Roman Catholic Diocese Of Saint-Dié
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Diocese of Saint-Dié (; is a
Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...
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, prov ...
of the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. The diocese has the same boundaries as the ''
département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...
'' of the
Vosges The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single geomorphological unit and ...
. The bishop's
cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the throne of a bishop in the early Christian  basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...
is Saint-Dié Cathedral in the town now named
Saint-Dié-des-Vosges Saint-Dié-des-Vosges (; , before 1999: ''Saint-Dié'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Vosges department, Grand Est, northeastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Saint-Dié is locat ...
, but since 1944 has lived in
Épinal Épinal (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in northeastern France and the prefecture of the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department. Geography The commune has a land area of . It is situated on the river Moselle, so ...
, capital of the ''département''. The Diocese of Saint–Dié 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 Alexandr ...
in the
ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...
of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Besançon.


History

The Diocese of Saint-Dié originated in the celebrated abbey of that name. Saint Deodatus (Dié) came, according his legendary biography, written in 1050, by Benedictine monks of Moyenmoutier, from
Nevers Nevers ( , ; , later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is a city and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Nièvre Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in central France. It was the pr ...
and the Nivernais. He was believed to have been bishop of Nevers at one time. According to the "Life of Saint Wlifrid" by
Stephen of Ripon Stephen of Ripon was the author of the eighth-century Hagiography, hagiographic text ''Vita Sancti Wilfrithi'' ("Life of Wilfrid, Saint Wilfrid"). Other names once traditionally attributed to him are Eddius Stephanus or Æddi Stephanus, but these ...
(Eddius Stephanus), a contemporary
hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian ...
written not too much later than 710, the Saxon Wilfrid of York had been driven from his see due to the enmity of the Celtic bishops of Scotland toward his promotion of the practices of the Roman Church. He decided to go to Rome and seek papal protection from his enemies, and restoration to his diocese. He arrived on the continent in 678 and spent the winter in Frisia, but eventually found himself at the court of King Dagobert II, who invited him to stay in his kingdom and become bishop of Strasbourg. Wilfrid was anxious to seek vindication in Rome, however, and so the king assigned one of his bishops, Deodatus of Toul, to accompany him. In Rome, Pope Agatho summoned a synod in October 679, precisely to deal with the disorders in the church in the British isles. Wilfrid was present, as was Bishop Deodatus. Both were invited to stay on in Rome, and they participated in the synod of May 680, which drafted a synodal letter which was sent to the
Third Council of Constantinople The Third Council of Constantinople, counted as the Sixth Ecumenical Council by the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches, and by certain other Western Churches, met in 680–681 and condemned monoenergism and monothelitism as heretical a ...
, to which both affixed their signatures.
Louis Duchesne Louis Marie Olivier Duchesne (; 13 September 1843 – 21 April 1922) was a French priest, philology, philologist, teacher and a critical historian of Christianity and Roman Catholic liturgy and institutions. Life Descended from a family of Bri ...
agrees that this Bishop Deodatus (or Adeodatus) was the same as Saint Dié (Déodat), and that he was bishop ''in'' Toul, if not necessarily ''of'' Toul.


