Diocese Of Le Mans
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Catholic Diocese of Le Mans (
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 Cenomanensis''; French: ''Diocèse du Mans'') is a
Catholic 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 ...
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
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 ...
. The diocese is now a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo but had previously been suffragan to Bourges, Paris, Sens, and Tours (in ascending order).


Area

The Diocese of Le Mans comprises the entire
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, ...
of
Sarthe Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the ''Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It had ...
, created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790, pursuant to the law of 22 December 1789; the province of Maine was divided into two departments, Sarthe to the east and Mayenne to the west. Prior 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 included 636 parishes and was one of the most extensive dioceses of France; at the time of 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 ...
, it lost some parishes in
Vendômois The Vendômois () is a traditional area of France equivalent to the arrondissement of Vendôme Vendôme (, ) is a subprefecture of the department of Loir-et-Cher, France. It is also the department's third-biggest commune with 15,856 inhabitan ...
and
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
and acquired some in
Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France * County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duk ...
. The Diocese of Le Mans embraced 665
communes An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, relig ...
from then up to the year 1855, when the department of
Mayenne Mayenne () is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne. Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and Ille-et ...
was detached from it to form the
Diocese of Laval The Roman Catholic Diocese of Laval (Latin: ''Dioecesis Valleguidonensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Laval'') is a Roman Catholic Latin Rite diocese in France. The episcopal see is Laval Cathedral in the city of Laval. Created in June 1855, the d ...
.


History

The origin of the Diocese of Le Mans has given rise to extensive discussions among scholars, concerning the value of the ''Gesta domni Aldrici'', and of the '' Actus Pontificum Cenomannis in urbe degentium''. Collectively called "the Le Mans forgeries", they were compiled in the episcopal curia at Le Mans during the episcopate of
Aldric Saint Aldric (c. 800 – 7 January 856) was Bishop of Le Mans in the time of Louis the Pious. Life Aldric was born of a noble family, of partly Saxon and partly Bavarian extraction, about the year 800. At the age of twelve he was placed by ...
(832-857). The work of forgery extends to early charters of the diocese, and even to various saints' lives. Even the Testament of Bishop Aldric has been rewritten to conform to the purposes of the forgers: to enhance the authority of the bishop and his claims to various holdings in the diocese, notably monasteries which were normally under the protection of the King. This applied especially to the monastery of St. Calais. The claims were not accepted, either by the bishops and abbots at the Council of Verberie or by Charles the Bald. There was once a survey (pouillé) of the diocese, written in the reign of Bishop Bertrand in the last part of the sixth century, but it too was taken and used by the ninth century forger of the ''Actus Pontificum Cenomannis in urbe degentium'', thereby rendering its testimony useless. It names among the thirty four parishes allegedly created by "Saint Julianus", one of the seventy two disciples of Christ, several parishes recently created in the ninth century. The "Gesta" relate that Bishop Aldric (ca. 800-857) had the bodies of Saints Julianus, Turibius, Pavatius, Romanus,
Liborius Liborius of Le Mans (c. 348–397) was the second Bishop of Le Mans. He is the patron saint of the cathedral and archdiocese of Paderborn in Germany. The year of his birth is unknown; he died in 397, reputedly on 23 July. Le Mans and Paderborn A ...
, and Hadoindus, first bishops of Mans, brought to his cathedral; the Acts make St. Julianus one of the seventy-two disciples of Christ and state that he arrived at Le Mans with two companions: Turibius, who became bishop under Antoninus (138-161), and Pavatius who was bishop under Maximinus (235-238) and under
Aurelian Aurelian ( la, Lucius Domitius Aurelianus; 9 September 214 October 275) was a Roman emperor, who reigned during the Crisis of the Third Century, from 270 to 275. As emperor, he won an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited t ...
(270-275), in which event, Pavatius would have lived over two hundred years. Liborius, successor of Pavatius, would have been the contemporary of Valentinian (364-375). Of course, if Julian had been of the apostolic age, he would not have been termed a 'bishop', nor would he have founded a church or cathedral. Christians were not a legal cult until the time of Constantine I (d. 337), and a diocese could neither own property as a collective entity nor build public places of worship. According to the ''
Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...
'', "these chronological absurdities of the Acts have led
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, ...
to conclude that the first Bishop of Le Mans whose episcopate can be dated with certainty is Victurius, who attended the Councils of
Angers Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the prov ...
and of
Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...
, in 453 and 461, and to whom
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 ...
alludes as 'a venerable confessor'. Turibius who, according to the Acts, was the successor of Julianus, was, on the contrary, successor to Victurius and occupied the see from 490 to 496." In January 2017, the Diocese of Le Mans set up policy guidelines aimed at tackling the sex abuse crisis facing the Diocese.


