The Roman Catholic Diocese of Coutances (–Avranches) (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

: ''Dioecesis Constantiensis (–Abrincensis)'';

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

: ''Diocèse de Coutances (–Avranches)'') is a

diocese 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 associ ...

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 France. Its

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metropo ...

is the Cathedral of Coutance in the commune of

Coutances Coutances () is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. History Capital of the Unelli, a Gaulish tribe, the town was given the name of ''Constantia'' in 298 during the reign of Roman emperor Constantius Chloru ...

in France. The diocese is suffragan of the

Archbishop of Rouen The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rothomagensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rouen'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the Arch ...

and comprises the entire department of

Manche Manche (, ) is a coastal French département in Normandy, on the English Channel, which is known as ''La Manche'', literally "the sleeve", in French. It had a population of 495,045 in 2019.Avranches Avranches (; nrf, Avraunches) is a commune in the Manche department, and the region of Normandy, northwestern France. It is a subprefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called ''Avranchinais''. History By the end of the Roman period ...

and of two archdeaconries from the

Diocese of Bayeux The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baiocensis et Lexoviensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Bayeux et Lisieux'') is a diocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is coextensive with the Department of Calvados and is ...

. Since 1854 its bishops have held the title of Bishop of Coutances (–Avranches). The Bishop of Coutances exercised ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

, mostly in

Alderney Alderney (; french: Aurigny ; Auregnais: ) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependencies, Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The island's area is , making i ...

where the Bishop also held partial authority over the Leader of Alderney, until the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, despite the secular division of Normandy in 1204. The final rupture occurred definitively in 1569 when

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

demanded that the Bishops hand the island over to the

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except ...

History of the Diocese of Coutances

In 1757 the city of Coutances had a population of about 12,000 Catholics. The Cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Its Chapter was composed of eight dignities (the Cantor, four Archdeacons, the Scholasticus, the Treasurer, and the Penitentiary) and twenty-five Canons. There were also six Choral Vicars, forty-two chaplains, fourteen choristers and six boy singers, and a body of musicians. The Cantor has existed from the 11th century. The four archdeacons were: Coutances, Baptois, Val-de-Vire and Cotentin. In the city were two parishes (Saint-Pierre and Saint-Nicolas), two houses of male religious, and two monasteries of monks. The entire diocese had some 500 parishes. The diocese contained seven houses of Benedictine monks: Saint-Sever, Lessay, Saint-Sauveur le Vicomte, Montebourg, Hambie, Notre-Dame de Protection (Valognes, 1626, women), and Notre-Dame des Anges (Coutances, 1633, women). There was a house of Premonstratensians at Blanchelande; and two houses of Augustinians, at Saint-Lô and Notre-Dame de Voeu at Cherbourg. All were abolished by will of the Constituent Assembly in 1790, and their properties confiscated and sold. Monastic vows were dissolved and forbidden. On 12 April 1791 the priests of the seminary were expelled for refusing to take the Oath to the Constitution. On 15 January 1793 the turn came of the houses of women to be closed and confiscated, and their inhabitants forcibly ejected.

History of the Diocese of Avranches

The Cathedral of Avranches, situated in a town of some 2500 inhabitants in 1764, was dedicated to Saint Andrew on 17 September 1211. The Chapter of the Cathedral had six dignities (the Dean, the Cantor, the Treasurer, the Scholasticus and the two Archdeacons) and eighteen Canons. The archdeacons were named Archidiaconus Abricensis and Archidiaconus Vallis Moretonii. The town contained three parishes, one community of male religious and one monastery of monks. The entire diocese contained 170 parishes. The Diocese of Avranches was abolished during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

by the Legislative Assembly, under the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790). Its territory was subsumed into the new diocese, called 'Manche', with its seat at Coutances, which was part of the Metropolitanate called the 'Côtes de la Manche' (which included eight new 'départements'), with its seat at Rouen (Seine-Inférieure). When 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 ...

was struck between

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

and First Consul Bonaparte, the Diocese of Avranches was not revived.

