Bishop of Carpentras
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Carpentras Carpentras (, formerly ; Provençal Occitan: ''Carpentràs'' in classical norm or ''Carpentras'' in Mistralian norm; la, Carpentoracte) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. ...
(''Lat.'' dioecesis Carpentoratensis) was a diocese of the Roman
Catholic Church 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 ...
in the
Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...
region (later part of France), from the later Roman Empire until 1801. It was part of the ecclesiastical province under the Metropolitan, the Archbishop of Arles. The bishop was a major figure in the
Comtat Venaissin The Comtat Venaissin (; Provençal: , Mistralian norm: , classical norm: ; 'County of Venaissin'), often called the for short, was a part of the Papal States (1274‒1791) in what is now the region of France. The entire region was an enclav ...
, and a member of the Estates of the Comtat. He was a direct appointee of the pope.


History

The first historically documented bishop of Carpentras is Constantianus, who was represented at the Council of Riez in 439, of Orange in 441, and of Vaison in 442. Carpentras was a
suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...
see of
Arles Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...
from 450 to 1475, when it became a suffragan of
Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...
. Bishop Siffredus (Sigefridus) (c. 530–540) became the patron saint of Carpentras. Later 6th and 7th centuries the bishops called themselves bishops of Venasque, with the exception of Boethius, who at Valence in 584 signed the acts of the council as Bishop of Carpentras. This suggests that, after Carpentras had fallen into ruin, the bishops lived in nearby Venasque. Carpentras is not mentioned in the context of the occupation of Provence by the Saracens (Arabs) in the ninth century or the depredations of the Northmen or of the Hungarians (924) in the tenth, which may be explained by its depopulation. The bishops of Carpentras are still speaking of the "See of Carpentras or Venasque" in the late tenth century.


