The Breton and French Catholic diocese of Dol existed from 848 to 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 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 ...

. Its see was

Dol Cathedral Dol-de-Bretagne Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Saint-Samson de Dol) is a Roman Catholic church located in Dol-de-Bretagne. The cathedral is dedicated to Samson of Dol, Saint Samson, one of the founding saints of Brittany. It was formerly the seat ...

. Its scattered territory (deriving from the holdings of the Celtic monastery, and including an enclave at the mouth of the Seine) was shared mainly by the

Diocese of Rennes The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rhedonensis, Dolensis et Sancti Maclovii''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rennes, Dol et Saint-Malo''; br, Arc'heskopti Roazhon, Dol ha Sant-Maloù) is a dioces ...

and the

Diocese of Saint-Brieuc The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Brieuc and Tréguier (Latin: ''Dioecesis Briocensis et Trecorensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Saint-Brieuc et Tréguier''; br, Eskopti Sant-Brieg ha Landreger) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholi ...

History

The ''Life of St. Samson'', which cannot be of earlier date than the seventh century, mentions the foundation of the monastery of Dol by St. Samson. He was doubtless already a bishop when he came from Great Britain to

Armorica Armorica or Aremorica (Gaulish: ; br, Arvorig, ) is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul between the Seine and the Loire that includes the Brittany Peninsula, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic Coast ...

, and it is he perhaps who assisted at the

Council of Paris The Council of Paris ( French: ''Conseil de Paris'') is the deliberative body responsible for governing Paris, the capital of France. It possesses both the powers of a municipal council (''conseil municipal'') and those of a departmental counc ...

between 561 and 567. But in the biography there is nothing to prove that he founded the See of Dol or that he was its first bishop. In the twelfth century, to support its claim against the Metropolitan of Tours, the Church of Dol produced the names of a long list of archbishops: St. Samson,

St. Magloire Magloire, better known as Saint Magloire of Dol, is a Brittany, Breton saint. Little reliable information is known of Magloire as the earliest written sources appeared three centuries after his death. These sources claim that he was a monk from ...

, St. Budoc, St. Génevée, St. Restoald,

St. Armel Saint Armel ( cy, Arthfael, "Wolf-Prince"; la, Armagilus) was an early 6th-century holy man in Brittany. Armel is said to have been a Breton prince, born to the wife of King Hoel while they were living in Glamorgan in Wales in the late ...

, St. Jumael,

St. Turian Saint Turiaf of Dol (or Thivisiau, Tuien, Turiav, Turiave, Turiavus, Turien, Turiano, Turiavo; died ) was a Breton abbot and bishop of the ancient Diocese of Dol. Life Turiaf was born in Brittany to French nobility in the 8th century. He became ...

Louis Duchesne Louis Marie Olivier Duchesne (; 13 September 1843 – 21 April 1922) was a French priest, philologist, teacher and a critical historian of Christianity and Roman Catholic liturgy and institutions. Life Descended from a family of Breton sailors, ...

discounted and doubted this list. He was of the opinion that the abbey of Dol may have had at its head from time to time abbots with episcopal jurisdiction, but that Dol was not the seat of a diocese. Under

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

and

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqui ...

, the Vicariate of Dol and the monastery of St. Méen were still included in the Diocese of Aleth; so that the first Bishop of Dol was Festianus (Festgen) mentioned for the first time between 851 and 857, and installed by King

Nomenoë Nominoe or Nomenoe (french: Nominoë; br, Nevenoe; c. 800, 7 March 851) was the first Duke of Brittany from 846 to his death. He is the Breton ''pater patriae'' and to Breton nationalists he is known as ' ("father of the country"). ...

. Among the bishops of Dol are: * Baudri (1107–30), author of a poem on the conquest of England by William the Conqueror *

Alain de Coëtivy Alain (II) de Coëtivy (8 November 1407 – 4 May 1474) was a prelate from a Breton noble family. He was bishop of Avignon, Uzès, Nîmes and of Dol, titular cardinal of Santa Prassede, then cardinal-bishop of Palestrina and cardinal-bishop o ...

