger de Charency 1738–1748 * François Renaud de Villeneuve 1748–1766 * Raymond de Durfort Léobard 1766–1774 * Joseph-François de Malide 1774–1790 ** Dominique Pouderous 1791–? **

Alexandre Victor Rouanet Alexandre may refer to: * Alexandre (given name) * Alexandre (surname) * Alexandre (film) See also * Alexander * Xano (disambiguation) Xano is the name of: * Xano, a Portuguese hypocoristic of the name "Alexandre (disambiguation) Alexandre may re ...

* Jean-Louis-Simon Rollet 1802–1806 * Nicolas Marie Fournier de La Contamine 1806–1834 * Charles-Thomas Thibault 1835–1861 * François-Marie-Joseph Lecourtier 1861–1873 * François de Rovérié de Cabrières 1873–1921 (Cardinal from 1911) * René-Pierre Mignen 1922–1931 (also Archbishop of Rennes) * Gabriel Brunhes 1932–1949 * Jean Duperray 1949–1957 * Cyprien-Louis-Pierre-Clément Tourel 1958–1976 * Louis-Antoine-Marie Boffet 1976–1996 *

Jean-Pierre Ricard Jean-Pierre Ricard (born 26 September 1944) is a French prelate of the Catholic Church who was Archbishop of Bordeaux from 2001 to 2019. He has been a cardinal since 2006. He was previously Bishop of Montpellier for five years and before that a ...

1996–2001, appointed

Archbishop of Bordeaux The Archdiocese of Bordeaux (–Bazas) (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Burdigalensis (–Bazensis)''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Bordeaux (–Bazas)''; Occitan: ''Archidiocèsi de Bordèu (–Vasats)'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or a ...

)

Archbishops

(2002–2011) *

(2011–2022) * Norbert Turini (2022–present)

References

Bibliography

* *

Sources

* * Centre national des Archives de l'Église de France
''L’Épiscopat francais depuis 1919''
retrieved: 2016-12-24. {{DEFAULTSORT:Montpellier, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montpellier Roman Catholic dioceses in France Dioceses established in the 3rd century 3rd-century establishments in Roman Gaul