The Diocese of Quimper (–Cornouaille) and Léon (

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 ...

: ''Dioecesis Corisopitensis (–Cornubiensis) et Leonensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Quimper (–Cornouaille) et Léon'') is a

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

ecclesiastical territory or

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, pro ...

of the

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 ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. In 1853, the name was changed from the Diocese of Quimper (–Cornouaille) to the Diocese of Quimper (–Cornouaille) and Léon. Originally established in the 5th century, the diocese was dismantled during the anti-clericalism of 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 ...

. It was restored 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 ...

, as the combination of the Dioceses of Quimper,

Saint-Pol-de-Léon Saint-Pol-de-Léon (; br, Kastell-Paol) is a commune in the Finistère department in Brittany in north-western France, located on the coast. It is noted for its 13th-century cathedral on the site of the original founded by Saint Paul Aurelian ...

and

Tréguier Tréguier (; br, Landreger) is a port town in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. It is the capital of the province of Trégor. Geography Tréguier is located 36 m. N.W. of Saint-Brieuc by road. The port is situat ...

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

. Traditionally, it formed part of

Lower Brittany Lower Brittany ( br, Breizh-Izel; french: Basse-Bretagne) denotes the parts of Brittany west of Ploërmel, where the Breton language has been traditionally spoken, and where the culture associated with this language is most prolific. The name is ...

; today's diocese is coextensive with the

Department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Finistère Finistère (, ; br, Penn-ar-Bed ) is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.

. The diocese is a

suffragan diocese A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria ...

in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo. The current bishop is Laurent Marie Bernard Dognin.

History

Diocese of Quimper: early history

Two versions of the catalogue of the Bishops of Quimper are known: one is from the twelfth century and is held by the Cartulary of Quimperlé; the other is preserved in a Quimper Cartulary of the fifteenth century. Both mention a St. Chorentius as first Bishop of Quimper. His hagiography, however, was developed relatively late in church history. Nothing accurate is known about him, but he is supposed by some to have been ordained by St. Martin of Tours in the fourth century, while others claim that he was a sixth-century monk. Duchesne points out that, before the eleventh century, control of the list of Bishops of Quimper is "très difficile". External material to provide verification is lacking. The tale of Saint-Guénolé (Winwaloe) (ca. 460–532), the alleged first Abbot of Landevennec, is, as Robert Latouche has shown, devoid of historical merit, and the documents on which it depends complete forgeries. The city of Quimper was the capital of the County of Cornouaille. The Diocese of Quimper was represented at church councils as early as the mid-fifth century. The earliest historical reference dates from 453. An assembly of eight bishops of Provincia Lugdunensis Tertia took place at Angers on 4 October 453 to consecrate a new bishop for Angers. Four of the bishops can be associated with particular Sees. The other four are assigned by scholars to the other dioceses in the ecclesiastical province, one of which was Quimper. One of the four prelates, Sarmatio, Chariato, Rumoridus, and Viventius, was Bishop of Quimper.

Diocese of Saint-Pol-de-Léon

There is evidence that Christianity was preached in Léon twenty years before the evangelization of

Cornouaille Cornouaille (; br, Kernev, Kerne) is a historical region on the west coast of Brittany in West France. The name is cognate with Cornwall in neighbouring Great Britain. This can be explained by the settlement of Cornouaille by migrant princ ...

, but ancient Breton chronology is very uncertain. The legend of St. Paul Aurelian, written in 884, shows that the Breton monks believed the See of Léon had been founded in the

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

epoch. The hermit

Saint Ronan In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

, a native of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, often held to be one of the 350 bishops consecrated by

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

, was in the fifth century known as one of the apostles of Cornouailles and the neighbourhood around Léon.

Paul Aurelian Paul Aurelian (known in Breton as Paol Aorelian or Saint Pol de Léon and in Latin as Paulinus Aurelianus) was a 6th-century Welshman who became first bishop of the See of Léon and one of the seven founder saints of Brittany. He allegedly died ...