(1456–74), as legate of

Callistus III Pope Callixtus III ( it, Callisto III, va, Calixt III, es, Calixto III; 31 December 1378 – 6 August 1458), born Alfonso de Borgia ( va, Alfons de Borja), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 April 1455 to his ...

, brought Charles VII to assist the Greeks against the Turks who were besieging Constantinople *

Urban René de Hercé Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

(1767–95), emigrated to England during the Revolution, but accompanied to Brittany the royalist troops who attempted to land at

Quiberon Quiberon (; , ) is a commune in the French department of Morbihan, administrative region of Brittany, western France. It is situated on the southern part of the Quiberon peninsula, the northern part being the commune of Saint-Pierre-Quiberon. It ...

. He was arrested with his brother, and shot at

Vannes Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic Era The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who lived ...

, 3 July 1795. There was a struggle from the ninth to the eleventh century to free the Church of Brittany from the Metropolitan of Tours. From a comparison made by Duchesne between the ''Life of St.

Conwoïon Saint Conwoïon (or Convoyon or Konvoion) was a Breton saint and abbot. He was probably born around 800 at Comblessac (Ille-et-Vilaine) into a Gallo-Roman family descended, or claiming descent, from Roman senators ("ex genere senatorio"). He su ...

'', the ''Indiculus de episcoporum Britonum depositione'', and an almost completely restored letter of

Pope Leo IV Pope Leo IV (790 – 17 July 855) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 10 April 847 to his death. He is remembered for repairing Roman churches that had been damaged during the Arab raid against Rome, and for building the Leon ...

, it would appear that shortly before 850, Nomenoë wishing to be anointed king, and finding opposition among the prelates of Brittany, sought to get rid of them by charging them with

simony Simony () is the act of selling church offices and roles or sacred things. It is named after Simon Magus, who is described in the Acts of the Apostles as having offered two disciples of Jesus payment in exchange for their empowering him to imp ...

. Their only fault was perhaps that they demanded eulogia from their priests when the latter came to synods. After listening to a deputation of Breton bishops and to St. Conwoïon, founder of the

Abbey of St-Sauveur An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

Redon Redon (; ) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Redon borders the Morbihan and Loire-Atlantique departments. It is situated at the junction of t ...

, who had been sent to Rome by Nomenoë, Leo IV declared that the charge of simony must be adjudicated by a competent tribunal of twelve bishops, and must be attested by seventy-two witnesses, thereby disputing Nomenoë's claim to a right to depose bishops. But Nomenoë did depose, and in a brutal manner, the four bishops of Vannes, Aleth, Quimper, and St. Pol de Léon, and made seven dioceses out of their four. One of the new dioceses had its seat in the abbey of Dol and became straightway an

archdiocese 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 associate ...

. The remaining two were in the monasteries of St. Brieuc and Pabu-Tutual (Tréguier). At the end of 850 or beginning of 851 the bishops of the four provinces of Tours, Sens, Reims, and Rouen, wrote a letter of reprimand to Nomenoë and threatened him with excommunication. He paid no heed to them and died 7 March, 851. Salomon, Nomenoë's second successor, requested

Pope Benedict IV Pope Benedict IV ( la, Benedictus IV; c. 840 - 30 July 903) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 900 to his death. The tenth-century historian Flodoard, who nicknamed him "the Great", commended his noble birth an ...

in vain to regularize the situation of the Breton hierarchy. In the name of the Council of Savonnières (859) the seven metropolitans of the three kingdoms of

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ser ...

, of Lothair II, and of

Charles of Provence Charles of Provence or Charles II (845 – 25 January 863) was the Carolingian King of Provence from 855 until his early death in 863. Charles was the youngest son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. His father divided Middle Fra ...