The Jews of Carpentras: the Carrière

Already by the beginning of the sixth century, there were significant numbers of Jews in the Midi. The bishops, who met at Agde in 507, and those who met at Epaona in 517, considered it necessary to make canons concerning fraternization with Jews even more stringent. One of these was Bishop Julianus of Carpentras. It was already forbidden for clerics to dine with Jews, but the prohibition was also extended to laymen. The earliest reference to a Jewish community in Carpentras is found in a set of community statutes, approved by several prominent rabbis in France, including the Rabbi of Carpentras, who may have been Jacob Tam. These belong to the first half of the twelfth century. At the beginning of the thirteenth century the Jews were expelled from Carpentras, but they returned in 1263. Apparently they were able to reach an accommodation with Bishop Raimundus de Barjols, who unfortunately died in February 1275.
Alphonse, Count of Poitiers Alphonse or Alfonso (11 November 122021 August 1271) was the count of Poitou from 1225 and count of Toulouse (as such called Alphonse II) from 1249. As count of Toulouse, he also governed the Marquisate of Provence. Birth and early life Born at P ...
, who ruled Provence in the name of his wife
Joan of Toulouse Joan (1220 – 25 August 1271) was Count of Toulouse, Countess of Toulouse from 1249 until her death. She was the only child of Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse by his first wife Sancha of Aragon, Countess of Toulouse. Biography Joan was born at th ...
, from 1249 until his death in 1271, was a vigorous persecutor of the Jews. In 1269 he issued an order for a general persecution of the Jews in his domains. In his Last Will and Testament, he left the Comtat Venaissin to the papacy, and though the rest of his Will was quashed, that one provision was allowed. In 1274, therefore,
Pope Gregory X Pope Gregory X ( la, Gregorius X;  – 10 January 1276), born Teobaldo Visconti, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 September 1271 to his death and was a member of the Secular Franciscan Order. He was ...
became the ruler of the Comtat, and in 1275 a new bishop of Carpentras was appointed, following the death of Bishop de Barjols. The political climate had changed. On 19 July 1275, the Papal Chamberlain and Provost of Marseille, Berenguer de Séguret, was appointed sole judge in cases concerning the Jews, to the exclusion of all other magistrates. On 28 February 1276, shortly after the
Comtat Venaissin The Comtat Venaissin (; Provençal: , Mistralian norm: , classical norm: ; 'County of Venaissin'), often called the for short, was a part of the Papal States (1274‒1791) in what is now the region of France. The entire region was an enclav ...
became the property of the popes, the Jews of Carpentras entered into an agreement with the Bishop of Carpentras, Pierre Rostaing, in which they agreed to become his vassals in exchange for his protection. They agreed as well to pay to him and his successors a series of specified taxes, but the Bishop agreed not to impose any other additional taxes on them, to guard their property, and to protect them from violence and injustice. The document was signed by sixty-four heads of families. Carpentras thus became, along with Avignon, Cavaillon, and L'Isle-sur-Sorgue, one of the recognized cities of refuge from antisemitic persecution in the Comtat Venaissin. In 1320, a different Pope,
John XXII Pope John XXII ( la, Ioannes PP. XXII; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected by ...
(Jacques Duèse), agreed to defend the Jews of the Comtat from the murderous onslaught of the marauding bands of antisemitic shepherds, the
Pastoureaux (literally: "The Shepherd Boys"), also known as the , is a Belgian choir of boys and men based in Waterloo, Belgium. It was established in 1974 and is currently conducted by Philippe Favette. Their repertoire includes works of sacred music as we ...
. Papal protection was not, however, without a price. In a bull of 12 April 1320 that same pope revoked the agreement between the bishops of Carpentras and their Jewish community, as he took the temporal power over Carpentras which had belonged to the bishops. The Pope was now the overlord of the Jews. And in 1322 he expelled the Jews and turned their synagogue into a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This situation lasted for twenty years, until a new Pope,
Clement VI Pope Clement VI ( la, Clemens VI; 1291 – 6 December 1352), born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death in December 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Bla ...
revoked John XXII's expulsion order, and granted permission in 1343 for the rebuilding of the synagogue of Carpentras. The synagogue was completed in 1367, and rebuilt in 1741; it was repaired in 1784 and 1899. In 1403
Pope Benedict XIII Pope Benedict XIII ( la, Benedictus XIII; it, Benedetto XIII; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May ...
claimed all of the taxes which the Jews had formerly paid to the bishops.
Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII ( la, Clemens VII; it, Clemente VII; born Giulio de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the ...
confirmed their privileges in 1524, and
Pope Paul III Pope Paul III ( la, Paulus III; it, Paolo III; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549), born Alessandro Farnese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death in November 1549. He came to ...
revoked them in 1539. By virtue of a bull of 26 February 1569,
Pope Pius V Pope Pius V ( it, Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1566 to his death in May 1572. He is v ...
expelled the Jews from Italian and French territory, which was immediately followed by an order of 3 August 1570 from the Legate of Avignon for them to leave by October. The Rector of the Comtat, however, permitted some of them to remain, and they eventually restored their numbers. The French Revolution brought about their complete emancipation, and after the annexation of the Comtat Venaissin in 1793 they became French citizens.


