The French Roman Catholic diocese of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (San Giovanni di Moriana in Italian) has since 1966 been effectively suppressed, formally united with the

archdiocese of Chambéry 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 associat ...

. While it has not been suppressed, and is supposed to be on a par with Chambéry and the

diocese of Tarentaise The Archdiocese of Tarentaise ( la, Tarantasiensis) was a Roman Catholic diocese and archdiocese in France, with its see in Moûtiers, in the Tarentaise Valley in Savoie. It was established as a diocese in the 5th century, elevated to archdiocese ...

, it no longer has a separate bishop or existence.

History

Saint Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (30 November 538 – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of the area that had been previously referred to as Gaul by the Romans. He was born Georgius Florenti ...

's "De Gloria Martyrum" relates how the church of Maurienne, belonging then to the Diocese of Turin, became a place of pilgrimage, after the holy woman Thigris or Thecla, a native of Valloires, had brought to it as sacred relic from the East a finger of St. John the Baptist. Saint Guntram, King of Burgundy, took from the Lombards in 574 the valleys of

Maurienne Maurienne ( frp, Môrièna) is one of the provinces of France, provinces of Savoy, corresponding to the arrondissement of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in France. It is also the original name of the capital of the province, now Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. ...

and Suse (

Susa Valley The Susa Valley ( it, Val di Susa; pms, Valsusa; french: Val de Suse; oc, Val d'Ors) is a valley in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont region of northern Italy, located between the Graian Alps in the north and the Cottian Alps in the sou ...

, or Val de Suse), and in 576 founded near the shrine a bishopric, detached from the then

Diocese of Turin The Archdiocese of Turin ( la, Archidioecesis Taurinensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church in Italy.Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, northern Italy), as suffragan of the

Archdiocese of Vienne The Archbishopric of Vienne, named after its episcopal seat in Vienne in the Isère département of southern France, was a metropolitan Roman Catholic archdiocese. It is now part of the Archdiocese of Lyon. History The legend according to whic ...

, also comprising the

Briançon Briançon (, ) is the sole Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hautes-Alpes Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It is the highest city in France at an a ...

nais. Its first bishop was Felmasius, known from a document on the Baptist relic's first miracle.Jean-Barthélemy Hauréau, ''Gallia christiana'', vol. XVI, Paris 1865, coll. 611-654 In 599 Pope

Gregory the Great Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregori ...

failed to make the Merovingian Queen

Brunhilda of Austrasia Brunhilda (c. 543–613) was queen consort of Austrasia, part of Francia, by marriage to the Merovingian king Sigebert I of Austrasia, and regent for her son, grandson and great-grandson. In her long and complicated career she ruled the eastern ...

('Brunehaut') oblige the protests of the Bishop of Turin against this foundation. *

Pope Leo III Pope Leo III (died 12 June 816) was bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 26 December 795 to his death. Protected by Charlemagne from the supporters of his predecessor, Adrian I, Leo subsequently strengthened Charlemagne's position b ...

(795-816) made Darantasia (Tarantaise, Loire) a Metropolitan archbishopric with three suffragans,

Aosta Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of ...

Sion Sion may refer to * an alternative transliteration of Zion People * Sion (name) or Siôn, a Welsh and other given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Shion or Sion, a Japanese given name Pl ...

(=Sitten), and Maurienne, but maintained the Ancient primatial status of

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.John VIII in 878 formally designated the Bishop of Maurienne as suffragan of Tarentaise, but for four centuries this supremacy was the cause of conflicts between the archbishops of Tarentaise and the Metropolitans of Vienna who continued to claim Maurienne as a suffragan see; subsequently under

Callistus II Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controvers ...

(1120) Maurienne was again attached to the metropolis of Vienne. * As its first see, a cathedral of

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

was built in the 6th century, destroyed by invading Saracens in 943 and rebuilt in the 11th century. * After the Saracens had been driven out, the temporal sovereignty of the Bishop of Maurienne appears to have been very extensive, but there is no proof that such sovereignty had been recognized since Gontran's time. * At the death in 1032 of

Rudolph III of Burgundy Rudolph III (french: Rodolphe, german: Rudolf; – 6 September 1032), called the Idle or the Pious, was the king of Burgundy from 993 until his death. He was the last ruler of an independent Kingdom of Burgundy, and the last male member of the Bu ...

, the last ruler of the independent

Kingdom of Burgundy Kingdom of Burgundy was a name given to various states located in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. The historical Burgundy correlates with the border area of France, Italy and Switzerland and includes the major modern cities of Geneva and ...