Cathedral and churches

The buildings that served as the cathedral of Le Mans before 1080 are known only through textual evidence. Even the textual evidence, such as it is, shows that there was no work of any importance on the cathedral from 557 to 832, the beginning of the reign of Bishop Aldric, though it was interrupted by his flight from his diocese. The new choir, at least, was consecrated before his flight, in 834, according to the ''Acta''. During the reign of Bishop Gontier, the town of Le Mans was attacked and the cathedral was pillaged by Comte Rotger. A new and larger cathedral of St. Julian of Mans was begun under Bishop Vulgrin, but the choir collapsed and had to be rebuilt by Bishop Arnaud (1065-1081), and work continued for the rest of the century. There was a fire in Le Mans in 1134 which damaged the cathedral, and work had to be undertaken again. Between 1217 and 1254 a new choir was built, and the supposed relics of St. Julien placed in a splendid new home. The building exhibits specimens of all styles of architecture up to the fifteenth century, its thirteenth century choir being one of the most remarkable in France. On 3 October 1230, Bishop Maurice (1215–1231) issued a charter in which he suppressed the offices of the six Archpriests who had served the diocese, and instituted six territorial Archdeacons in their place, all of whom were to be ordained priests within a year of their appointment: the Archdeacons of Mans, Sabolio, Lavalle, Castrildis, Montfort, and Passeyo. The arrangements were approved by the Roman Curia in 1232. The Chapter of the Cathedral had nine dignities: the Dean, the Cantor, the Scholasticus, and the six Archdeacons. There were thirty eight prebends and four semi-prebends. All the offices were in the gift of the bishop, except that of the Dean, who was elected by the Chapter. In the winter of 1447/1448 southern Maine was under attack from the French armies of Charles VII. The English garrison in Le Mans was besieged, and on 16 March 1448 surrendered to the French. The city of Le Mans was occupied and pillaged by the Huguenots between 3 April 1562 and 11 July 1562. Ideologically the cathedral was a special target, where anything smacking of Catholic practices and traditions was destroyed, but also the cathedral was a repository of precious gold, silver and jewels, and also the baser metals, bronze, brass and iron, which could be used for military purposes. Although the Huguenots were driven away by an approaching royal army, they continued to wreak havoc on the diocese and its churches and monasteries. On 5 May 1583 there was a fire in the cathedral, which damaged the vaults and destroyed the silver bell in the Choir. The church of Notre-Dame de la Couture (originally dedicated to S. Peter) dates from the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries, traces of earlier buildings having disappeared completely. The
Abbey of Solesmes Solesmes Abbey or St. Peter's Abbey, Solesmes (''Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Solesmes'') is a Benedictine monastery in Solesmes (Sarthe, France), famous as the source of the restoration of Benedictine monastic life in the country under Dom Prosper Gu ...
, founded by
Geoffroy de Sablé Geoffrey, Geoffroy, Geoff, etc., may refer to: People * Geoffrey (name), including a list of people with the name * Geoffroy (surname), including a list of people with the name * Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095–c. 1155), clergyman and one of the ...
in 993 and completed in 1095, has a thirteenth-century which is a veritable museum of sculptures of the end of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Its "Entombment of Christ," in
terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...
, is famous; the
Mary Magdalen Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...
in the group, already celebrated even in the fifteenth century for its beauty attracted the attention of Richelieu, who thought of having it brought to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. Several sculptures depicting scenes in the
life of the Virgin The Life of the Virgin, showing narrative scenes from the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is a common subject for pictorial cycles in Christian art, often complementing, or forming part of, a cycle on the Life of Christ. In both cases the nu ...
Mary form a series unique in France.