, a Gallic monk, founder of monasteries at Ouessant on the north-west coast of

and on the Island of Batz, was believed to have founded in an abandoned fort a monastery which gave origin to the town of St. Pol de Léon, afterwards the seat of a diocese. He was the first titular of the see, a wonder-worker and prophet, and was held to have died in 575 at the age of 140 years, after having been assisted in his labours by three successive coadjutors. Though the monastery of Léon was probably founded by Paul Aurelian in the sixth century, the history of the diocese is more complicated. It is at least certain that there are traces in history of a

Diocese of Léon The Diocese of Quimper (–Cornouaille) and Léon (Latin: ''Dioecesis Corisopitensis (–Cornubiensis) et Leonensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Quimper (–Cornouaille) et Léon'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Cathol ...

as far back as the middle of the ninth century.

Cathedral of Saint-Corentin, Quimper

The cornerstone of Quimper Cathedral was laid in 1424, but the building was still unfinished at the beginning of the sixteenth century. When

Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...

granted that church the same indulgences as could be gained at the Roman Jubilee, funds came in which allowed its completion. The Chapter of the Cathedral was composed of six dignities and twelve Canons. The dignities were: the Dean, the Archdeacon of Cornuaille, the Archdeacon of Poher, the Treasurer, the Cantor and the Theologian. The Abbot of Doulas was always first Canon ''ex officio'', and held precedence in the Chapter after the Bishop. There were two Collegiate Churches in the diocese, Saint-Trémeur de Carhaix and Notre-Dame de Rostrenen, each headed by a Cantor. The abbots of seven abbeys in the diocese were subject to nomination by the King and confirmation by the Pope: the Abbey of St. Maurice (O.S.B.), the Abbey of Notre-Dame-de Daoulac (O.S.B.), the Abbey of Landeunnes (O.S.B.), the Abbey of Saint-Crois de Quimperlé (O.S.B.), the Abbey of Bonrepos (Premonstratensian), the Abbey of Notre Dame de Coeurmalaoüen (O.S.B.), and the Abbey of Langonnet (O.S.B.).

Other churches

The Cathedral of St. Pol de Léon, which is now in the Diocese of Quimper, was built between the 13th and 16th centuries. The Church of Notre Dame de Creisker, in the same town, restored in the fourteenth century, has a belfry which the Bretons claim to be the handsomest in the world. Formerly Quimperlé had an important Benedictine abbey, Sainte Croix, founded in 1029 and where the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

s of St. Maur took up their residence in 1665. Along with all abbeys, convents, and monasteries, it was suppressed by the National Constituent Assembly and by the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. Monastic vows were abolished.

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...

, one of the great fortified harbours of France, is now in the diocese.

Diocese of Quimper: 17th and 18th centuries

In 1608 Counter-Reformation preacher

Michel Le Nobletz Dom Michel Le Nobletz (Breton: Mikel an Nobletz) (1577–1652) was a vigorous Counter-Reformation missionary active in the west of Brittany, who was responsible for a revival of popular Catholic culture. He developed new methods of teaching, a ...

conducted his first mission on the island of Ouessant. "Apostle of Brittany" Father

Julian Maunoir Julien Maunoir (1 October 1606 – 28 January 1683) (also Julian; br, Juluan Maner), was a French-born Jesuit priest known as the "Apostle of Brittany". He was beatified in 1951 by Pope Pius XII and is commemorated by the Catholic Church on 29 ...

worked as a missionary to the Breton people for 43 years. Albert Le Grand wrote the "Lives of the Saints of Brittany" (1636) and published a

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

dictionary, and some devotional works in Breton. Today he is considered by some to be the founder of Breton philology. There was already a grammar school in Quimper in 1348, but never a university. The Jesuits were established in the Collège de Quimper in 1620 where they flourished until the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

was expelled from France in 1763. Other notable persons whose origins were in the Diocese of Quimper are: the classical scholar

Jean Hardouin Jean Hardouin ( en, John Hardwin; la, Johannes Harduinus; 1646 – 3 September 1729), was a French classical scholar. He is most known for his theory that most texts from Antiquity were forgeries. Biography He was born at Quimper in Brittany. ...