Avignon Popes and Carpentras

In March 1313, at the beginning of the
Avignon Papacy The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven successive popes resided in Avignon – at the time within the Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles, Kingdom of Arles, part of the Holy Roman Empire; now part of France – rather than i ...
,
Pope Clement V Pope Clement V ( la, Clemens Quintus; c. 1264 – 20 April 1314), born Raymond Bertrand de Got (also occasionally spelled ''de Guoth'' and ''de Goth''), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 5 June 1305 to his de ...
took up residence, with the Roman Curia, in Carpentras, where he stayed until April 1314; but, finding the city inconvenient, he departed for his home in Gascony, where he expected to recover his health, but died shortly thereafter. The popes resided in the Episcopal Palace in Carpentras. The comings and goings of the Papal Curia can be followed by noting the places at which their documents were written and signed. Clement V was responsible for the building of the aqueduct of Carpentras. Its pipes were made of lead. Following the death of
Pope Clement V Pope Clement V ( la, Clemens Quintus; c. 1264 – 20 April 1314), born Raymond Bertrand de Got (also occasionally spelled ''de Guoth'' and ''de Goth''), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 5 June 1305 to his de ...
, and once the mourning for the deceased pope was ended, the Conclave met in the Episcopal Palace at Carpentras. It began around 1 May 1314. The twenty-three cardinals in the Conclave proceeded at a leisurely pace, though without coming to an agreement on the election, until the Feast of S. Mary Magdalen on Monday, 22 July 1314. The Italian cardinals were supporting Guillaume de Mandagot of Lodève, Bishop of Palestrina, who was a Frenchman and a subject of
Philip IV of France Philip IV (April–June 1268 – 29 November 1314), called Philip the Fair (french: Philippe le Bel), was King of France from 1285 to 1314. By virtue of his marriage with Joan I of Navarre, he was also King of Navarre as Philip I from 12 ...
. The Gascon cardinals, however, who had been appointed by Clement, and were not French subjects, refused to agree. On 22 July rioting broke out among the entourages of various cardinals, and some Gascons (it is claimed) burned down the palace and much of the city. The cardinals scattered, the Italian ones reassembling at Valence and complaining loudly about the Gascons and demanding that the papal Court return to Rome where a proper Conclave could be held. It was not until 28 June 1316, nearly two years later, that the Cardinals reassembled, this time at Lyon, and on 7 August elected Cardinal Jacques Duèse, who became
John XXII Pope John XXII ( la, Ioannes PP. XXII; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected by ...
. The
Comtat Venaissin The Comtat Venaissin (; Provençal: , Mistralian norm: , classical norm: ; 'County of Venaissin'), often called the for short, was a part of the Papal States (1274‒1791) in what is now the region of France. The entire region was an enclav ...
had been papal property since 1274, a legacy of
Alphonse, Count of Poitiers Alphonse or Alfonso (11 November 122021 August 1271) was the count of Poitou from 1225 and count of Toulouse (as such called Alphonse II) from 1249. As count of Toulouse, he also governed the Marquisate of Provence. Birth and early life Born at P ...
, younger brother of
Louis IX of France Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the ...
. The capital, which gave the county its name, had been at Venasque, but in 1320 Pope John XXII transferred the capital to Carpentras. Two years later he engaged in an exchange of properties and powers with the Bishop, making the Pope the temporal lord of Carpentras as well as the Comtat. In 1410 the Consuls of Carpentras received a request from the Consuls of Avignon to borrow Carpentras' heavy artillery and other war machines. In the Great
Western Schism The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Vatican Standoff, the Great Occidental Schism, or the Schism of 1378 (), was a split within the Catholic Church lasting from 1378 to 1417 in which bishops residing in Rome and Avignon bo ...
, the French had decided to repudiate Benedict XIII of the Avignon Obedience, who had been deposed by the Council of Pisa. They had accepted Alexander V, who had just been elected by the Cardinals who were at the Council of Pisa in June 1409. The leaders of Avignon had besieged the Catalans and Aragonese, led by Rodrigo de Luna, who were holding the Papal Palace for Benedict XIII. With the permission of Cardinal Pierre de Thury, the new Legate of Avignon and Vicar in the Comtat of
Pope Alexander V Peter of Candia, also known as Peter Phillarges (c. 1339 – May 3, 1410), named as Alexander V ( la, Alexander PP. V; it, Alessandro V), was an antipope elected by the Council of Pisa during the Western Schism (1378–1417). He reigned briefly ...
, soldiers were enrolled at Carpentras and sent to Avignon. It was not until the end of 1411 that the supporters of Benedict XIII surrendered and departed.