Bishops of Le Mans


To 1000

*St. Julianus (Julian) *''Turibius'' (see below) * Pavatius, Pavacius *
Liborius Liborius of Le Mans (c. 348–397) was the second Bishop of Le Mans. He is the patron saint of the cathedral and archdiocese of Paderborn in Germany. The year of his birth is unknown; he died in 397, reputedly on 23 July. Le Mans and Paderborn A ...
(348-396) *Romanus *Victurius (450s and 60s) *''Turibius'' (490-496) *Principius (497-511) *Innocentius (532-43) *Domnolus (560-81) * Bertechramnus, Bertram, Bertran, Bertrand (587-623), founder of the Abbey of
Notre-Dame de la Couture Notre-Dame de la Couture (''église de la Couture'') is a church in Le Mans. Formerly the abbey church of Saint-Pierre de la Couture Abbey, it is in the centre of the present-day town. It mainly dates to the 12th century - it shows many similaritie ...
*Hadoindus, Haduin, Harduin (623-54) * Berecharius, Berarius, Beraire (655-70) * St. Aldric (832-57). *
Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
(857-883/5), famous for the forgeries that appeared at Le Mans under him * Aiglibert * Mainardus * Segenfredus, Seinfroy (d. 997)


1000 to 1500

* Avesgaud of Bellème (997-1036) *
Gervais de Château-du-Loir Gervais de Château-du-Loir (1007–1067) was a French nobleman, bishop, and a powerful figure of his time in Northern France. He was Bishop of Le Mans from 1036 and Archbishop of Reims from 1055. His father was Aimon de Château-du-Loir,Jul ...
1036–1055 * Wilgrin 1055–1064 *Arnaud 1067–1081 *Hoël 1085–1097 *
Hildebert of Lavardin Hildebert (c. 105518 December 1133) was a French ecclesiastic, hagiographer and theologian. From 1096–97 he was bishop of Le Mans, then from 1125 until his death archbishop of Tours. Sometimes called Hildebert of Lavardin, his name may also be s ...
1097–1125 *
Guy D'Etampes Guy or GUY may refer to: Personal names * Guy (given name) * Guy (surname) * That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart Places * Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet * Guy, Arkansas, US, a city * Guy, Indiana, US, an unincorp ...
1126–1135 * Hugues de Saint-Calais 1135–1142 *Guillaume de Passavant 1142–1186 *Renaud 1186–1189 *Hamelin 1190–1214 *Nicolas 1214–1216 *Maurice 1215–1231 (or 1234) *Geoffroi de Laval 1231–1234 *Geoffroi de Loudon 1234–1255 *Guillaume Roland 1256–1260 *Geoffroi Freslon 1260–1274 *Geoffroi D`Assé 1274–1277 *Jean de Toulay 1277–1294 *Pierre Le Royer 1294–1295 *Denis Benoit 1296–1298 *Robert de Clinchamp 1298–1309 *Pierre de Longueil 1312–1326 *Guy de Laval 1326–1339 *Geoffroi de La Chapelle 1339–1350 *Jean de Craon 1350–1355 *
Michel de Briche Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...
1355–1368 *
Gonthier de Baignaux Gonthier is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Brigitte Gonthier-Maurin (born 1956), member of the Senate of France representing the Hauts-de-Seine department *Charles Gonthier, CC (1928–2009), Puisne judge on the Supreme Court ...
1368–1385 *
Pierre de Savoisy Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
1385–1398 * Adam Chatelain 1398–1439 * Jean d'Hierray (Jean D'Ansières, Jean de Jeriau) 1439–1451 * Martin Berruyer 1452–1467 *
Thibaud de Luxembourg Thibaud is a name of French origin, a form of Theobald. Surname * Anna Thibaud (1861–1948), French singer. * Jacques Thibaud (18801953), French violinist * Laure Thibaud (born 1978), French synchronized swimmer * Marcel Thibaud (18961985), Fr ...
1468–1474 (
Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
) *
Philippe de Luxembourg Philippe de Luxembourg (1445 – 2 June 1519) was a French Cardinal Life He was bishop of Le Mans in 1476. He was bishop of Thérouanne 1496 to 1513, and bishop of Saint-Pons in 1509, when his nephew died, and until 1512, when he resigned i ...
1477–1507