, wrote to the

Bishop of Rennes The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rhedonensis, Dolensis et Sancti Maclovii''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rennes, Dol et Saint-Malo''; br, Arc'heskopti Roazhon, Dol ha Sant-Maloù) is a dioces ...

and to the bishops occupying the new Sees of Dol, St. Brieuc, and Tréguier, reproaching them with lack of obedience to the Metropolitan of Tours. This letter was not sent to the Bishops of Vannes, Quimper, Aleth, and St. Pol de Léon who wrongly occupied the sees of the legitimate bishops illegally deposed by Nomenoë. It achieved nothing. In 862 Salomon dealt directly with

Pope Nicholas I Pope Nicholas I ( la, Nicolaus I; c. 800 – 13 November 867), called Nicholas the Great, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 858 until his death. He is remembered as a consolidator of papal authority, exerting dec ...

, and at first tried to mislead the pope by means of false allegations and forgeries; then he restored Felix of Quimper and Liberalis of Léon to their sees, but still kept Susannus of Vannes and Salocon of Aleth in exile. Nicholas I died in 867.

Pope Adrian II Pope Adrian II ( la, Adrianus II; also Hadrian II; 79214 December 872) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 867 to his death. He continued the policy of his predecessor, Nicholas I. Despite seeking good relations with Loui ...

(867-72) and

Pope John VIII Pope John VIII ( la, Ioannes VIII; died 16 December 882) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 14 December 872 to his death. He is often considered one of the ablest popes of the 9th century. John devoted much of his papacy ...

(872-82) continued to uphold the rights of the Metropolitan of Tours. Then came the deaths of Salomon and of Susannus, and a conciliatory mood developed. There was no formal act on the part of the Holy See recognizing Dol as a new metropolitan church; it never had control over Rennes or Nantes, and it was mainly over the new Sees of St. Brieuc and Tréguier that it exercised ascendancy. Finally in May, 1199,

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 J ...

restored the old order of things, and subordinated anew all Brittany to Tours but did not interfere with the diocesan boundaries set up by Nomenoë, and they remained in force until the Revolution. The Bishop of Dol retained until 1789 the insignia of an archbishop, but without an archbishop's privileges.

Bishops

To 1000

* 548?:

Samson of Dol Samson of Dol (also Samsun; born late 5th century) was a Cornish saint, who is also counted among the seven founder saints of Brittany with Pol Aurelian, Tugdual or Tudwal, Brieuc, Malo, Patern (Paternus) and Corentin. Born in southern Wale ...

*c. 567?:

Magloire Magloire, better known as Saint Magloire of Dol, is a Breton saint. Little reliable information is known of Magloire as the earliest written sources appeared three centuries after his death. These sources claim that he was a monk from Wales who ...

*c. 568?:

Budoc Saint Budoc of Dol (also Budeaux or Beuzec) was a Bishop of Dol, venerated after his death as a saint in both Brittany (now in France) and Devon (now in England). Saint Budoc is the patron of Plourin Ploudalmezeau in Finistère where his relics ar ...

* Geneve *End of the 6th century.: Leucher or Leucherus *7th century.: Tiernmael or Tigerinomal *c. 640: Restoald *c. 650: Wral *c. 700: Turiau, Thuriau or Thurian *Geneve *Restoald *Armael *c. 770: Jumel, Jumael or Junemenus *c. 842: Haelrit *c. 848: Salacon or Salocon *c. 859: Fastarius or Festinianus *c. 878: Mayn I. *Lowenan *c. 930: Agano *c. 950–952: Jutohen, Juthoven or Wichoen *c. 990: Mayn II

1000 to 1300

*c. 1030–1032: Jungoneus * 1040 to c. 1076: Juhel *c. 1076: Gilduin * 1076 to 17. November 1081: Ivon * 1082 to c. 1092: Johannes I. *c. 1093 to c. 1100: Roland I. *c. 1106: Johannes II. *c. 1107: Ulgrin or Vulgrin * 24 November 1107 to 6 January 1130:

Baldric of Dol Baldric of Dol ( 10507 January 1130) was prior and then abbot of Bourgueil from 1077 to 1106, then made bishop of Dol-en-Bretagne in 1107 and archbishop in 1108 until his death. He fulfilled his monastic duties by travelling to attend Church counc ...