(1646–1729), the critic

Élie Catherine Fréron Élie Catherine Fréron (20 January 1718 – 10 March 1776) was a French literary critic and controversialist whose career focused on countering the influence of the ''philosophes'' of the French Enlightenment, partly through his vehicle, the '' ...

(1719–71), and the physician

René Laennec René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laennec (; 17 February 1781 – 13 August 1826) was a French physician and musician. His skill at carving his own wooden flutes led him to invent the stethoscope in 1816, while working at the Hôpital Necker ...

(1781–1826), inventor of the

stethoscope The stethoscope is a medical device for auscultation, or listening to internal sounds of an animal or human body. It typically has a small disc-shaped resonator that is placed against the skin, and one or two tubes connected to two earpieces. ...

. In 1772, the city of Quimper contained about 10,000 persons, and in the city there were five parishes. The entire diocese contained some 180 parishes.

The Revolution

During the French revolution the Diocese of Quimper was abolished and subsumed into a new diocese, coterminous with the new 'Departement de Finistère', which was made a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

of the 'Metropole du Nord-Ouest' with its seat at Rennes. The clergy were required to swear and oath to the Constitution, and under the terms of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy a new bishop was to be elected by all the voters of the department. This placed them in schism with the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope. The Chapter of Quimper entered a protest on 26 October 1790 against the uncanonical election of a bishop by 'electors'. The

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

chose, as successor of the deceased Bishop Conan de Saint-Luc, Louis Alexandre Expilly, the Rector of the church of St. Martin at Morlaix. He had been the delegate of Saint-Pol-de-Leon to the Estates General of 1789 and was one of the authors of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. Expilly was presented to

King Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was e ...

who ratified his election. He therefore became the first of the Constitutional Bishops. The Chapter of Quimper on 17 November wrote to the Constitutional Bishop-elect proclaiming the nullity of his election. Expilly was consecrated in Paris at the Oratory by Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, Bishop of Autun, on 24 February 1791. Expilly then assisted

Jean-Baptiste Gobel Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Gobel (1 September 1727 – 13 April 1794) was a French Catholic cleric and politician of the Revolution. He was executed during the Reign of Terror. Biography Gobel was born in the town of Thann in Alsace to a lawyer t ...

, a legitimate bishop consecrated in 1772, who had apostasized and was then Constitutional Bishop of Paris, in the consecration of additional Constitutional bishops on 27 February and 6 March. He then proceeded to Quimper for his installation. He faced great difficulties both from the flight of many of his clergy in the face of the Terror, and from the seizure of large areas of the countryside by the

Chouan Chouan ("the silent one", or "owl") is a French nickname. It was used as a nom de guerre by the Chouan brothers, most notably Jean Cottereau, better known as Jean Chouan, who led a major revolt in Bas-Maine against the French Revolution. Part ...

s, who were loyal to the monarchy. He had himself elected president of the departmental Directory, but his increasingly moderate stance brought him under suspicion from the

Jacobin , logo = JacobinVignette03.jpg , logo_size = 180px , logo_caption = Seal of the Jacobin Club (1792–1794) , motto = "Live free or die"(french: Vivre libre ou mourir) , successor = Pa ...

s. He was denounced and arrested, and guillotined at Brest on 22 May 1794. His successor, Yves Audrin, was executed by the Chouans on 19/20 November 1800. In accordance with the

, Pope Pius VII restored the Diocese of Quimper in 1802. The lessons taught by the reduction in the number of bishoprics by the Civil Constitution of the Clergy of 1790, and the rationalization of diocesan boundaries to coincide with civil administration districts called 'départmentes', did not go unnoticed. Only four of the nine Breton dioceses were restored. Quimper received all of the former diocese of St.-Pol-de-Léon, most of the former Diocese of Cornuaille, a canton and two parishes of the

Diocese of Vannes The Roman Catholic Diocese of Vannes (Latin: ''Dioecesis Venetensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Vannes'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected in the 5th century, the Episcopal see is Vannes Cathedral in ...