1500-1800

*
Franz von Luxemburg Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see ...
1507–1509 (also
Bishop of Saint-Pons de Thomières A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...
) * Philippe de Luxemburg 1509–1519 (second time) *Louis de Bourbon 1519–1535 (Cardinal) * René du Bellay 1535–1546 *
Jean du Bellay Jean du Bellay (1492 – 16 February 1560) was a French diplomat and cardinal, a younger brother of Guillaume du Bellay, and cousin and patron of the poet Joachim du Bellay. He was bishop of Bayonne by 1526, member of the ''Conseil privé'' ( ...
1542–1556 (Cardinal, 1 Nov 1542 Appointed – 27 Jul 1556 Resigned) *
Charles d'Angennes de Rambouillet Charles d'Angennes de Rambouillet (1530–1587) was a French Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. Biography Charles d'Angennes de Rambouillet was born in the Château de Rambouillet on 30 October 1530, the son of Jean d'Angennes, '' seigneur' ...
1559–1587 (Cardinal) * Claude d'Angennes de Rambouillet 1588–1601 *
Charles de Beaumanoir de Lavardin Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...
1601–1637 * Emmeric-Marc de La Ferté 1637–1648 * Philibert-Emmanuel de Beaumanoir de Lavardin 1648–1671 *
Louis de La Vergne de Monthirard de Tressan Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...
1671–1712 *Pierre-Roger du Crévy 1712–1729 *Charles-Louis de Froulay de Tessé 1729–1767 *
Louis-André de Grimaldi Louis-André Grimaldi d'Antibes (17 December 173628 December 1804) was a French nobleman and bishop. He was one of the Princes of Monaco, Bishop of Le Mans, then a Peer of France as Count-Bishop of Noyon from 1777 and bishop emeritus after he resig ...
1767–1777 (19 Apr 1767 Appointed – 16 Oct 1777 Appointed
Bishop of Noyon The former French Catholic diocese of Noyon lay in the north-east of France, around Noyon. It was formed when Saint Medardus moved the seat of the bishopric at Vermandois to Noyon, in the sixth century. For four centuries it was united with the ...
) * François-Gaspard de Jouffroy de Gonsans 1777–1790 ** Jacques-Guillaume-René-François Prudhomme de La Boussinière 1791–1793 (Constitutional Bishop of Sarthe)


From 1800

*
Johann Michael Josef von Pidoll de Quitenbach Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name ''Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious" ...
† (9 Apr 1802 Appointed – 23 Nov 1819 Died) * Claude-Madeleine de La Myre-Mory † (5 Dec 1819 Appointed – 22 Dec 1828 Resigned) * Philippe-Marie-Thérèse-Guy Carron † (16 Apr 1829 Appointed – 27 Aug 1833 Died) *
Jean-Baptiste Bouvier Jean-Baptiste Bouvier (16 January 1783 – 29 December 1854) was a French theologian and Bishop of Le Mans. Life Bouvier was born at Saint-Charles-la-Forêt, Mayenne. Having received merely an elementary education, he learned his father's trade o ...
† (22 Nov 1833 Appointed – 29 Dec 1854 Died) *
Jean-Jacques Nanquette Jean-Jacques is a French name, equivalent to "John James" in English. Since the second half of 18th century, Jean Jacques Rousseau was widely known as Jean Jacques. Notable people bearing this name include: Given name * Jean-Jacques Annaud (born 1 ...
† (30 Aug 1855 Appointed – 19 Nov 1861 Died) * Charles-Jean Fillion † (14 Jan 1862 Appointed – 28 Jul 1874 Died) * Hector-Albert Chaulet d'Outremont † (14 Sep 1874 Appointed – 14 Sep 1884 Died) *
Guillaume-Marie-Joseph Labouré Guillaume-Marie-Joseph Labouré (27 October 1841 – 21 April 1906) was a French archbishop and cardinal. Biography Born in Achiet-le-Petit, he studied at Saint-Sulpice Seminary in Paris and was ordained to the priesthood on 23 September 1865 ...
† (31 Dec 1884 Appointed – 13 Jun 1893 Appointed
Archbishop 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 ...
(, Dol, e Saint-Malo)) * Charles-Joseph-Louis-Abel Gilbert † (29 Jan 1894 Appointed – Aug 1897 Resigned) * Marie-Prosper-Adolphe de Bonfils † (22 Mar 1898 Appointed – 2 Jun 1912 Died) * Raymond-Marie-Turiaf de La Porte † (12 Aug 1912 Appointed – 30 Nov 1917 Resigned) *
Georges-François-Xavier-Marie Grente Georges-François-Xavier-Marie Grente (5 May 1872 – 5 May 1959) was a French Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Le Mans from 1918 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1953 by Pope Pius XII ...
† (30 Jan 1918 Appointed – 4 May 1959 Died) * Paul-Léon-Jean Chevalier † (4 May 1959 Succeeded – 28 Oct 1971 Retired) * Bernard-Pierre-Edmond Alix † (28 Oct 1971 Succeeded – 13 Aug 1981 Resigned) *
Georges Edmond Robert Gilson Georges Robert Edmond Gilson (born May 30, 1929) is a French Catholic bishop. Life Gilson was ordained a priest in 1957. In 1974, he was appointed vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop o ...
(13 Aug 1981 Appointed – 2 Aug 1996 Appointed, Archbishop of Sens) *
Jacques Maurice Faivre Jacques Faivre, (b. Lyon 11 August 1934, d. 13 August 2010) was the French Catholic bishop of Le Mans from 1997 to 2008. He entered the seminary of Francheville in the départment of Rhône before beginning his studies at the university seminar ...
† (29 Jul 1997 Appointed – 3 Jul 2008 Resigned) *
Yves Le Saux Yves Le Saux (born 1960) is a French prelate of the Catholic Church who was bishop of Le Mans from 2009 to 2022. He has been appointed bishop of Annecy. He is a member of the Emmanuel Community. Biography Yves Le Saux was born on 24 December 1960 ...
(21 Nov 2008 Appointed – 27 Jun 2022 Appointed,
Bishop of Annecy The Roman Catholic Diocese of Annecy (Latin: ''Dioecesis Anneciensis''; French: ''Diocèse d'Annecy'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Saint-Gingolph VS, a town in the Swiss canton of Valais, is also part ...
)