List of bishops

Bishops of Coutances

to 1050

*Ereptiolus, c. 430–473 *Exuperus (or Exuperatus), c. 473–500 *Leontianus, c.500–512 *Possessor, c. 512–523 * Lauto (Saint-Lô), c. 525–565 *Romacharius (Rumpharius), c. 566–600 ? *Saint Ursinus *Ulfobertus, c. 600–610 *Lupicinus, c. 610–640 *Nepus *Chairibonus, attested 650 *Waldomar (or Baldomer), c. 650–660 *Hulderic, c. 660–674 *Frodemundus, 677–690 *Wilbert (or Aldebert) *Agathius *Livin *Wilfrid *Joshua *Leon *Angulon *Hubert *Willard, c. 820– c. 840 *Herluin, c. 840–862 *Sigenand (or Seginand), c. 862–880 *Lista (or Listus), c. 880–888/90 *Raguenard, c. 898–??? *Herlebaud (or Erleboldus) *Agebert ;Bishops in exile at Rouen *Theodoric (''Thierry''), c. 911 *Herbert I *Algerund (''Algeronde'') *Gilbert (''Gillebert'') *Hugues I (''Hugh''), c. 989–1025 ;Bishops in Saint–Lô * Herbert II, c. 1025–1026, left Rouen and installed himself at Saint–Lô *

Robert I Robert I may refer to: *Robert I, Duke of Neustria (697–748) * Robert I of France (866–923), King of France, 922–923, rebelled against Charles the Simple * Rollo, Duke of Normandy (c. 846 – c. 930; reigned 911–927) * Robert I Archbishop o ...

, c. 1026–1048, also

bishop of Lisieux A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

from 1050 to 1400

Geoffrey de Montbray Geoffrey de Montbray (Montbrai, Mowbray) (died 1093), bishop of Coutances ( la, Constantiensis), also known as Geoffrey of Coutances, was a Norman nobleman, trusted adviser of William the Conqueror and a great secular prelate, warrior and admin ...

, 1049–1093 * Raoul, 1093–1110 *

Roger Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

, c. 1114–1123 * Richard de Brix (''alias'' de Bruce), 1124–1131 * Algare (''Algarus'', ''Algardus'' or ''Algarius''), 1132–1151, previously prior of

Bodmin Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor. The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is borde ...

Richard de Bohon Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

, 1151–1179 * Guillaume de Tournebu, 1184–1202 * Vivien de L'Étang (de L'Estang), 1202–1208 * Hugues de Morville, 1208–1238, principal restorer of the cathedral * Gilles de Caen (or Gilon), 1246–1248 * Jean d'Essay, 1251–1274 * Eustache, O.Min., 1282–1291 * Robert de Harcourt, 1291–1315 * Guillaume de Thieuville, 1315–1345 * Louis Herpin d'Erquery, 1346–1370 * Sylvestre de La Cervelle, 1371–1386 * Nicolas de Tholon (Toulon), 1386–1387 (Avignon Obedience) * Guillaume de Crèvecoeur, 1387–1408

from 1400 to 1600

260px, Bishop Aubert of Avranches (ca. 709) began construction of what became Mont Saint-Michel *Aegidius ( Gilles des Champs), 1408–1413 (Appointed by Alexander V) *

Jean de Marle Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jean ...

, 1414–1418 * Pandolfo Malatesta, 1418–1424, present at the

Council of Constance The Council of Constance was a 15th-century ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance in present-day Germany. The council ended the Western Schism by deposing or accepting the r ...

* Philibert de Montjeu, 1424–1439, present at the

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

* Gilles de Duremort, O.Cist. 1439–1444, judge in the trial of Joan of Arc * Giovanni Castiglione, 1444–1453 * Richard Olivier de Longueil, 1453–1470, made a cardinal in 1456. * Benoît de Montferrand, 1470–1476 *Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, 1476–1477, non-resident, became Pope in 1503. * Galeazzo della Rovere, 1477–1478, non-resident, became

bishop of Agen The Diocese of Agen (Latin: ''Dioecesis Agennensis''; French: ''Diocèse d'Agen'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The Diocese of Agen comprises the ''département'' of Lot-et-Garonne, in t ...

* Geoffroy Herbert, 1478–1510 * Adrien Gouffier de Boissy, 1510–1519, cardinal ** Bernard Dovizi da Bibbiena, 1519–1520, Administrator * René de Bresche de La Trémoïlle, 1519–1529, abbot of Flavigny * Philippe de Cossé–Brissac, 1530–1548, non-resident * Payen Le Sueur d'Esquetot, 1549–1551 * Étienne Martel de Bacqueville, 1552–1560 * Arthur de Cossé–Brissac, 1560–1587 ** Lancelot Goyon de Matignon, 1587–1588, died just ten days after his nomination.

from 1600 to 1854

* Nicolas de Briroy, 1589–1620, consecrated in 1597 **

Guillaume Le Blanc Guillaume may refer to: People * Guillaume (given name), the French equivalent of William * Guillaume (surname) Other uses * Guillaume (crater) See also * '' Chanson de Guillaume'', an 11th or 12th century poem * Guillaume affair, a Cold War ...