Cathedral of Carpentras

The
cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
of Carpentras was the Church of St. Siffrein, dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Siffrein. The present church, according to E. Andreoli, is the fifth on the site. The first was built in the sixth century; the second in the Carolingian period; the third in the tenth century; and the fourth at the beginning of the thirteenth century, the work of Bishop Geoffroy de Garosse. The fifth is of the fifteenth century, begun under the patronage of the Avignon pope, Benedict XIII. The first stone was laid in a solemn ceremony on 22 February 1404, the Feast of Saint Peter's Chair, presided over by Archbishop Artaud of Arles, in the name of Pope Benedict XIII. The commemorative inscription survives, on the south wall of the cathedral. The consecration took place in 1515. The Cathedral possesses an especially sacred relic, called the ''Saint-Clou'', the remains of one of the nails that was used on Christ at the Crucifixion. According to the legend retailed by Gregory of Tours, two of the nails were given by Saint Helena to her son Constantine the Great, who wore one on his helmet and had the other fashioned into a bit for his horse's mouth (or into a bridle ornament). One legend says that Constantine gave the Saint-Clou to Bishop Siffrein's father, involving an anachronism of major proportions. Its image is found in various places in the cathedral and on various medieval seals. The Chapter of the cathedral was founded in 982 by Bishop Ayrardus, with sixteen Canons. In 1241 Bishop Guillelmus Beroaldi (Beroardus) had to reduce the number of Canons to twelve for financial reasons. Two of the twelve were dignities (''dignités,'' not 'dignitaries'): the Provost and the Archdeacon (founded in 1306). There was also a Capiscol and a Sacristan, and two of the Canons served as Theologian (founded in 1602) and Penitentiary (founded in 1588). The Chapter was obliged, for sacred services, to maintain two curés of the cathedral, a Master of the chapel, four choirboys and four mensionarii.


Saint-Jean-du-Bourg

There was a second church of importance in Carpentras, the church of Saint-Jean-du-Bourg, situated inside the fortifications, on the east side of the city. It was governed, like the cathedral, by a Chapter of Canons, six in number, the Sacristan and five prebendary Canons. The Canons followed the Rule of Notre-Dame du Grès of the Order of Saint-Ruf. The Canons had their monastery outside the city, however, and the church there was dedicated to the Virgin Mary.


Development of Carpentras

Carpentras appears to have escaped completely the ravages of the
Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...
(bubonic plague) in 1348–1353. It did not suffer an invasion until 1395, and then was free of trouble until 1468. The Dominican friar,
Vincent Ferrer Vincent Ferrer, OP ( ca-valencia, Sant Vicent Ferrer , es, San Vicente Ferrer, it, San Vincenzo Ferreri, german: Sankt Vinzenz Ferrer, nl, Sint-Vincent Ferrer, french: Saint Vincent Ferrier; 23 January 1350 – 5 April 1419) was a Valencian D ...
, lived and preached in Carpentras from 22 November 1399 to 12 February 1400. On his death in November 1452, Bishop Georges d'Ornas ordered in his Will that his library be sold, and the proceeds contributed to the building of the new cathedral. A part of the library was sold, but then a number of people, led by the new bishop Michel Anglici and by Roger de Foix the Rector of the Comtat Venaissin, intervened, and determined to preserve the remaining books for the education and training of clerics and of the citizens and inhabitants of Carpentras. To make the books available to the public, those which pertained to liturgy and ecclesiastical matters were chained up in the Choir of the cathedral; the others were placed by Bishop Anglici in one of the chapels, the most important on chains and the rest in cupboards.