La Flèche

The Jesuit Collège Henri IV de
La Flèche La Flèche () is a town and commune in the French department of Sarthe, in the Pays de la Loire region in the Loire Valley. It is the sub-prefecture of the South-Sarthe, the chief district and the chief city of a canton, and the second most po ...
, in the town of La Flèche, founded in 1603 by Henry IV, enjoyed a great reputation for a century and a half, and the Marshal de Guébriant, Descartes,
Marin Mersenne Marin Mersenne, OM (also known as Marinus Mersennus or ''le Père'' Mersenne; ; 8 September 1588 – 1 September 1648) was a French polymath whose works touched a wide variety of fields. He is perhaps best known today among mathematicians for ...
,
Prince Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy–Carignano, (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736) better known as Prince Eugene, was a Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty during the 17th a ...
, and
Pierre Séguier Pierre Séguier (; 28 May 1588 – 28 January 1672) was a French statesman, chancellor of France from 1635. Biography Early years Séguier was born in Paris to a prominent legal family originating in Quercy. His grandfather, Pierre Séguier (15 ...
(brother of the Chancellor of France Antoine de Séguier) were all numbered among its students. The Dominican convent of Le Mans, begun (according to local myth) about 1219 and, according to the claim, during the lifetime 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 ...
, was able to begin its construction thanks to the benefactions of one 'John of Troezen', Count of Maine, an English nobleman. Louis IX of France contributed personally to the completion of the works. The house was far less wealthy when the theologian
Nicolas Coeffeteau Nicolas Coeffeteau (1574 – 21 April 1623) was a French theologian, poet and historian born at Saint-Calais. He entered the Dominican order and lectured on philosophy at Paris, being also ordinary preacher to Henry IV, and afterwards ambas ...
, who died in 1623, began his career as a Dominican by taking his vows at Le Mans in 1588, and who later became Bishop of Marseille. 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 ...
swept away this convent.