Questions about Saint Dié

The earliest reference to Deodatus occurs in the privilege granted by Bishop Numerianus of Trier in 667. Deodatus was already a bishop. The privilege states that Deodatus had already obtained from the fisc a piece of property in a remote and uncultivated place, called Galilee, at the confluence ( ''Juncturae'' ) of the Robache and the Meurthe rivers, and that he had built there a monastery, which accepted both permanent residents (monks) and temporary visitors ( ''peregrini'' ), and which used both the Rule of Saint Columba and the Rule of Saint Benedict. Bishop Numerianus and his suffragan bishops, Childulfus of Metz, Gisloaldus of Verdun, and Eborinus of Toul, approved Deodatus' monastery, and forbade anyone, prelate or king, to interfere with its operation. They also decreed that, on Deodatus' death, a successor abbot was to be chosen from among themselves by unanimous agreement of the entire congregation. It is not known where Deodatus comes from. The "vita Deodati" indicates that he was a western Frank from the Nivernais. According to a hypothesis of some historians, however, he came from Ireland, which could be explained by a confusion in Latin between ''Niverniensis'' and ''Hiberniensis''. Others scholars suggest that he might be a Christian who had travelled widely, and may have lived in the North of Britain's Islands. He has also been thought to have been educated too in Austrasia, by Scottish monks who followed the Rule of Saint Columbanus. Legends relate that Diodotus made the acquaintance of Saints Arbogast and Florentius and walked with them through the passes of Alsace. The connections are anachronistic. From Alsace, sometimes from the Heilige Wald, near
Haguenau Haguenau (; or ; ; historical ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Bas-Rhin Département in France, department of France, of which it is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture. It is second in size in the Bas-Rhin only to Strasbourg ...
, he withdrew to the Vosges, sojourning at Romont where he began a lot of miracles, and Arentelle, where the inhabitants were hostile. For some time he was a solitary at Wilra or Wibra, maybee near the present Katzenthal in
Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...
, but being persecuted by the inhabitants, he walked with a big stick who planted in soil created always a spring of water. Above the pass of Bonhomme, on the top of Rossberg, he launched an ironed arm until a locus called Petit-Saint-Dié under the Kemberg, a mountain, precisely under rocks Saint-Martin. Springs of flowed on this left side of the Meurthe, and he founded a refuge under rocks and near above springs. Once he received this lands in 669 he decided to work. His first monastery hardly built with new brothership, he was tied and dreamed to build a monastery in a little hill "Juncturae" in the right side of the river, the future Galilée. Longtime a prairie, then a little town, and now the center of
Saint-Dié-des-Vosges Saint-Dié-des-Vosges (; , before 1999: ''Saint-Dié'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Vosges department, Grand Est, northeastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Saint-Dié is locat ...
stand between this two places.


Monastery

Before this time, Leudin Bodo,
Bishop of Toul The Diocese of Toul was a Roman Catholic diocese seated at Toul in present-day France. It existed from 365 until 1802. From 1048 until 1552 (''de jure'' until 1648), it was also a state of the Holy Roman Empire. History The diocese was erect ...
, had founded to the north-west of Saint-Dié the monastery of Bonmoutier for his daughter; and to the south of Bonmoutier the monastery of Etival, ( 663). Saint Gondelbert, after resigning the Archbishopric of Sens, had just founded the abbey of Senones to the east, 661; in 1751 it became the capital of the principality of Salm. These four monasteries formed, by their geographical position, the four extremities of a cross. Later, Saint Hidulphus, Bishop of Trier (d. 707), erected between them at the intersection of the two arms of the cross, the monastery of Moyenmoutier. In 967, the Emperor
Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. Otto II was ...
granted the bishops of Toul possession of the monasteries of Moyenmoutier and Galilee (Saint-Dié), with the right to coin money.


Grand Provost of Dié

In the 10th century the Abbey of Saint-Dié grew lax, and in 959 Frederick I, Duke of Lorraine, prompted by Archbishop Bruno of Trier, embarked on a reform of the monasteries in his duchy, assisted by Abbot Adelbert of Gorze. Adalbert entrusted the reform of the Abbey of Saint-Dié to the monk Erchemert, who quickly made a mess of its administration. The duke recalled Erchembert, and in 962 removed the
Benedictines The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...
, replacing them by the Canons Regular of St. Augustine.
Pope Gregory V Pope Gregory V (; c. 972 – 18 February 999), born Bruno of Carinthia, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 3 May 996 to his death. A member of the Salian dynasty, he was made pope by his cousin, Emperor Otto III. Family ...
, in 99V6, agreed to the change and decided that the ''grand prévôt'', the principal dignitary of the abbey, should depend directly upon the Holy See, that is, not be subject to the jurisdiction of any local bishop. In October 1049,
Pope Leo IX Pope Leo IX (, , 21 June 1002 – 19 April 1054), born Bruno von Egisheim-Dagsburg, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 February 1049 to his death in 1054. Leo IX is considered to be one of the most historica ...
visited Saint-Dié, and participated in the recognition and enshrining of the remains of Saint Deodatus. On 16 November 1049, he signed a bull, conceding privileges to Saint-Dié and confirming its possessions. The canons of the collegiate church originally numbered twenty-four, and were headed by the dignities of Provost Major, Dean, Cantor, and Scholasticus.