Protestantism

The first
Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
to be found in Carpentras was Claude Baduel, a humanist scholar and a
Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
, who had been a teacher at the collège of arts in Nîmes. He was an acquaintance of Cardinal
Jacopo Sadoleto Jacopo Sadoleto (July 12, 1477 – October 18, 1547) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal and counterreformer noted for his correspondence with and opposition to John Calvin. Life He was born at Modena in 1477, the son of a noted jurist, he a ...
. In 1544, just as Sadoleto and the Consuls of Carpentras were engaged in a search for a new principal for their collège, Baduel make known his desire to seek a new field for his work outside Nîmes. His application for the position at Carpentras took the form of an elegantly written Latin treatise on education of the youth, and addressed to Cardinal Sadoleto. He took up the position in September 1544, but in April 1545, the notorious
Massacre of Mérindol A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...
in the Vaucluse, some forty miles from Carpentras, occurred. The royally authorized massacre of
Waldensians The Waldensians (also known as Waldenses (), Vallenses, Valdesi or Vaudois) are adherents of a church tradition that began as an ascetic movement within Western Christianity before the Reformation. Originally known as the "Poor Men of Lyon" in ...
(Vaudois) eventually involved more than twenty-two towns and villages including Cabrières, and Baduel decided in December to return to his former position in Nîmes. The Lutheran movement in the Comtat collapsed. In 1562, at the beginning of the
Wars of Religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...
in France, the
Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
general, the Baron des Adrets, made his descent on the Venaissin from the Dauphiné, where he had been very successful. He took Caderousse,
Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...
,
Courthézon Courthézon (; oc, Corteson) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Vaucluse department The following is a list of the 151 communes of ...
,
Bédarrides Bédarrides (; Provençal: ''Bedarrida'') is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Name The settlement is attested as ''villa Betorrida'' in 814, ''Biturrita'' in 898, ''Bisturr ...
, and Chateauneuf-du-Pape, all of whose inhabitants had taken flight. He then took
Sarrians Sarrians (; oc, Sarrian) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Population Hominin remains Several hominin bones, showing breakages due to sediment pressure, have been found ne ...
and
Sorgues Sorgues (; oc, Sòrgas) is a Communes of France, commune in the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of Southeastern France. The river Ouvèze, a tributary of the Rhône, as well ...
, intending to use them as a base to attack Avignon, but when he learned that Avignon was fortified and prepared for strong resistance, he aimed instead for Carpentras. He arrived on 28 July 1562, encamped next to the aqueduct, began to lay out siege works. The inhabitants of Carpentras cut their aqueduct to keep Adrets from a water supply, and from time to time threw red soil and foul matter into the Auzon River. In the meantime Fabrice Serbelloni, the nephew of
Pope Pius IV Pope Pius IV ( it, Pio IV; 31 March 1499 – 9 December 1565), born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death in December 1565. Born in Milan, his family considered ...
and General of the papal troops, arrived in the neighborhood, and the Huguenots were forced to retire on 3 and 4 August. Next year, after the Peace of Amboise on 25 March 1563, the Huguenot forces returned, took
Monteux Monteux (; oc, Monteus) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography Monteux is near Carpentras, in middle of Comtat Venaissin, and around 20 km from Avignon, in the ...
, and advanced to Carpentras, but they were driven away with considerable losses.


Other institutions

A convent of Dominican friars was founded in Carpentras in 1312. Louis de Vervins, Archbishop of Narbonne (1600–1628), had been a monk in this convent, and had become its Prior; he was a generous benefactor. There was also a convent of Observant Franciscans, one of Capuchins, one of Discalced Carmelites. Of the religious orders for women, there were five convents in Carpentras: the abbey of the Cistercians of Saint Mary Magdeleine and of Saint Bernard, the monastery of the Discalced Carmelites, the Convent of the Visitation, the house of refuge called Notre-Dame de Sainte Garde, and the convent called L'Intérieur de Marie. These were all liquidated by order of the French National Constituent Assembly in 1790. A seminary was established for the diocese in 1585, in accordance with the decrees of the Council of Trent, by Bishop Jacques Sacrati. Administration and staffing of the seminary was turned over to the Jesuits by Bishop Lorenzo Buti (1691–1710). The Jesuits also staffed the Collège de Carpentras, founded in 1607, where the humanities and philosophy were taught. A hospital for the sick already existed in Carpentras in the time when the Counts of Toulouse owned the Comtat Venaissin. Bishop Joseph-Dominique d'Inguimbert (1735 – 1757) was responsible for the building of the new hospital in Carpentras, beginning in 1750. The hospital was famous for the magnificence of its buildings and for the size of its endowment, one of the largest in France. This hospices became the major depository of abandoned children in the department, due in part to the convenience offered by the regular market at Carpentras. In January 1807 the number of children at Carpentras was 107.


