The Breton and French Catholic diocese of Dol existed from 848 to the French Revolution. It was suppressed by the Concordat of 1801. Its see was Dol Cathedral. Its scattered territory (deriving from the holdings of the Celtic monastery, and including an enclave at the mouth of the Seine) was shared mainly by the Diocese of Rennes and the Diocese of Saint-Brieuc.

History

The ''Life of St. Samson'', which cannot be of earlier date than the seventh century, mentions the foundation of the

monastery of Dol 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 m ...

by St. Samson. He was doubtless already a bishop when he came from Great Britain to Armorica, and it is he perhaps who assisted at the Council of Paris between 561 and 567. But in the biography there is nothing to prove that he founded the See of Dol or that he was its first bishop. In the twelfth century, to support its claim against the

Metropolitan of Tours The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tours (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Turonensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Tours'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The archdiocese has roots that go back to the 3rd cent ...

, the Church of Dol produced the names of a long list of archbishops: St. Samson,

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

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

St. Génevée 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 ...

St. Restoald 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 ...

St. Armel Saint Armel ( cy, Arthfael, "Wolf-Prince"; la, Armagilus) was an early 6th-century holy man in Brittany. Armel is said to have been a Breton prince, born to the wife of King Hoel while they were living in Glamorgan in Wales in the late 5 ...

St. Jumael 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 ...

, St. Turian.

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

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

monastery of St. Méen 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 ...

were still included in the

Diocese of Aleth The former Breton and French Catholic Diocese of Saint-Malo ( la, Dioecesis Alethensis, then la, Dioecesis Macloviensis, label=none) existed from at least the 7th century until the French Revolution. Its seat was at Aleth up to some point in the ...

; so that the first Bishop of Dol was Festianus (Festgen) mentioned for the first time between 851 and 857, and installed by King Nomenoë. Among the bishops of Dol are: * Baudri (1107–30), author of a poem on the conquest of England by William the Conqueror *

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

(1456–74), as legate of Callistus III, brought Charles VII to assist the Greeks against the Turks who were besieging Constantinople * Urban René de Hercé (1767–95), emigrated to England during the Revolution, but accompanied to Brittany the royalist troops who attempted to land at

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

. He was arrested with his brother, and shot at Vannes, 3 July 1795. There was a struggle from the ninth to the eleventh century to free the Church of Brittany from the Metropolitan of Tours. From a comparison made by Duchesne between the ''Life of St. Conwoïon'', the ''Indiculus de episcoporum Britonum depositione'', and an almost completely restored letter of

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

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

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

. Their only fault was perhaps that they demanded eulogia from their priests when the latter came to synods. After listening to a deputation of Breton bishops and to St. Conwoïon, founder of the Abbey of St-Sauveur at Redon, who had been sent to Rome by Nomenoë, Leo IV declared that the charge of simony must be adjudicated by a competent tribunal of twelve bishops, and must be attested by seventy-two witnesses, thereby disputing Nomenoë's claim to a right to depose bishops. But Nomenoë did depose, and in a brutal manner, the four bishops of Vannes, Aleth, Quimper, and St. Pol de Léon, and made seven dioceses out of their four. One of the new dioceses had its seat in the abbey of Dol and became straightway an

archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

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

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

in vain to regularize the situation of the Breton hierarchy. In the name of the

Council of Savonnières A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

(859) the seven metropolitans of the three kingdoms of Charles the Bald, of

Lothair II Lothair II (835 – 8 August 869) was the king of Lotharingia from 855 until his death. He was the second son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. He was married to Teutberga (died 875), daughter of Boso the Elder. Reign For political ...

, and of

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

, wrote to the

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

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

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

, and at first tried to mislead the pope by means of false allegations and forgeries; then he restored Felix of Quimper and Liberalis of Léon to their sees, but still kept Susannus of Vannes and Salocon of Aleth in exile. Nicholas I died in 867. Pope Adrian II (867-72) and Pope John VIII (872-82) continued to uphold the rights of the Metropolitan of Tours. Then came the deaths of Salomon and of Susannus, and a conciliatory mood developed. There was no formal act on the part of the Holy See recognizing Dol as a new metropolitan church; it never had control over Rennes or Nantes, and it was mainly over the new Sees of St. Brieuc and Tréguier that it exercised ascendancy. Finally in May, 1199, Pope Innocent III restored the old order of things, and subordinated anew all Brittany to Tours but did not interfere with the diocesan boundaries set up by Nomenoë, and they remained in force until the Revolution. The Bishop of Dol retained until 1789 the insignia of an archbishop, but without an archbishop's privileges.