Saints in Le Mans

The diocese honours in a special manner as saints: Peregrinus, Marcoratus, and Viventianus, martyrs; Hilary of Oizé, nephew of
St. Hilary of Poitiers Hilary of Poitiers ( la, Hilarius Pictaviensis; ) was Bishop of Poitiers and a Doctor of the Church. He was sometimes referred to as the "Hammer of the Arians" () and the "Athanasius of the West". His name comes from the Latin word for happy or ...
(in the fifth century);
Bommer Bommer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Alois and Anna Bommer, German couple who faced a military tribunal at Metz along with their three daughters after World War II *Elisa Caroline Bommer (1832–1910), Belgian botanist spe ...
, Almirus,
Leonard Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate from the Old High German ''Leonhard'' containing the prefix ''levon'' ("lion") from the Greek Λέων ("lion") through the Latin '' L ...
, and Ulphace,
hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...
s; Gault,
Front Front may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film * ''The Front'', 1976 film Music * The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and e ...
, and Brice, solitaries and previously monks of
Micy Micy Abbey or the Abbey of Saint-Mesmin, Micy (french: Abbaye Saint-Mesmin de Micy), sometimes referred to as Micy, was a Benedictine abbey near Orléans at the confluence of the Loire and the Loiret, located on the territory of the present commun ...
; Fraimbault, hermit, founder of a small monastery in the valley of Gabrone;
Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
, hermit and founder of the
monastery of Anisole A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
, from whom the town of
Saint-Calais Saint-Calais () is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. Prior to the French Revolution it was known for its Benedictine abbey named after the Anisola stream (modern Aniole, a tributary of ...
took its name;
Laumer Laumer is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include: * Keith Laumer (1925–1993), American science fiction writer * March Laumer March Laumer (17 August 1923 – 12 January 2000) was an American author, primarily of book ...
, successor to St. Calais; Guingalois or
Guénolé Saint Winwaloe ( br, Gwenole; french: Guénolé; la, Winwallus or ; – 3 March 532) was the founder and first abbot of Landévennec Abbey (literally " Lann of Venec"), also known as the Monastery of Winwaloe. It was just south of Brest in Britt ...
, founder of the monastery of Landevenec in
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 ...
, whose
relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...
are venerated at
Château du Loir A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Nowaday ...
. All in the sixth century: Rigomer, monk at Souligné, and Ténestine, his penitent, both of whom were acquitted before Childebert, through the miracle of Palaiseau, of accusations made against them (d. about 560); Longis, solitary, and Onofletta, his penitent; Siviard, Abbot of Anisole and author of the life of St. Calais (d. 681); the Irish St. Cérota, and her mistress
Osmana Saint Osmanna (or Agariarga) was said to be a virgin of Irish royal origin who lived alone in the woods near the mouth of the Loire in France, performed many miracles of healing, and came to be considered a saint. Her story may have little basis in ...
, daughter of a king of Ireland, died a solitary near
St-Brieuc Saint-Brieuc (, Breton: ''Sant-Brieg'' , Gallo: ''Saent-Berioec'') is a city in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. History Saint-Brieuc is named after a Welsh monk Brioc, who Christianised the region in the 6th ...
, in the seventh century; Ménélé, and Savinian (d. about 720), natives of
Précigné Précigné () is a commune in the Sarthe ''département'' in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. See also *Communes of the Sarthe department The following is a list of the 354 communes of the Sarthe department of France ...
, who repaired to
Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label=Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auverg ...
to found the
Abbey of Menat Menat Abbey (french: Abbaye de Menat) is an abbey located in the village of Menat, Puy-de-Dôme, in the heart of the Sioule valley. It is one of the oldest monastic foundations in Auvergne. History Ruined, it was rebuilt and reformed at the en ...
, on the ruins of the hermitage where St. Calais had formerly lived. There is also a particular devotion in Le Mans to Ralph de La Fustaye, who was a twelfth century monk, a disciple of
Robert d'Arbrissel Robert of Arbrissel ( 1045 – 1116) was an itinerant preacher, and founder of Fontevraud Abbey. He was born at Arbrissel (near Retiers, Brittany) and died at Orsan Priory in the present department of Cher. Sources The first ''Vita'' was written ...
the founder of Fontevrault Abbey and missionary to prostitutes; Ralph was founder of the Abbey of St. Sulpice, in the forest of Nid de Merle in the Diocese of
Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...
in Brittany. Both were Bretons; neither was connected to Le Mans; neither became a saint. The famous founder of the Trappists, Abbot de Rancé, made his novitiate at the Cistercian
Perseigne Abbey Perseigne Abbey (french: Abbaye de Perseigne) is a former Cistercian abbey, formally established in 1145 on land given by William III, Count of Ponthieu, and suppressed in 1791 during the French Revolution. It is located in the north of the Sarthe ...
in the Diocese of Le Mans, though his subsequent career was entirely elsewhere: his uncle was Archbishop of Tours, where he was appointed Archdeacon. Also there may be mentioned as natives of the diocese,
Urbain Grandier Urbain Grandier (1590 – 18 August 1634) was a French Catholic priest who was burned at the stake after being convicted of witchcraft, following the events of the so-called "Loudun possessions". Most modern commentators have concluded that Gra ...
, the notorious curé of Loudun, who was tortured and burned to death for sorcery in 1634; and
Mersenne Marin Mersenne, OM (also known as Marinus Mersennus or ''le Père'' Mersenne; ; 8 September 1588 – 1 September 1648) was a French polymath whose works touched a wide variety of fields. He is perhaps best known today among mathematicians for ...
, the Minim (d. 1648), philosopher and mathematician and friend of Descartes and
Pascal Pascal, Pascal's or PASCAL may refer to: People and fictional characters * Pascal (given name), including a list of people with the name * Pascal (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** Blaise Pascal, Fren ...
. Pilgrimages to Notre-Dame de Toutes Aides at Saint-Remy du Plein, Notre-Dame de La Faigne at Pontvallain, and Notre-Dame des Bois at La Suze, date back to primitive times. The chapel of Notre Dame de Torcé, erected in the sixth century, has been much frequented by pilgrims since the eleventh century. Besides these places of
pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
may be mentioned those of Notre-Dame de Labit at Domfront, and of Notre-Dame du Chene at Vion, near Sablé, which can be traced to 1494. It was established in the place where in former times
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 ...
had preached 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 ru ...
.


