The former French Catholic diocese of Alet (Lat.: ''Electensis'') was created in 1317 from territory formerly in the

diocese of Narbonne The former Catholic diocese of Narbonne existed from early Christian times until the French Revolution. It was an archdiocese, with its see at Narbonne, from the year 445, and its influence ran over much of south-western France and into Cataloni ...

. The diocese continued until the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

when it was suppressed by the

Concordat of 1801 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 ...

Alet-les-Bains Alet-les-Bains (; ''Alet'' in Occitan, formerly spelt ''Aleth'') is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Geography Alet-les-Bains is located near a hot springs in Aude in the south of France. The vill ...

is located in south-west France, in the current department of

Aude Aude (; ) is a Departments of France, department in Southern France, located in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region and named after the river Aude (river), Aude. The departmental council also calls it "Ca ...

. The diocese was divided between:

diocese of Carcassonne The Diocese of Carcassonne and Narbonne (Latin: ''Dioecesis Carcassonensis et Narbonensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Carcassonne et Narbonne'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese co ...

(to which the bishopric was formally attached) the

diocese of Toulouse The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toulouse (–Saint Bertrand de Comminges–Rieux) ( la, Archidioecesis Tolosana (–Convenarum–Rivensis); French: ''Archidiocèse de Toulouse (–Saint-Bertrand de Comminges–Rieux-Volvestre)''; Occitan: ''A ...

and the

diocese of Perpignan The Roman Catholic Diocese of Perpignan–Elne (Latin: ''Dioecesis Elnensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Perpignan–Elne''; Catalan: ''Bisbat de Perpinyà–Elna'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France.

History

In 1317, Pope John XXII engaged in a major restructuring of the episcopal organization of southern and western France. The diocese of Narbonne was very large, and it was deemed advisable to separate off the western part, the Archdeaconry of Alet, and erect it into a separate diocese. The papal bull, ''Sane Considerantes'', issued on 20 August 1317, envisioned the creation of the new diocese with its seat at Limoux, and the promotion of the Church of Saint-Martin into a cathedral. In the next few months, however, Pope John changed his mind. On 28 (or 18) February 1318, he revoked his previous arrangements and named Alet as the site of the new bishopric; and on 1 March 1318 he appointed Bartholomaeus, the Abbot of the Monastery of Alet, and a papal nuncio, as the new bishop. His Abbey of Notre-Dame d'Alet, which followed the

Rule of Saint Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...

, became the cathedral of the diocese, and its monks became Canons of the cathedral chapter. In erecting the new diocese, Pope John transferred eighty parishes from the diocese of Narbonne to Alet. The Cathedral of Alet was served by a Chapter, composed of twelve canons. The dignities were: the Dean, the Archdeacon, the Treasurer and the Precentor. There were sixteen beneficiaries. The Chapter had the right, granted by the Papacy, to elect the bishop of Alet. The Chapter was secularized on 17 November 1531 by the papal bulla ''Ad Exequendum'' of

Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII ( la, Clemens VII; it, Clemente VII; born Giulio de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the ...

, at the request of Bishop Guillaume de Joyeuse and at the suggestion of King

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...

. The Pope explained in the bull that the problem was twofold: the number of people seeking to become monks had greatly decreased; and the financial situation of the Chapter had severely deteriorated. At the beginning the money was sufficient to supply the needs of thirty or more monks, but in 1531 it could scarcely support seven or eight. The priories which had belonged to the Chapter had gradually been appropriated by the bishop who appointed commendatory abbots and priors, causing money to be directed away from the monastic foundations. In addition the coldness of the weather and the frequent wars, with plundering and pillaging, had diminished regular revenues. The present income could satisfy the requirements for secular dignities and canons, but could not support the entire monastic establishment. In order to place the finances of the new secular chapter on a firm footing, the Pope ordered the suppression of a number of priories in several dioceses: Notre-Dame de Peyran et de Rupefort, S. Valerius, de Varilles, de Exchalabria, and de Rupifera (all Benedictine houses); many of these were being held ''in commendam'', but all were placed at the disposal of the Chapter.

Pope John XXII Pope John XXII ( la, Ioannes PP. XXII; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected by ...

also secularized one of the monasteries in the new diocese, Saint Paul de Fenouillèdes, converting it into a

Collegiate Church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a ...

, administered by a Chapter composed of three dignitaries, twelve Canons and thirty semi-prebends. There were three other abbeys in the diocese: Saint Jacques de Jocou, Saint Martin de Lys and Saint Pierre. The diocese was suppressed by the National Constituent Assembly in the Civil Constitution of the Clergy in 1790. The territory of the diocese of Alet was incorporated into a new (republican) 'Constitutional Diocese', the Diocese of Aude, which was coterminous with the new administrative ' Départment de l'Aude (named after a river); the new diocese included 565 parishes which had been part of the (arch)dioceses of

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in France, commune in Southern France in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region. It lies from Paris in the Aude Departments of Franc ...