, Bishop Thibaut was powerful enough to join a league against

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

Conrad II of Franconia Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...

. In 1033 the city was destroyed by imperial troops and the bishopric lost part of its territory (the Susa valley) to the diocese of Turin, which was promised all. In 1038 the emperor suppressed the see of Maurienne altogether, giving over its title and possessions to the Bishops of Turin, but this imperial decree was never executed and at the death of Torino's bishop Guido in 1044, bishop Thibaud was fully reinstated at Maurienne. * Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, took solemn possession of a canonry in the cathedral of Maurienne in 1564. * On 1801.11.29 the bishopric was suppressed, its territory being merged into the then

Diocese of Chambéry 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 ...

. * On 1825.08.07 it was restored as Diocese of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne / Maurianen(sis) (Latin), on territory restituted from the now Metropolitan

Archdiocese of Chambéry 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 associat ...

* In 1947 it gained territory from the Metropolitan

Archdiocese of Torino The Archdiocese of Turin ( la, Archidioecesis Taurinensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church in Italy.Archdiocese of Chambéry–Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne–Tarentaise 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 associat ...

Devotion

Among the saints specially honoured in, or connected with, the diocese are: Saint Aper (Saint Avre), a priest who founded a refuge for pilgrims and the poor in the Village of

St. Avre ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

(seventh century); Blessed Thomas, b. at Maurienne, d. in 720, famous for rebuilding the

Abbey of Farfa Farfa Abbey ( it, Abbazia di Farfa) is a territorial abbey in northern Lazio, central Italy. In the Middle Ages it was one of the richest and most famous abbeys in Italy. It belongs to the Benedictine Order and is located about from Rome, in t ...

, of which the third abbot, Lucerius, was also a native of Maurienne; St. Marinus, monk of Chandor, martyred by the Saracens (eighth century); St. Landry, pastor of

Lanslevillard Lanslevillard is a former commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. Part of its territory is home to the Val Cenis Vanoise ski resort. On 1 January 2017, it was merged with the former communes B ...

(eleventh century), drowned in the Arc during one of his apostolic journeys; St. Bénézet, or Benoit de Pont (1165–84), b. at Hermillon in the diocese, and founder of the guild of Fratres Pontifices of Avignon; Blessed Cabert or Gabert, disciple of

St. Dominic Saint Dominic ( es, Santo Domingo; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilian Catholic priest, mystic, the founder of the Dominican Order and is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientis ...

, who preached the Gospel for twenty years in the vicinity of AiguebelIe (thirteenth century). The chief shrines of the diocese were: * Notre Dame de Bonne Nouvelle, near St-Jean-de-Maurienne, which dates from the sixteenth century * Notre Dame de Charmaise, near

Modane Modane (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in southeastern France. The commune is in the Maurienne Valley, and it also belongs to the Vanoise ...

* Notre Dame de Beaurevers at Montaimon, dating from the seventeenth century. The

Sisters of St. Joseph The Sisters of St. Joseph, also known as the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, abbreviated CSJ or SSJ, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, in 1650. This congregation, named for S ...

, a nursing and teaching order, with mother-house at St-Jean-de-Maurienne, are a branch of the Congregation of St. Joseph at

Puy Puy () is a geological term used locally in the Auvergne, France for a volcanic hill. The word derives from the Provençal ''puech'', meaning an isolated hill, coming from Latin ''podium'', which has given also ''puig'' in Catalan, ''poggio'' i ...

. At the end of the nineteenth century, they were in charge of 8 day nurseries and 2 hospitals. In Algeria, the East Indies and Argentina houses were founded, controlled by the motherhouse at Maurienne.

Episcopal ordinaries

:Incomplete, several early inculebnts historically unsure ;''Suffragan Bishops of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne'' * 579: Saint Felmase * 581–602: Saint Æconius (Hiconius) * 650: Leporius * 725: Walchinus * c. 736 to 738: Saint

Emilian of Cogolla ] Saint Aemilian (; (in Latin ''Emilianus'' or ''Aemilianus'') (12 November 472 – 11 June 573) is an Iberic saint, widely revered throughout Spain, who lived during the age of Visigothic rule. Life According to his '' Vita'', written by ...