Cult of St. Scholastica

During the episcopate of Berecharius (655-70) the body of St. Scholastica was brought from the monastery of Fleury to Le Mans;Mary Richard Boo, O.S.B. and Joan M. Brown, O.S.B., "Emerging from the Shadows: St. Scholastica," in: On the Abbey of Fleury (Floriacensis): the monastery erected to shelter the remains of the saint was destroyed by the
Northmen The Norsemen (or Norse people) were a North Germanic ethnolinguistic group of the Early Middle Ages, during which they spoke the Old Norse language. The language belongs to the North Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages and is the pre ...
in the second half of the ninth century. A portion of her relics was brought in 874 by the Empress Richilda to the monastery of
Juvigny les Da Juvigny may refer to the following places in France: * Juvigny, Aisne, in the Aisne ''département'' * Juvigny, Marne, in the Marne ''département'' * Juvigny, Haute-Savoie, in the Haute-Savoie ''département'' * Juvigny-en-Perthois, in the Meu ...
mes. The remaining portion was conveyed to the interior of the citadel and placed in the apse of the collegiate church of St. Pierre la Cour, which served the
counts of Maine This is a list of counts and dukes of Maine. The capital of Maine was Le Mans. In the thirteenth century it was annexed by France to the royal domain. Dukes of Maine (''duces Cenomannici'') * Charivius (fl. 723) – appears as ''dux'' in a docu ...
as a domestic chapel. The fire that destroyed Le Mans, 3 September 1134, also consumed the
shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...
of St. Scholastica, and only a few
calcined Calcination refers to thermal treatment of a solid chemical compound (e.g. mixed carbonate ores) whereby the compound is raised to high temperature without melting under restricted supply of ambient oxygen (i.e. gaseous O2 fraction of air), gener ...
bones were left. On 11 July 1464, a confraternity was erected in honour of St. Scholastica, and on 23 November 1876, she was officially proclaimed patroness of Le Mans.


See also

*
Catholic Church in France , native_name_lang = fr , image = 060806-France-Paris-Notre Dame.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris , abbreviation = , type ...


References


Bibliography


Reference works

* pp. 562–563. (Use with caution; obsolete) * (in Latin) pp. 180–181. * (in Latin) p. 124. * p. 162. * pp. 145. * pp. 154. * p. 159.


Studies

* * * * * * * * * second edition pp. 312–344. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Woodcock, Philippa (2011), "Was original best? Refitting the Churches of the Diocese of Le Mans, 1562-1598,"


External links

* Goyau, Georges (1910).
Le Mans
" The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. Retrieved: 2016-09-12. * Centre national des Archives de l'Église de France
''L’Épiscopat francais depuis 1919''
retrieved: 2016-12-24. * Diocese of Le Mans,
Official site
* David M. Cheney, ''Catholic-Hierarchy'',

Retrieved: 2016-09-15.


Acknowledgment

{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Mans, Roman Catholic Diocese of Le Mans
Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
it:Diocesi di Le Mans#Cronotassi dei vescovi