('' :fr:Baudri de Bourgueil'') * 1130 to 1146: Geoffroi Le Roux ('' :fr:Geoffroi Le Roux'') *c. 1147 to 1154: Olivier * 1154–1161: Hugues Le Roux ('' :fr:Hugues Le Roux (archevêque)'') * 1161–1163: Roger du Homet ('' :fr:Roger du Homet'') * 1163 to c. 1177: Jean III. * 1177 to c. 1187: Rolandus II. *c. 1187–1188: Henri I. * 1189–1190: Jean IV. de Vaulnoise * 1190–1199: Jean V. de La Mouche. His toponym suggests he may have been a kinsman of the de Subligny. *c. 1200 (probably 1203) to 13 November 1231: Jean VI. de Lizaunet, also known as John (VI) de Lysenachhttp://www.unicaen.fr/mrsh/craham/revue/tabularia/print.php?dossier=sources&file=08allen.xml#ftn160note Five charters concerning the early history of the chapter at Avranches, by Richard Allen, University of Glasgow, 10 Mar 2008. * 1231 to c. 1242: Clément de Coetquen *c. 1242 to 16. November 1265: Etienne I. * 1266 to 13. May 1279: Jean VII. Mahé

1300 to 1500

* 1280 to 30. March 1301: Thibaud I. de Pouencé * 1301–1312: Thibaud II. de Moréac * 1312 to 25. January 1324: Jean VIII. du Bosc * 1324 to 15. March 1328: Guillaume I. Meschin * 1328 to 8. May 1340: Jean IX. d'Avaugour * 1340 to c. 1350: Henri II. Dubois *c. 1350 to c. 1357: Simon Le Mayre *c. 1358 to 16. March 1366: Nicolas * 1366 or 1367–1373: Jean X. des Pas * 1373 or 1374 to c. 1377: Geoffroi II. de Coëtmoisan *c. 1378–1381: Pierre * 1381–1382:

Guy de Roye Guy de Roye (died 1409) was a French prelate. Biography Originating from a noble house in Picardy, he attached himself to the Avignon popes Clement VII and Benedict XIII. He was bishop of Verdun, Castres, and then Dol before becoming archbish ...

* 1382–1386: Everard de Trémignon * 27 August 1386 to 2 February 1390: Guillaume II. de Brie * 1390 to 20. May 1405: Richard de Lesmenez * 1405 to 6. December 1429: Etienne II. Cœuvret * 8. January 1431 to 1437: Jean XI. de Bruc * 11. December 1437 to 24. August 1444: Alain I. L'Epervier * 1444 to 16. April 1456: Raoul de La Moussaye * 17 June 1456 to 22. July 1474: Cardinal Alain II. de Coëtivy * 1474 to 14. January 1478: Christophe de Penmarch * 1478 to 29. March 1482: Michel Guibé * 29. March 1482 to 5. April 1504: Thomas I. James

From 1500

* 12 June 1504 to 10 December 1521: Mathurin de Plédran * 1522–1524: Thomas Le Roy * 30 June 1524 to 2 July 1556: François de Laval * 25 September 1556 to 12 September 1557: Jean XII. de Matthefélon * 1558–1591: Charles d'Espinay * 1606–1629: Edmond Revol * 1630–1644: Hector Douvrier * 1645–1648: Antoine-Denis Cohon * 1653–1660: Robert Cupif * 1660–1692: Matthieu Thoreau * 1692–1702:

Jean-François de Chamillart Jean-François de Chamillart (1657 – 15 April 1714) was a French churchman. The brother of the contrôleur général des finances Michel de Chamillart, Jean-François served as the abbot of the Fontgombault Abbey, and of Baume-les-Messieurs Abbey ...

* 1702–1715: François Elie de Voyer de Paulmy d'Argenson * 1715–1748: Jean-Louis du Bouchet de Sourches * 1749–1767: Jean-François-Louis Dondel * 1767–1790: Urbain-René de Hercé

References

Bibliography

Reference works

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

Studies

* * * {{Authority control Dol Religious organizations established in the 840s Dol 848 establishments 9th-century establishments in France 1801 disestablishments in France