, martyred by the Saracens (736 or 738) * 773: Vitgarius * 837: Mainard * 855: Joseph * 858: Abbo * 876: Adalbert * 899: Wilhelm I * c. 915 Benedict * 916–926: Saint Odilard, slain by the Saracens (916) together with

St. Benedict Benedict of Nursia ( la, Benedictus Nursiae; it, Benedetto da Norcia; 2 March AD 480 – 21 March AD 548) was an Christianity in Italy, Italian Christian monk, writer, and theologian who is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Ortho ...

Archbishop of Embrun The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Embrun was located in southeastern France, in the mountains of the Maritime Alps, on a route that led from Gap by way of Briançon to Turin. It had as suffragans the Diocese of Digne, Diocese of Antibes and Gras ...

* 994–1025: Evrard * c. 1032–1060: Thibaud * 1060–1073: Brochard * 1075–1081: Artaud * 1081–1116: Conon * 1116–1124: Amédée de Faucigny * 1124–1132: Conon II * 1132–1134: Ayrald I, once a monk of the * 1134–1146: Ayrald II * 1146–1158: Bernard I * 1158–1162: Ayrald III * 1162–1176: Guillaume II * 1177: Peter * 1177–1198: Lambert * 1198–1200: Allevard * 1200–1211: Bernard II * 1215 Amadeus of Genf * 1215–1221 Ean * 1221–1236 Aimar de Bernin * 1236–1256: Amadeus of Savoyen († 1268), son of

Thomas I of Savoy Thomas Ι (''Tommaso I''; c. 1178 – 1 March 1233) was Count of Savoy from 1189 to 1233. He is sometimes numbered "Thomas I" to distinguish him from his son of the same name. His long reign marked a decisive period in the history of Savoy. Bi ...

* 1256–1261: Pierre de Morestel * 1261–1269: Anselm I de Clermont († 1269) * 1269–1273: Pierre de Guelis * 1273–1301: Aymon I de Miolans * 1302: Ayrald IV * 1302–1308: Amblard d’Entremont (de Beaumont) * 1308–1334: Aymon II de Miolans d’Hurtières * 1335–1349: Anselme II de Clermont († 1349) * 1349–1376: Amadeus of Savoyen-Achaia (also

Bishop of Maurienne and Lausanne 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 ...

) * 1376–1380: Jean Malabaila * 1380–1385: Henry de Severy * 1385–1410: Savin de Floran * 1410–1422: Amédée de Montmayeur * 1422–1432: Aimon Gerbais * 1433–1441: Oger Moriset * 1441–1450?51: Cardinal Louis de La Pallud de Varembon, who as Bishop of Lausanne had taken an active part at the

Council of Basle The Council of Florence is the seventeenth ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held between 1431 and 1449. It was convoked as the Council of Basel by Pope Martin V shortly before his death in February 1431 and took place in ...

in favour of the

antipope Felix V Amadeus VIII (4 September 1383 – 7 January 1451), nicknamed the Peaceful, was Count of Savoy from 1391 to 1416 and Duke of Savoy from 1416 to 1440. He was the son of Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy and Bonne of Berry. He was a claimant to the papa ...

, who named him Bishop of Maurienne in 1441 and afterwards Cardinal, confirmed in both appointments by

Pope Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V ( la, Nicholaus V; it, Niccolò V; 13 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene IV, Po ...

in 1449 * 1451–1452: Cardinal

Juan de Segovia John of Segovia, or in Spanish Juan de Segovia (c. 1395 – 24 May 1458), was a Castilian prelate and theologian. He played a prominent role in the Council of Basle and was in touch with the leading humanists of his day, such as Nicholas of Cusa. ...

= John of Segovia, who at the

as representative of the King of Aragon had also worked for pope Felix V, was appointed by him Cardinal in 1441, and whom

pope Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V ( la, Nicholaus V; it, Niccolò V; 13 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene IV, Po ...

gave ten years later the see of Maurienne; he is the author of "Gesta Concilii Basileensis" on the council * 1452–1483: Cardinal

Guillaume d'Estouteville Guillaume d'Estouteville, OSB (c. 1412–1483) was a French aristocrat of royal blood who became a leading bishop and cardinal. He held a number of Church offices simultaneously. He conducted the reexamination of the case of Jeanne d'Arc and ...

= William d'Estouteville (1473–80), who was made cardinal in 1439 and as a pluralist held among other titles those of Bishop of Angers, Lodève, Ostia, Porto and Archbishop of Rouen * 1483–1499: Etienne de Morel (also Abbot of Ambronay (

Bresse Bresse () is a former French province. It is located in the regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté of eastern France. The geographical term ''Bresse'' has two meanings: ''Bresse bourguignonne'' (or ''louhannaise''), whic ...