=Church and cathedral

= The earliest remains on the site of the later cathedral, the two walls of the nave, date from the 8th and 10th centuries. In 1105, the duchess Beatrix contributed half the cost of restoring the crumbling church, as reparation for the excommunication of her husband Duke Ferri by the Chapter. In 1065, both of the churches of Saint-Die were destroyed in a major fire. Rebuilding of the collegiate church began with the nave, which was begun in the middle of the 12th century, in the style called "Rhenish" or "Ottonian"; its vaults were completed and covered in wood at the beginning of the 13th century. At the beginning of the 14th century, the transepts and apses were added, and in the 15th and 16th twelve lateral chapels, which had the effect of reinforcing the 12th century walls. Between 1711 and 1715, the Italian architect Giovanni Betto added the façade. The entire cathedral was destroyed by deliberately placed dynamite on the night of 16–17 November 1944. It was rebuilt, using a few salvaged elements, in the thirty years following the end of World War II, and consecrated on 28–29 September 1974, with the participation of Cardinal François Marty, Archbishop of Paris.


Seeking a bishopric

During the 17th century, profiting by the long vacancy of the see of Toul (1645–1656), the abbots of the several monasteries in the Vosges, without actually declaring themselves independent of the diocese of Toul, claimed to exercise a quasi-episcopal jurisdiction as to the origin of which, however, they were not agreed; in the eighteenth century they pretended to be nullius dioceseos. At the same time, the dukes of Lorraine, especially
Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...
were eager to have a bishop in their own domains, rather than have themselves and their subjects dependent upon a bishop in another state, especially France, which had occupied Lorraine from 1634 to 1661 and again from 1670 to 1697. A new diocese in Lorraine was desired. Duke Charles proposed that Nancy be made a bishopric, but France opposed the initiative.
Leopold, Duke of Lorraine Leopold the Good (11 September 1679 – 27 March 1729) was Duke of Lorraine and Bar from 1690 to his death. Through his son Francis Stephen, he is the direct male ancestor of all rulers of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty, including all Emperor ...
, was in favour of this step, but
Louis XIV of France LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
, and then the regent of Louis XV, Philippe d'Orleans (1715–1723), opposed it. To advance his interests, in 1716 the duke sent to Rome one of his trusted advisors, who had a gift for preaching and a literary reputation, as well as credentials in law and theology, Abbé Jean-Claude Sommier. In Rome, Sommier obtained a directive to the papal nuncio in Switzerland to conduct an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Saint-Dié. He was sent to Rome again in 1718, where he conducted talks with cardinals and members of several Congregations at the papal court, and on 26 March 1719 he obtained a judgment in favor of the establishment of a diocese of Saint-Dié; but Pope Clement XI himself terminated the process, due to objections and threatened reprisals entered by the French minister. The pope was favorable to Sommier, however, and appointed him a protonotary apostolic. After Innocent XIII was elected pope on 8 May 1721, Sommier was again sent to Rome to attempt to revive the plan for a diocese in Lorraine. While not agreeing to the plan, Innocent made Sommier an honorary chamberlain on 28 March 1722. When Innocent died in 1724, Sommier was sent to Rome again, to attempt to persuade the new
Pope Benedict XIII Pope Benedict XIII (; ; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco (or Pierfrancesco) Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May 1724 to his death in ...
. Benedict refused the plea to make Saint-Dié a bishopric, he did make Sommier an archbishop, of Caesarea in Palestine, on 29 January 1725, and consecrated the new archbishop himself on 11 February. According to Sommier himself, in his ''History of Dié'', published in 1726, the pope granted him for life the administration of all the ''nullius dioceseos'' territories in Lorraine. Duke Leopold was satisfied with Sommier's work, and named him Grand Provost of the monastery of Dié. The city therefore had a bishop, even though it was not a diocese. He died on 5 October 1737. The chapter of Saint-Dié immediately claimed that they had the right to elect Grand Provost Sommier's successor, which was hotly disputed by Duke Stanislaus. He appointed his own Grand-Almoner, Count Jozef Andrzej Zaluscki, and took steps to enthrone him personally. Zaluscki served only one year, most of it ''in absentia''. His successor was appointed by King Louis XV in the person of the Bishop of Toul, Scipion-Jerome Begon (1723–1753), a determined opponent of the Chapter of Saint-Dié, which absolutely refused to receive him or enthrone him. They were defeated, however, by bulls of appointment obtained from the pope. Begon was succeeded by Dieudonné de Chaumont de Mareil, archdeacon and vicar-general of Metz, whose bulls are dated 31 December 1753; he was named titular bishop of Sion on 27 March 1765. His coadjutor and then successor was his nephew, Bartholomée Louis Martin de Chaumont de la Galasière, who became the first bishop of the diocese of Saint-Dié.