End of the diocese

In 1790 the National Constituent Assembly decided to bring the French church under the control of the State. Civil government of the provinces was to be reorganized into new units called '
départements A department (, ) is an administrative or political division in several countries. Departments are the first-level divisions of 11 countries, nine in the Americas and two in Africa. An additional 10 countries use departments as second-level div ...
', originally intended to be 83 or 84 in number. The dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church were to be reduced in number, to coincide as much as possible with the new departments. Since there were more than 130 bishoprics at the time of the Revolution, more than fifty dioceses needed to be suppressed and their territories consolidated. Carpentras was one of those which were suppressed, by the French government, not by the canonical authority of the papacy. Its territory was assigned by the government to the new "Diocese of Vaucluse", with its headquarters at Avignon. All monasteries, convents and religious orders in France were dissolved, and their members were released from their vows by order of the National Constituent Assembly (which action was uncanonical); their property was confiscated "for the public good", and sold to pay the bills of the French government. Cathedral Chapters were also dissolved. In accordance with 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 ...
, Carpentras ceased to be a residential diocese on 29 November 1801, and its territory was canonically incorporated into that of the Diocese of Avignon by virtue of a papal bull. The former episcopal palace, which had been built by Cardinal Bichi in the 1640s, became the Palace of Justice and prison. The cloisters between the palace and the cathedral were demolished in 1829, though traces of the arches and vaulting can be seen on the north wall of the cathedral. In 1877, the title of bishop of Carpentras, along with those of other ancient sees, was added to that of the archbishops of
Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...
and remained so until 2009. In January 2009
Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
revived the title (though not the actual diocese) of Carpentras as a
titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...
. The current titular Bishop of Carpentras is Emmanuel Marie Anne Alain Gobilliard, Auxiliary Bishop of Lyon.


Bishops


To 1100

*(c. 439–c. 451) Constantianus *(c. 517–c. 529) Julianus *(c. 530– before 541) Siffredus (Siffrein) *(c. 541– after 552) Clematius, Bishop of Carpentras and
Venasque Venasque (; oc, Venasca; la, Vindasca) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The area has many tourist attractions, such as the nearby Mount Vaucluse, a park with several tenn ...
*(c. 573) Tetradius *(c. 584 – 604) Boethius *(c. 614) Ambrosius *(c. 650) Licerius :... *(c. 788) Amatus :... *(c. 948) Ayrardus :... *(c. 992 – after 1 April 1013) Stephanus, Bishop of Venasque :... * (c. 1040, 1044, 1056?) Franco * (c.1056 – c. 1058) Julius :... * (c. 1068) Guillelmus :...


From 1100 to 1500

* (c. 1107 – c. 1120) Gaufredus * (c. 1121 – 1142) Gaspardus * (1142 – after 1165) Raimundus : ? Guillaume de Risole * ( ? – 1178) Petrus :? Innocent II :? Andreas * (c. 1178 – c.1195) Raimbaudus *(c. 1195 – c. 1211) Gaufridus * (c. 1211 – c. 1218) Guillaume de Bordellis * (c. 1218 – 1228) Isnardus * (c. 1229 – 1230) Bertrandus * (1230 – 1263) Guillelmus Beroaldi * (1263 – 1275) Raimundus de Barjols * (1275 – 1279) Pierre de Rostaing *(1280 – ? ) Raimundus de Mazan *(1294 – 1317) Berengarius de Mazan *(1318 – c. 1331) Otho (Eudes) *(1332 – 1347) Hugo (Hugues) *(1347 – 1357) Guaffredus (Geoffroy) *(1357 – 1371) Jean Roger *(1371 – 1376) Guillaume l'Estrange *(1376 – 1397) Pierre Laplotte (Laplon) *(1397 – 1406)
Pope Benedict XIII Pope Benedict XIII ( la, Benedictus XIII; it, Benedetto XIII; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May ...
(Pedro de Luna) ::(1397 – after August 1402) Jean Filheti (Administrator) *(1406 – 1423) Cardinal
Ludovico Fieschi Ludovico Fieschi (died 3 April 1423) was a cardinal during the Western Schism. Life Fieschi came from Genoa, from the family of the counts of Lavagna, a family from which the 13th-century Pope Adrian V and some other cardinals came. On 29 March 1 ...
(Administrator) *(1424 – 1425) Jacques de Camplon *(1426 – 1446) Sagax dei Conti *(1446 – 1449) Guillaume Soibert *(1449 – 1452) Georges d'Ornos *(1452 – 1471) Michel Anglici *(1471 – 1472) Giuliano della Rovere (Administrator) (future
Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...
) *(1472 – 1481) Federico di Saluzzo (Administrator) *(1483 – 1517) Pierre de Valletariis