, and parts of the former Diocese of Dol; Quimper, however, handed over some of its eastern parishes to Vannes and to Saint-Brieuc. Quimper returned to its status as a suffragan of Tours. When Rennes became an archbishopric in 1859, however, Quimper was assigned to that Metropolitanate, as it had been during the days of the Revolution.

Bishops of Quimper

to 1300

* ? (attested 453) *Corentinus * Alain of Quimper :... *Felix (attested 835, 848) *Anaweten (attested in 850s) *Benedictus (ca. 906 or 940) *Orscandus (ca. 1029 – ca. 1065) *Robertus (after 1113 – 1130) *Radulfus (by 1140 – 4 March 1158) *Bernard de Moëlan (1159-1167) *Godfredus (Geoffroy) (by 1170 – 1185) *Theobaldus (1187 – 18 May 1192) *Guillaume (June 1192 – 15 December 1218) *Ranulfus (July 1219 – 5 May 1245) *Hervaeus de Landeleu (1245 – 9 August 1260) *Guido (Vitus) Plounevez (1261 – 12 July 1267) *Ivo Cabellic (1267–1280) *Evenus de la Forêt (14 May 1283 – 14 March 1290)

1300 to 1600

*Alain Morel *Thomas Denast *Bernardus, O.Min. *Guy Laval *Jacques Corvus, O.P. *Ivo de Boisboessel (31 August 1330 – 22 January 1333) *Alain Gontier *Alain Angall *Gaufridus de Quoetmozan *Gaufridus Lemarhec (20 March 1357 – 1383) *Theobaldus de Malestroit (3 December 1383 – May 1408) (Avignon Obedience) :... *Alain le Mault (8 March 1484 – 2 November 1493) *Raoul le Chauve de Moël (13 November 1493 – 31 May 1501) *Claude de Rohan (25 June 1501 – July 1540) *Guillaume Éder (Jul 1540 – 22 May 1546) *Cardinal

Philippe de La Chambre Philippe de La Chambre (c. 1490 – 1550) was a French Benedictine monk and Abbot, and Cardinal. Family His father was Louis de la Chambre, vicomte de Maurienne. His mother (Louis' second wife) was Anne de la Tour, daughter of Bertrand de la Tour ...

, O.S.B. (19 Jul 1546 – 21 February 1550) *Cardinal

Niccolò Caetani Niccolò Caetani di Sermoneta (1526–1585) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal and bishop. Biography Niccolò Caetani was born in Rome on 23 February 1526, the son of Camillo Caetani, 3rd duke of Sermoneta, a cousin of Pope Paul III, an ...

di Sermoneta (14 Jul 1550 – 5 April 1560) (Administrator) *Étienne Bouchier (5 April 1560 – 20 August 1573) *François de la Tour (26 August 1573 – 14 October 1583) *Charles de Liescoët (15 November 1582 – 14 March 1614)