Diocese

In 1738, King Stanislaus of Poland was prevailed upon to give up the Polish throne in the
Treaty of Vienna (1738) The Treaty of Vienna or Peace of Vienna of 1738 ended the War of the Polish Succession. By the terms of the treaty, Stanisław Leszczyński renounced his claim on the Polish throne and recognized Augustus III, Duke of Saxony.Lindsay, J. O. (195 ...
, in exchange for which he received the duchies of Lorraine and Bar. On 29 March 1761, Duke Stanislaus granted the Grand-Provosts of Saint-Dié the domain of Saint-Dié, and with it the title of ''Comte de Saint-Dié''. When he died in 1766, the duchies passed to his daughter Maria, who was the wife of
Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...
of France, and grandmother of
Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...
. When she died in 1768, Lorraine became part of France. An anomaly was created, unwelcome to the French government, in which French territory was ecclesiastically governed by the archdiocese of Trier in Germany. The diocese of Saint-Dié was erected on 21 July 1777, by
Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI (; born Count Angelo Onofrio Melchiorre Natale Giovanni Antonio called Giovanni Angelo or Giannangelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to hi ...
. The territory consists of numerous monastic Vosgian territories and other lands, which had belonged to the Diocese of Toul. Until the French Revolution, the diocese was a suffragan of
Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
. The diocese was divided into two archdeaconries, that of Saint-Dié and that of Épinal. By letters-patent of King Louis XVI, dated 6 February 1779, a seminary was created in Saint-Dié. Until it was ready for occupation, seminary students went to Nancy.