From 1500 to 1800

*(1517–1547)
Jacopo Sadoleto Jacopo Sadoleto (July 12, 1477 – October 18, 1547) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal and counterreformer noted for his correspondence with and opposition to John Calvin. Life He was born at Modena in 1477, the son of a noted jurist, he a ...
*(1547–1572) Paolo Sadoleto *(1572–1593) Jacobus Sacrati *(1593–1596) Francesco Sadoleto *(1596–1615) Orazio Capponi *(1616–1630) Cosimo de' Bardi *(1630–1657) Cardinal Alessandro Bichi *(1657–1661) Louis de Fortia : (1661–1665) ''Sede vacante'' *(1665–1684) Gaspar Lascaris du Castellar *(1687–1690) Cardinal Marcello Durazzo *(1691–1710) Lorenzo Buti *(1710–1735) Francesco Maria Abbati *(1735–1757) Joseph-Dominique d'Inguimbert, O.Cist. *(1757–1776) Giuseppe Vignoli *(1776–1801) Giuseppe di BeniBishop Vignoli was succeeded on 16 September 1776 by Giuseppe di Beni, Conte di Gubbio: De Terris, pp. 324-329. He had obtained a doctorate ''in utroque iure'' from the University of Fano, and was consecrated on 29 September 1776 by
Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI ( it, Pio VI; born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to his death in August 1799. Pius VI condemned the French Revoluti ...
. He served until 1791, when he was driven out by the French revolutionaries, who forcibly annexed the Comtat Venaissin to the French state. He preferred flight to Italy rather than martyrdom. He was named Administrator of the Diocese of Pesaro on 24 January 1794, and finally resigned the diocese of Carpentras at the request of
Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI ( it, Pio VI; born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to his death in August 1799. Pius VI condemned the French Revoluti ...
as part of the reconstitution of the Church in France following 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 ...
with First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte. Bishop Beni died in Pesaro on 12 January 1806. Ritzler, VI, p. 149, with n. 4.


See also

*
Carpentras Carpentras (, formerly ; Provençal Occitan: ''Carpentràs'' in classical norm or ''Carpentras'' in Mistralian norm; la, Carpentoracte) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. ...
*
Carpentras Cathedral Carpentras Cathedral (''Cathédrale Saint-Siffrein de Carpentras'') is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral in Carpentras, Provence, France. The church was built in the 15th century by the order of Benedict XIII. The site used to be a Rom ...
*
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 ...
*
List of Catholic dioceses in France The Catholic Church in France mainly comprises a Metropolitan Latin Church hierarchy, joint in a national episcopal conference, consisting of * fifteen ecclesiastical provinces, each under a Metropolitan Archdioceses (15) ** with a total of 80 su ...


References


Citations


Further reading


Reference works

* pp. 529–530. * (in Latin) p. 167-168. * (in Latin) p. 119. * p. 154. * p. 136. * p. 144. * p. 149. *


Studies

* * *Bardinet, Léon (1880). "Condition civile des Juifs du Comtat Venaissin pendant le séjour des papes à Avignon, 1309–1376," *Bardinet, Léon (1880b). "Les Juifs du Comtat Venaissin au moyen age: Leur role economique et intellectuel,
''Revue historique'' 14 (1880)
1-60, at 29–35. STOR*Brun, G. (1975). ''Les Juifs du pape à Carpentras''. Carpentras: 1975. * he Jewish community of the Comtat Venaissin* * second edition (in French) * * * *Loeb, Isidore (1886). "Les Juifs de Carpentras sous le gouvernement pontifical," * * * *


External links


Bibliotheque Inguimbertine, Carpentras
Retrieved: 2016-07-21. {{Authority control 1801 disestablishments in France
Carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...
Carpentras Carpentras (, formerly ; Provençal Occitan: ''Carpentràs'' in classical norm or ''Carpentras'' in Mistralian norm; la, Carpentoracte) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. ...
Carpentras Carpentras (, formerly ; Provençal Occitan: ''Carpentràs'' in classical norm or ''Carpentras'' in Mistralian norm; la, Carpentoracte) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. ...