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 ...

, Alet,

Saint-Papoul Saint-Papoul (; Languedocien: ''Sant Pàpol'') is a commune in the Aude department in southern France. History The town of Saint-Papoul was founded during the 8th century when an abbey was established here, dedicated to Saint Papulus. The ...

and

Mirepoix A mirepoix ( ; ) is a flavor base made from diced vegetables cooked—usually with butter, oil, or other fat—for a long time on low heat without coloring or browning, as further cooking, often with the addition of tomato purée, creates a dar ...

. The headquarters of the diocese was to be Narbonne, and the Metropolitan of the Metropolitanate of the 'Métropole du Sud' was to be in

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 Par ...

. After the signing of the

with

First Consul The Consulate (french: Le Consulat) was the top-level Government of France from the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 10 November 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire on 18 May 1804. By extension, the term ''The Con ...

Napoleon Bonaparte, the diocese of Alet was not revived, but abolished by

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

in his bull ''Qui Christi Domini'' of 29 November 1801.

Bishops

*1318–1333 ?: Barthélemy, O.S.B., Abbot Sainte-Marie d'Alet *1333-†1355 : Guillaume (I) d'Alzonne, O.S.B., Abbot of la Grasse *1355-†1363 : Guillame (II), O.S.B., Abbot of Sendras *1363-†1385 : Arnaud de Villars *1385–1386 : Cardinal Pierre Aycelin de Montaigut (Administrator) *1386–1390 : Robert du Bosc (Avignon Obedience) *1390-†1420 : Henri (I) Bayler (Avignon Obedience) *1421–1441 : Pierre (II) Assalbit, O.E.S.A. *1441–1442 : Antoine de Saint-Étienne *1443–1447 : Pierre (III) *1448–1454 : Élie de Pompadour *1454–1455 : Louis d'Aubusson, O.S.B. *1455–1460 : Ambroise ''de Cameraco'', Abbot of Saint-Germain-des-Prés *1461-†1468 : Antoine (I) Gobert *1468-†1486 : Guillaume (III.) ''Oliva'' *1487–1488 : Pierre (III) Hallwyn *1489-†1508 : Guillaume (IV.) ''de Rupe'', Abbot of Montolieu : ean Dupuy, Abbot of Saint-Tibéry*1508–1523 : Pierre (IV.) Raymond de Guiert, Abbot of Sorèze *1524–1540 : Guillaume (V.) de Joyeuse *1541–1559 : Guillaume VI. de Joyeuse *1560-†1564 : François de Lestrange *1565–1572? : Antoine (II.) Dax :(1572–1594) : ''Sede Vacante'' * 594–1603 : Christophe de L'Estang*1603-†1603 : Pierre (V.) de Polverel *1607-1637 : Étienne de Polverel *1637-†1677 : Nicolas Pavillon *1679–1684 :

Louis-Alphonse de Valbelle Louis-Alphonse de Valbelle (1640–1708) was a French Roman Catholic Bishop. Biography Early life Louis-Alphonse de Valbelle was born in 1640 in Marseille. His father was Antoine de Valbelle.M. Henri Cochin, Jean Jacques de Nully, ''Œuvres de fe ...

*1692–1698 : Victor-Augustin de Méliand *1699-1708 : Charles-Nicolas Taffoureau de Fontaine *1709-1723 : Jacques Maboul *1723-1762 : Joseph-François de Boucaud *1763-1793 : Charles de la Cropte de ChantéracCropte was born in the diocese of Périgueux in 1723. He studied at Saint-Sulpice in Paris (M.A.), and after ten years of study became Doctor of theology (Sorbonne). He was Canon and Treasurer of the Cathedral Chapter of Noyon, and Vicar General of Autun for the district of Moulins. He was named Bishop of Alet on 1 January 1763, and preconised (approved) by

Pope Clement XIII Pope Clement XIII ( la, Clemens XIII; it, Clemente XIII; 7 March 1693 – 2 February 1769), born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 July 1758 to his death in February 1769. ...

on 16 May 1763. He was consecrated in Paris on 19 June by the Archbishop of Paris, Christophe de Beaumont. He left Alet on 1 September 1792, and died in exile in Sabadell, Spain, in 1793. Jean, p. 265. Lasserre, pp. 188–209. Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 206 with note 2.

References

Bibliography

Reference works

*, pp. 486–487. (Use with caution; obsolete) * (in Latin) * (in Latin) * * * *

Studies

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ancient Diocese of Alet

Alet The Alet is a river in southwestern France. The river is a right tributary of the Salat. The total length is from its source in the Ariège department in the Pyrenees to where it empties into the Salat, near Seix. The Alet is part of the Garon ...