The French Revolution

Even before it directed its attention to the Church directly, the National Constituent Assembly attacked the institution of monasticism. On 13 February 1790. it issued a decree which stated that the government would no longer recognize solemn religious vows taken by either men or women. In consequence, Orders and Congregations which lived under a Rule were suppressed in France. Members of either sex were free to leave their monasteries or convents if they wished, and could claim an appropriate pension by applying to the local municipal authority. The Assembly ordered the replacement of political subdivisions of the ''ancien régime'' with subdivisions called "departments", to be characterized by a single administrative city in the center of a compact area. The decree was passed on 22 December 1789, the boundaries fixed on 26 February 1790, with the institution to be effective on 4 March 1790. A new department was created called "Vosges," and Epinal was fixed as its administrative center. The National Constituent Assembly then, on 6 February 1790, instructed its ecclesiastical committee to prepare a plan for the reorganization of the clergy. At the end of May, its work was presented as a draft
Civil Constitution of the Clergy The Civil Constitution of the Clergy () was a law passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution, that sought the Caesaropapism, complete control over the Catholic Church in France by the National Constituent Assembly (France), French gove ...
, which, after vigorous debate, was approved on 12 July 1790. There was to be one diocese in each department, requiring the suppression of approximately fifty dioceses. The diocese of Vosges was assigned to the "Metropole de l'Est", with its metropolitan seated in Besançon. Unusually, the bishop of the diocese should have had his seat in Épinal, but in the case of Vosges it was allowed to remain in Saint-Dié. In the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, the National Constituent Assembly also abolished cathedral chapters, canonicates, prebends, chapters and dignities of collegiate churches, chapters of both secular and regular clergy of both sexes, and abbeys and priories whether existing under a Rule or held ''in commendam''. Bishops and parish priests were to be elected, by the same carefully limited and selected bodies as elected the regional civil authorities. Since the legitimate Bishop Bartholomée Louis Martin de Chaumont refused to take the required oaths to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy and to the Constitution of Ye,ar III, he was deposed by the National Assembly, an act which the assembly was not canonically empowered to perform. An election was held at Épinal on 27 February 1791, which chose the director of the seminary, Mgr. Louis Demange, who declined; on March 1, therefore, the electors chose Jean-Antoine Maudru, the curé of Aydollies, who was consecrated in Paris on 21 March. He spent the period from Easter to October 1791 in Saint-Dié. During the
Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...
, Maudru was arrested as a counter-revolutionary and taken to Paris, where he was condemned to death. The deposition and execution of Robespierre on 9 Thermidor (27 July 1794) saved Maudru's life, though he was kept in prison for another six months before release.


Restoration

The
French Directory The Directory (also called Directorate; ) was the system of government established by the Constitution of the Year III, French Constitution of 1795. It takes its name from the committee of 5 men vested with executive power. The Directory gov ...
fell in the coup engineered by Talleyrand and
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
on 10 November 1799. The coup resulted in the establishment of the
French Consulate The Consulate () was the top-level government of the First French Republic from the fall of the French Directory, Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799 until the start of the First French Empire, French Empire on 18 May 1804. ...
, with Napoleon as the First Consul. To advance his aggressive military foreign policy, he decided to make peace with the Catholic Church and the Papacy. On 29 November 1801, in the
concordat of 1801 The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between the First French Republic and the Holy See, signed by First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII on 15 July 1801 in Paris. It remained in effect until 1905, except in Alsace–Lorraine, ...
between the
French Consulate The Consulate () was the top-level government of the First French Republic from the fall of the French Directory, Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799 until the start of the First French Empire, French Empire on 18 May 1804. ...
, headed by First Consul
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
Bonaparte, and
Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...
, the bishopric of Saint-Dié (Vosges) and all the other dioceses in France were suppressed. This removed all the institutional contaminations and novelties introduced by the Constitutional Church. The diocesan structure was then re-established, though the diocese of Saint-Dié was not revived. The Concordat of 1817, between King Louis XVIII and
Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...
, should have restored the diocese of Saint-Dié, by the bull "Commissa divinitus", but the French Parliament refused to ratify the agreement. It was not until 6 October 1822 that a revised version of the papal bull, "Paternae Charitatis" , and an ''ordonnance'' of Louis XVIII of 13 January 1823, received the consent of all parties. The diocese of Saint-Dié became a
suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...
of
Besançon Besançon (, ; , ; archaic ; ) is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerland. Capi ...
. According to a principle sanctioned by this last Concordat, the diocesan boundaries were realigned, to follow those of the civil department of the Vosges. The Franco-German War, terminated by the peace
Treaty of Frankfurt (1871) The Treaty of Frankfurt (; ) was a peace treaty signed in Frankfurt on 10 May 1871, at the end of the Franco-Prussian War. Summary The treaty did the following: * Established the frontier between the French Third Republic and the German Empire ...
, removed eighteen communes in the valley of the River Bruche from the department of the Vosges and the diocese of Saint-Dié, adding them respectively to Nieder-Elsass (Bas-Rhin) and the Diocese of Strasbourg. Louis-Marie Caverot,
Archbishop of Lyon The Archdiocese of Lyon (; ), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archbishops of Lyon are also called Primate o ...
(1876–1884), who was appointed a Cardinal by
Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...
in 1877, had been Bishop of Saint-Dié from 1849 to 1876. As Bishop of Saint-Dié he held diocesan synods in 1864 and 1866, and published the statutes in 1867.