1600 to 1800

*Guillaume le Prètre (17 November 1614 – 8 November 1640) *René du Louet (1 December 1642 – 11 February 1668) * rançois Visdelieu (Coadjutor, did not succeed)(27 February 1651 – 27 July 1665) *François de Coëtlogon (1 March 1666 – 6 November 1706) *François Hyacinthe de Ploeuc (11 April 1707 – 6 January 1739) *Auguste François Hannibal de Farcy de Cuillé (30 September 1739 – 28 June 1771) *Emmanuel Louis de Grossolles de Flamarens (14 December 1772 – 14 June 1773) *Toussaint François Joseph Conen de Saint-Luc (12 July 1773 – 30 September 1790) **Louis Alexandre Expilly (October 1790 – May 1794) (Constitutional Bishop of Finistère) **Yves Audrein (Spring 1798 – 19/20 November 1800) (Constitutional Bishop of Finistère)

since 1802

*Claude André (April 9, 1802 – 1804) *Pierre-Vincent Dombideau de Crouseilhes (January 30, 1805 – June 29, 1823) *Jean-Marie-Dominique de Poulpiquet de Brescanvel (September 12, 1823 – May 1, 1840) *Jean-Marie GraveranGraveran was born at Crozon in 1793. He was named a teacher at the Major Seminary, and then became a cure of the church of Saint-Louis de Brest. He was appointed Bishop of Quimper on 4 June 1840 by King Louis Philippe, confirmed by

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He h ...

on 13 July, and consecrated on 23 August 1840 by Archbishop Denis-Auguste Affre of Paris. After the Revolution of 1848, he was elected a delegate to the Constituent Assembly. He completed the construction of the towers of the cathedral. He died on 1 February 1855. Canon Paul Peyron, in: Société bibliographique (France) (1907), ''L'épiscopat français...'', pp. 493-494. (May 26, 1840 – February 1, 1855) *Nicolas-Marie Sergent (February 6, 1855 – July 26, 1871) *Charles-Marie-Denis-Anselme Nouvel de La Flèche (October 16, 1871 – June 1, 1887) *Jacques-Théodore Lamarche (November 8, 1887 – June 15, 1892) *Henri-Victor Valleau (November 26, 1892 – December 24, 1898) *

François-Virgile Dubillard François-Virgile Dubillard (16 February 1845 in Soye near Besançon. France – 1 December 1914 in Chambéry) was a cardinal of the Catholic Church, and Archbishop of Chambéry 1907–1914. He was made cardinal in 1911 by Pope Pius X. ...

(December 7, 1899 – December 16, 1907) *Adolphe-Yves-Marie Duparc (February 11, 1908 – May 8, 1946) *André-Pierre-François Fauvel (April 24, 1947 – February 28, 1968) *Francis Jules Joseph Marie Barbu (February 28, 1968 – May 3, 1989) * Clément Joseph Marie Raymond Guillon, (May 3, 1989 – July 9, 2010) * Jean Marie Le Vert,Le Vert was 'allowed to resign', after strife in diocese requiring intervention of the Archbishop of Rennes and the Vatican
L-eveque-de-Quimper-suspendu-de-sa-charge-pour-raisons-de-sante
retrieved: 2016-08-31. (Dec 7, 2007 – January 22, 2015) *Laurent Marie Bernard Dognin (20 May 2015 – )

References

Bibliography

Reference works

Pouillés

:Survey of benefices, patrons, and taxation rates: * * * (each diocese separately paginated, but ca. pp. 428–439)

Episcopal Lists

* (Use with caution; obsolete) * (in Latin) * (in Latin) * * * * * * *

Studies

* * * * *Latouche, Robert (1911)
''Mélanges d'histoire de Cornouaille (VI-XI siècle)''
Paris: Honoré Champion. (Bibliothèque de l'école pratique des hautes études, Vol. 192). * * * * *

External links

* Centre national des Archives de l'Église de France
''L'Épiscopat francais depuis 1919''
retrieved: 2016-12-24. *David M. Cheney, ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org''

retrieved: 2017-01-21. * Diocèse de Quimper
Home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Diocese Of Quimper

Quimper Quimper (, ; br, Kemper ; la, Civitas Aquilonia or ) is a commune and prefecture of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. Administration Quimper is the prefecture (capital) of the Finistère department. Geography The ...

Quimper-et-Leon

1801 establishments in France