, 1621, died before his consecration ** Jacques de Carbonnel, 1621, never consecrated * Nicolas Bourgoin, 1622–1625 * Léonor I Goyon de Matignon, 1627–1646, became

* Claude Auvry, 1646–1658 * Eustache Le Clerc de Lesseville, 1658–1665 * Charles–François de Loménie de Brienne, 1666–1720 * Léonor II Goyon de Matignon, 1721–1757 * Jacques Le Febvre du Quesnoy, 1757–1764 * Ange–François de Talaru de Chalmazel, 1764–1798 **François Bécherel, 1791–1801 (Constitutional Bishop of Manche) * Claude-Louis Rousseau 14 Apr 1802 – 3 Aug 1807 * Pierre Dupont de Poursat 3 Aug 1807 – 17 Sep 1835. * Louis-Jean-Julien Robiou de la Tréhonnais 1 Feb 1836 – 7 Dec 1852

Bishops of Avranches

*Nepos, (attested 511) *Severus c. 520 *Perpetuus 533–541 *Egidius 549–550 *Paternus, (died 565) *Senator (Saint Sénier), 563 *Saint Leudeuald, Leodovaldus c. 580 *Hildoaldus c. 614– after 627 *Saint Rahentrannus, Ragertran, Ragertrannus (after 681 or 683) * Aubertus, c. 708 *Jean I c. 840 *Ansegardus c. 847–c. 853 *Remedius 855 *Walbert c. 859–c. 862 * Norgod (Norgaud) c. 990–c. 1017 or 1018 * Maugis (Maingise) 1022–c. 1026 * Hugo 1028–c. 1060 *

Jean d'Ivry John of Avranches was bishop of Avranches from 1060 to 1067, and archbishop of Rouen from 1067 to 1079. He was a Normans, Norman churchman, son of Rodulf of Ivry, and brother of Hugh of Bayeux. He appears in the ''Gesta Normannorum Ducum'' of Willi ...

(or de Bayeux) 1060–1067, in 1068

, son of

Rodulf of Ivry Rodulf of Ivry (Rodolf, Raoul, comte d'Ivry) (died c. 1015) was a Norman noble, and regent of Normandy during the minority of Richard II. Life Rodolf was the son of Eperleng, a rich owner of several mills at Vaudreuil, and of his wife Sprota, wh ...

Michael I Michael I may refer to: * Pope Michael I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark in 743–767 * Michael I Rhangabes, Byzantine Emperor (died in 844) * Michael I Cerularius, Patriarch Michael I of Constantin ...

1068–1094 *Turgis (Turgise) 1094–1134 *

Richard de Beaufou Richard de Beaufou (sometimes Richard of Belfou) was a medieval Bishop of Avranches. He was probably related to William de Beaufeu who was Bishop of Norwich The Bishop of Norwich is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich ...

1134–1142 *Richard de Subligny 1142–1153 *Herbert II 1154–1161 * Achard of St. Victor 1162–1171 *

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Bat ...

1171–1182 *Guillaume I Bureau 1182–c. 1195 *Guillaume II de Chemillé 1196–1198 *Guillaume III Tollerment 1199–1210 *Guillaume IV Bureau 1210–1236 *Guillaume V de Saint-Mère-Eglise 1236–1253 *Richard IV L`Ainé 1253–1257 *Guillaume VI 1257–1258 *Richard V L`Anglois 1259–1269 *Raoul de Thiéville 1269–1292 *Geoffroi Boucher 1293–1306 *Nicolas de Luzarches 1307–1311 *Michel II de Pontorson 1311–1312 *Jean III de La Mouche 1312–1327 * Jean IV de Vienne 1328–1331 *Jean V Hautfune 1331–1358 *Foulque Bardoul 1358–1359 *Robert I de La Porte 1359–1379 *Laurent de Faye 1379–1391 (Avignon Obedience) *Jean VI de Saint-Avit 1391–1442 (Avignon Obedience) *Martin Pinard 1442–1458 *Jean VII Bouchard 1458–1484 *Louis de Bourbon-Vendôme 1484–1510 *Louis Herbert 1511–1526 *

Agostino Trivulzio Agostino Trivulzio (c. 1485–1548) was an Italian Cardinal and papal legate. He was from a noble family in Milan, the eighth child of Giovanni Trivulzio di Borgomanero, a Councillor of the Dukes of Milan, and Angela (or Agnolina, or Anna) Marti ...