Religious of the diocese

Elizabeth de Ranfaing (born at Remiremont, 1592; died 1649) founded in the Diocese of Toul the congregation of Our Lady of Refuge; Born at Saint-Dié, Catherine de Bar (1614–1698), known in religion as Mère Mechtilde of the Blessed Sacrament, was at first an
Annunciade ''Annunciade'' ('Annunciation'), and various alternate spellings, is the name of several religious or military orders, including: Religious orders * Servites, also known as the ''Servants'' or ''Annunziata'', first religious order of its kind was ...
nun and then a Benedictine. She founded, at Paris in 1654, the Order of the Benedictine Nuns of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacramentt. Eizabeth Brem (1609–68), known as Mother Benedict of the Passion, a
Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
nun at Rambervillers, established in that monastery the Institute of the Perpetual Adoration. Venerable Jean-Martin Moye (1730–1793), founder in Lorraine of the Congrégation de la Providence for the instruction of young girls and apostle of
Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...
, was director for a brief period of the seminary of Saint-Dié, and established at Essegney, in the diocese, one of the first novitiates of the Soeurs de la Providence (hospitallers and teachers), whose mother-house at Portieux ruled over a large number of houses before the Law of 1901. The Congregation of the Soeurs du Divin-Redempteur was authorized in 1854, and had its mother-house at Épinal. Eugène Grandclaude, a village teacher who was sent to the Roman College in 1857 by Bishop Caverot, contributed, when a professor in the grand seminaire of Saint-Dié, to the revival of
canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...
studies in France, with his ''Jus canonicum juxta ordinem Decretalium''. He became director of the seminary in 1882, and served until 1897. He was made a canon and Dean of the cathedral Chapter. He died in 1900.


Religious institutions in the diocese up to 1905

There were in the diocese before the application of the Law of 1901 (''Association loi de 1901''), directed toward congregations: Augustianian Canons Regular of the Lateran; the Clerks Regular of Our Saviour; the Eudistes; the
Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...
, the Congregation of the Holy Ghost and the Holy Heart of Mary and various teaching orders of brothers. A number of these refused, or were unable, to comply with the provisions of the law, and had to leave France. Among the congregations of nuns founded in the diocese may be mentioned the Soeurs de l'Instruction chrétienne de la Providence, the Soeurs du Pauvre Enfant Jésus (also known as the Soeurs de la bienfaisance chrétienne), teachers and hospitallers, founded in 1854 at Chemoy l'Orgueilleux; the mother-house was transferred to Remiremont. At the close of the nineteenth century the religious congregations in the diocese directed 7 créchés, 55-day nurseries, 1 orphanage for boys and girls; 19 girls' orphanages, 13 workshops, 1 house of refuge; 4 houses for the assistance of the poor, 36 hospitals or hospices, 11 houses of nuns devoted to the care of the sick in their own homes and 1 insane asylum. The diocese of Saint-Dié had in 1905 (at the time of the rupture of the Concordat), 421,104 inhabitants in 32 parishes, 354 succursal parishes and 49 vicariates supported by the State.