Bishops

To 1000

* 548?: Samson of Dol *c. 567?:

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

*c. 568?: Budoc * Geneve *End of the 6th century.: Leucher or Leucherus *7th century.: Tiernmael or Tigerinomal *c. 640: Restoald *c. 650: Wral *c. 700: Turiau, Thuriau or Thurian *Geneve *Restoald *Armael *c. 770: Jumel, Jumael or Junemenus *c. 842: Haelrit *c. 848: Salacon or Salocon *c. 859: Fastarius or Festinianus *c. 878: Mayn I. *Lowenan *c. 930: Agano *c. 950–952: Jutohen, Juthoven or Wichoen *c. 990: Mayn II

1000 to 1300

*c. 1030–1032: Jungoneus * 1040 to c. 1076: Juhel *c. 1076: Gilduin * 1076 to 17. November 1081: Ivon * 1082 to c. 1092:

Johannes I John (Danish language, Danish, Norwegian language, Norwegian and sv, Hans; né ''Johannes'') (2 February 1455 – 20 February 1513) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. He was king of Kingdom of Denmark, Denmark (1481–1513), ...

. *c. 1093 to c. 1100: Roland I. *c. 1106: Johannes II. *c. 1107: Ulgrin or Vulgrin * 24 November 1107 to 6 January 1130: Baldric of Dol ('' :fr:Baudri de Bourgueil'') * 1130 to 1146: Geoffroi Le Roux ('' :fr:Geoffroi Le Roux'') *c. 1147 to 1154: Olivier * 1154–1161: Hugues Le Roux ('' :fr:Hugues Le Roux (archevêque)'') * 1161–1163: Roger du Homet ('' :fr:Roger du Homet'') * 1163 to c. 1177: Jean III. * 1177 to c. 1187: Rolandus II. *c. 1187–1188: Henri I. * 1189–1190: Jean IV. de Vaulnoise * 1190–1199: Jean V. de La Mouche. His toponym suggests he may have been a kinsman of the de Subligny. *c. 1200 (probably 1203) to 13 November 1231: Jean VI. de Lizaunet, also known as John (VI) de Lysenachhttp://www.unicaen.fr/mrsh/craham/revue/tabularia/print.php?dossier=sources&file=08allen.xml#ftn160note Five charters concerning the early history of the chapter at Avranches, by Richard Allen, University of Glasgow, 10 Mar 2008. * 1231 to c. 1242: Clément de Coetquen *c. 1242 to 16. November 1265: Etienne I. * 1266 to 13. May 1279: Jean VII. Mahé

1300 to 1500

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

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

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

From 1500

* 12 June 1504 to 10 December 1521: Mathurin de Plédran * 1522–1524: Thomas Le Roy * 30 June 1524 to 2 July 1556: François de Laval * 25 September 1556 to 12 September 1557: Jean XII. de Matthefélon * 1558–1591: Charles d'Espinay * 1606–1629: Edmond Revol * 1630–1644: Hector Douvrier * 1645–1648: Antoine-Denis Cohon * 1653–1660: Robert Cupif * 1660–1692: Matthieu Thoreau * 1692–1702: Jean-François de Chamillart * 1702–1715: François Elie de Voyer de Paulmy d'Argenson * 1715–1748: Jean-Louis du Bouchet de Sourches * 1749–1767: Jean-François-Louis Dondel * 1767–1790: Urbain-René de Hercé

References

Bibliography

Reference works

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

Studies

* * * {{Authority control

Dol DOL may refer to: * David O'Leary (born 1958), Irish football manager and former player * Deauville – Saint-Gatien Airport (IATA code) * Degree of Operating Leverage, a measure of operating leverage - how revenue growth translates into growth in ...

Religious organizations established in the 840s

848 establishments 9th-century establishments in France 1801 disestablishments in France