1526 (administrator) *Jean VIII de Langeac 1526–1532 * Robert Ceneau (Robert Cénalis) 1532–1560 (also

Bishop of Vence The former French Catholic diocese of Vence existed until the French Revolution. Its see was at Vence in Provence, in the modern department of Alpes Maritimes. After the Concordat of 1801, the territory of the diocese passed to the diocese of N ...

and

Bishop of Riez The former French Catholic diocese of Riez existed at least from fifth century Gaul to the French Revolution. Its see was at Riez, in the modern department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. History According to an unsupported tradition, the establishm ...

) *Antoine Le Cirier 1561–1575 *Augustin Le Cirier 1575–1580 *Georges de Péricard 1583–1587 *François de Péricard 1588–1639 *Charles Vialart de Saint-Paul 1640–1644 *Roger D'Aumont 1645–1651 *Gabriel Boislève 1652–1657 *Gabriel-Philippe de Froulay de Tessé 1668–1689 **

Fabio Brulart de Sillery Fabio Brulart de Sillery (25 October 1655, château de Pressigny – 20 November 1714, Paris) was a French churchman, bishop of Avranches and bishop of Soissons.''Inventaire, lecture, invention: mélanges de critique et d'histoire''. Bernard Beu ...

1689 *

Pierre Daniel Huet P. D. Huetius Pierre Daniel Huet (; la, Huetius; 8 February 1630 – 26 January 1721) was a French churchman and scholar, editor of the Delphin Classics, founder of the Académie de Physique in Caen (1662-1672) and Bishop of Soissons from 1685 t ...

1689–1699 *Roland-François de Kerhoen de Coettenfau 1709–1719 *César Le Blanc, O.C.S.A. 1719–1746 *Pierre-Jean-Baptiste Durand de Missy 1746–1764 *Raimond de Durfort 1764–1766 *Joseph-François de Malide 1766–1774 *Pierre-Augustin Godard de Belbeuf 1774–1790

Bishops of Coutances and Avranches

*Jacques-Louis Daniel, 1854–1862 *Jean-Pierre Bravard, 1862–1875 *Abel-Anastase Germain, 1876–1897 *Joseph Guérard, 1899–1924 *Théophile-Marie Louvard, 1924–1950 * Jean Guyot, 1950–1966. *Joseph Wicquart, 1966–1988 *

Jacques Fihey Jacques Louis Marie Joseph Fihey (1 October 1931 – 12 March 2017) was a French Roman Catholic bishop. Ordained to the priesthood in 1955, Fihey served as auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Marseille, France, from 1977 t ...

, 1989–2006 *

Stanislas Lalanne Monsignor Stanislas Marie Georges Jude Lalanne (born 3 August 1948 in Metz) is a French Roman Catholic bishop. From 2007 to 2013 he was Bishop of Coutances-et-Avranches. On 31 January 2013 he was appointed Bishop of Pontoise. See also * Cat ...

, 2007–2012; * Laurent Le Boulc'h,Le Boulc'h was born at Loudeac (Côtes-d'Armor), the son of a supermarket manager, and studied at the Seminary in Vannes. He engaged in theological studies at the Institut Catholique de Paris (1991-1993), from which he obtained a Canonical Licenciate in theology. He was episcopal vicar for youth, and other allied services (1993-2005). In 2005 he was named curate of the parish of Lannion. He was Secretary General of the diocesan priests' council (2005-2013). Diocèse de Coutances
Le parcours de Mgr Laurent le Boulc'h
(in French), retrieved: 2017-01-15. 2013−present

Notes

Bibliography

Reference works

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

Studies

* * * * * * * * * (Avranches) * * *

External links

* Centre national des Archives de l'Église de France
''L'Épiscopat francais depuis 1919''
, retrieved: 2016-12-24.

from the

Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Diocese Of Coutances

Dioceses established in the 4th century Manche 4th-century establishments in Roman Gaul