Saints of the diocese

The following persons are honoured in the Diocese of Saint-Dié: *
Sigebert III Sigebert III ( 630–656) was the Merovingian dynasty, Merovingian king of Austrasia from 633 to his death around 656. He was described as the first Merovingian ''roi fainéant'', or "do-nothing king", with the mayor of the palace in fact ruling ...
, Merovingian King of
Austrasia Austrasia was the northeastern kingdom within the core of the Francia, Frankish Empire during the Early Middle Ages, centring on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers. It included the original Frankish-ruled territories within what had ...
(630–656) * Saint Germain, a hermit near Remiremont, a martyr, who died Abbot of Grandval, near
Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
(618–670) * Saint Hunna, a penitent at Saint-Dié (d. about 672) * Saint Modesta, a nun at Remiremont, afterwards foundress and abbess of the monastery of Horren at
Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
(seventh century) * Saint Simeon,
Bishop of Metz This is a list of bishops of the Roman Catholic diocese of Metz, which now lies in eastern France. To 500 * Clement of Metz (c. 280–300) * Celestius * Felix I * Patient * Victor I 344–346 * Victor II * Simeon * Sambace * Rufus of Metz * Ad ...
(eighth century), whose relics are preserved at Senones * Saint Goéry,
Bishop of Metz This is a list of bishops of the Roman Catholic diocese of Metz, which now lies in eastern France. To 500 * Clement of Metz (c. 280–300) * Celestius * Felix I * Patient * Victor I 344–346 * Victor II * Simeon * Sambace * Rufus of Metz * Ad ...
(d. about 642), whose relics are preserved at Epinal and who is the patron of the butchers of the town * Saint William and Saint Achery, hermits near Ste. Marie aux Mines * Richardis (wife of
Charles the Fat Charles the Fat (839 – 13 January 888) was the emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 881 to 887. A member of the Carolingian dynasty, Charles was the youngest son of Louis the German and Hemma, and a great-grandson of Charlemagne. He was t ...
), who died as Abbess of Andlau in Alsace * Blessed
Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ;  â€“ 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...
, b. at Domrémy in the diocese * Saint Pierre Fourier (b. at Méricourt, 1565; d. 1640), curé of Mattaincourt, who founded the Order of Notre-Dame * Venerable Mére Alix le Clerc (b. at Remiremont, 1576; d. 1622)


Pilgrimages of the diocese

The principal pilgrimages of the diocese are: Notre-Dame de Saint-Dié, at Saint-Dié, at the place where Saint Dié erected his first sanctuary; Notre-Dame du Trésor, at Remiremont; Notre-Dame de Consolation, at Epinal; Notre-Dame de la Brosse, at Bains; Notre-Dame de Bermont, southwest of Nancy at Greux, near Domrémy, the sanctuary at which
Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ;  â€“ 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...
prayed. The tomb of Saint Peter Fourier, CRSA (1565–1640), who was born at Mirecourt (Lorraine), is found at Mattaincourt, the parish in which he first undertook his priestly duties. The remains of Brother Joseph Formet (1724–1784), a native of Lomont (Haute-Saône), known as the hermit of Ventron (Vosges), are the object of a pilgrimage.