)) * 1499–1532: Cardinal Louis II de Gorrevod de Challand, made cardinal in 1530 * 1532–1544: Louis III de Gorrevord * 1544–1559: Cardinal Jérôme Recanati Capodiferro or Testaferrata (also Bishop of Nizza) * 1560–1563: Brandolesius de Trottis * 1563–1567: Cardinal

Ippolito II d'Este Ippolito (II) d'Este (25 August 1509 – 2 December 1572) was an Italian cardinal and statesman. He was a member of the House of Este, and nephew of the other Ippolito d'Este, also a cardinal. He is perhaps best known for his despoliation of the ...

Hippolyte d'Este Ippolito (II) d'Este (25 August 1509 – 2 December 1572) was an Italian cardinal and statesman. He was a member of the House of Este, and nephew of the other Ippolito d'Este, also a cardinal. He is perhaps best known for his despoliation of the ...

(1560), made cardinal in 1538, acted as

legate Legate may refer to: *Legatus, a higher ranking general officer of the Roman army drawn from among the senatorial class :*Legatus Augusti pro praetore, a provincial governor in the Roman Imperial period *A member of a legation *A representative, ...

Pius IV Pope Pius IV ( it, Pio IV; 31 March 1499 – 9 December 1565), born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death in December 1565. Born in Milan, his family considered ...

to the Council of Poissy, and built the famous

Villa d'Este The Villa d'Este is a 16th-century villa in Tivoli, near Rome, famous for its terraced hillside Italian Renaissance garden and especially for its profusion of fountains. It is now an Italian state museum, and is listed as a UNESCO World Herita ...

at Tivoli near Rome * 1567–1591: Pierre de Lambert * 1591–1618: Philibert François Milliet de Faverges * 1618–1636: Charles Bobba * 1640–1656: Paul Milliet de Challes * 1656–1686: Hercule Berzzeti * 1686–1736/41: François-Hyacinthe Valpergue de Masin * 1741–1756: Ignace-Dominique Grisella de Rosignan * 1756–1778: Cardinal Charles-Joseph Filippa =

Charles Joseph Fillipa de Martiniana Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

, made cardinal in 1778, was the first to whom Napoleon I Bonaparte, after the

battle of Marengo The Battle of Marengo was fought on 14 June 1800 between French forces under the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces near the city of Alessandria, in Piedmont, Italy. Near the end of the day, the French overcame General Mic ...

, confided his intention of concluding a

concordat A concordat is a convention between the Holy See and a sovereign state that defines the relationship between the Catholic Church and the state in matters that concern both,René Metz, ''What is Canon Law?'' (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1960 st Ed ...

with Rome * 1780–1793: Charles-Joseph Compans de Brichanteau * 1802–1805: René des Monstiers de Mérinville (also Bishop of Chambéry and Genf) * 1805–1823: Irénée-Yves De Solle (also Bishop of Chambéry and Geneva=Genf) * 1825–1840: Cardinal Alexis Billiet (also Archbishop of Chambéry), made cardinal in 1861 * 1840–1876: François-Marie Vibet * 1876–1906: Michel Rosset * 1906–1924: Adrien Alexis Fodéré * 1924–1946: Auguste Grumel * 1946–1954: Frédéric Duc * 1954–1956: Louis Ferrand (also

coadjutor The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadj ...

archbishop of Tours) * 1956–1960: Joël-André-Jean-Marie Bellec (also Bishop of Perpignan-Elne) * 1961–1966: André Georges Bontemps (also Archbishop of Chambéry)

Notes

Sources and external links

GCatholic, with Google satellite photo
; Bibliography * pp. 548–549. (Use with caution; obsolete) * p. 301. (in Latin) * p. 175. * * p. 219. * * * * Jean-Barthélemy Hauréau, ''Gallia christiana'', vol. XVI, Paris 1865, coll. 611-654 * Louis Duchesne, ''Fastes épiscopaux de l'ancienne Gaule'', vol. I, Paris 1907, pp. 239–242 * Fedele Savio, ''Gli antichi vescovi d'Italia. Il Piemonte'', Torino 1898, pp. 221–237 {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Ancient Diocese of Former Roman Catholic dioceses in France Dioceses established in the 6th century Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne

History

Devotion

Episcopal ordinaries

See also

Notes

Sources and external links