Bishops

*Bartholomée Louis Martin de Chaumont de la Galasière (1777 – 1801) :;Constitutional Church *Jean-Antoine Maudru (1791–1801) :;''The diocese was suppressed in 1801; erected again in 1817'' : * Augustin-Louis de Montblanc (1817–1821), ''never consecrated'' *Jacques-Alexis Jacquemin (1823 – 1830) *Jacques-Marie-Antoine-Célestin du Pont (9 May 1830 – 1835) *Jean-Joseph-Marie-Eugène de Jerphanion (1 May 1835 – 1842 *Jean-Nicaise Gros (15 Jul 1842 – 1844) *Daniel-Victor Manglard (21 Apr 1844 – 1849) * Louis-Marie Caverot (16 Mar 1849 – 1876 *Albert-Marie-Camille de Briey (20 Apr 1876 – 10 Nov 1888 Died) *Etienne-Marie-Alphonse Sonnois (21 Dec 1889 – 1892 *Alphonse-Gabriel-Pierre Foucault (3 Jan 1893 – 28 May 1930 Died) * Louis-Augustin Marmottin (2 Aug 1930 – 1940) *Emile-Arsène Blanchet (6 Oct 1940 – 10 Oct 1946 Resigned) *Henri-René-Adrien Brault (29 Sep 1947 – 11 Jul 1964 Died) * Jean-Félix-Albert-Marie Vilnet (24 Sep 1964 – 1983) *Paul-Marie Joseph André Guillaume (29 Oct 1984 – 14 Dec 2005 Retired) *Jean-Paul Mary Mathieu (14 Dec 2005 – 15 June 2016 Retired) * Didier Berthet (2016 – 2023)Berthet was appointed bishop on 15 June 2016 by
Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
, and was consecrated a bishop on 5 September 2016. He died on 8 September 2023, at the age of 61. Diocèse de Saint-Dié, ,
L'Évèque et son equipe
" Retrieved: 4 December 2024.


References


Sources

*Duchesne, Louis (1915). ''Fastes episcopaux de l'ancienne Gaule''
Vol. III: Les provinces du Nord et de l'Est.
. Paris: A. Fontemoing, 1915. * *Glez, Gaston (1908), "La Chaire Vosgienne sous l'ancien Régime," , in: ''Bulletin de la Société philomatique vosgienne'', Volume 33 (Saint-Dié: C. Cuny, 1908), pp. 5–114, a
pp. 25-33
*Gravier, N. F. (1836)
''Histoire De La Ville Episcopale Et De L'Arrondissement De Saint-Die.''
Epinal: Gerard, 1836. *Lahache, Antoine. Société bibliographique (1907). ''L'épiscopat français depuis le Concordat jusqu'à la Séparation (1802-1905).'' . Paris: Librairie des Saints-Pères, 1907
pp. 558-567
*Lepage, Henri; Charton, Charles (1845). ''Le département des Vosges: statistique historique et administrative''. . Volume 2. Nancy: Peiffer, 1845
pp. 446-456
*Martin, Eugène (1903). ''Histoire des diocèses de Toul, de Nancy & de Saint-Dié''. . Nancy: A. Crépin-Leblond, 1903
Vol. 3
Du démembrement en trois diocèses à la modification des circonscriptions diocésaines après la guerre Franco-allemande. *Mason, Frank H. (1892). "The Baptismal Font of America," in: ''Harper's New Monthly Magazine'' Vol. 85, no. 509 (New York: October 1892)
pp. 651-669
*Payen, Joseph-Eugène (1911). "Jean-Claude Sommier, conseiller d'État, conseiller prélat à la cour de Lorraine, grand prévôt de l'église de Saint-Dié, archevêque de Césarée," , in: ''Procès-verbaux et mémoires. Académie des sciences, belles-lettres et arts de Besançon'', (Besançon: P. Jacquin., 1911)
pp. 34-63
*Pfister, Charles (1888). "Les Revenus de la collégiale de Saint-Dié, à la fin du Xe siècle," in: ''Annales de l'Est'' vol. 2 (Nancy: Derger-Levrault, 1888)
pp. 514-542
*Pfister, Charles (1889). "Les légendes de saint Die et de saint Hidulphe," , in: ''Annales de l'Est'' vol. 3 (Nancy: Derger-Levrault, 1889)
pp. 377-408
536–588. *''La dédicace et la consécration de la cathédrale Saint-Dié'', 28-29 septembre 1974
''Deuxième centenaire du diocèse'', 26-27 novembre 1977. . Saint-Dié: Diocèse de Saint-Dié, 1974. :: {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint-Die, Diocese of Roman Catholic dioceses in France