The former French Catholic diocese of Couserans existed perhaps from the fifth century to the French Revolution in the late eighteenth century. It covered the former province of

Couserans 125px, Coat of arms of CouseransCouserans (; Gascon: ''Coserans'' ) is a former county of France located in the Pyrenees mountains. Today Couserans makes up the western half of the Ariège ''département'', around the towns of Saint-Girons and ...

, in south-west France. Its episcopal seat was in

Saint-Lizier Saint-Lizier (; ) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France, situated on the river Salat. History Saint-Lizier has a rich history stretching back to pre Gallo-Roman times. In 72 BC, Pompey, returning from his triumphs i ...

, a small town to the west of Foix. It was 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 the

archdiocese of Auch The Archdiocese of Auch-Condom-Lectoure-Lombez (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Auxitana-Condomiensis-Lectoriensis-Lomberiensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse d'Auch-Condom-Lectoure-Lombez''), more commonly known as the Archdiocese of Auch, is a Latin Churc ...

History

Couserans was the fifth of the ''Novempopulaniae civitates''. In the 580's peace and a division of territories was arranged between the Merovingian kings

Guntram Saint Gontrand ( 532 in Soissons – 28 March 592 in Chalon-sur-Saône), also called Gontran, Gontram, Guntram, Gunthram, Gunthchramn, and Guntramnus, was the king of the Kingdom of Orléans from AD 561 to AD 592. He was the third-eldest and seco ...

(561–592) and

Childebert II Childebert II ( – 596) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia (which included Provence at the time) from 575 until his death in March 596, and the king of Burgundy from 592 to his death, as the adopted son of his uncle Guntram. Childh ...

(575–595), in which the territory of Couserans was assigned to Childebert. According to

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (born ; 30 November – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours during the Merovingian period and is known as the "father of French history". He was a prelate in the Merovingian kingdom, encom ...

, the first bishop was Valerius, before the sixth century. Bishop

Glycerius Glycerius (died after 474) was Roman emperor of the West from 473 to 474. He served as (commander of the palace guard) during the reign of Olybrius (), until Olybrius died in November 472. After a four-month interregnum, Glycerius was procl ...

was present at the

Council of Agde The Council of Agde was a regional synod of Latin liturgical rites, Western Rite Nicene Christianity, Nicene bishops held in September 506 at Agatha or Agde, on the Mediterranean coast east of Narbonne, in the Septimania region of the Visigothic K ...

in 506. According to

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 ...

, he should be identified with

Lycerius Saint Lycerius (sometimes also Glycerius; ; ) (died 548) was a bishop of Couserans in the late 5th and 6th centuries. Bishop Glycerius is recorded as having attended the Council of Agde in 506. After his death in 548 he was buried in what i ...

whom the ''

Gallia Christiana The ''Gallia Christiana'', a type of work of which there have been several editions, is a documentary catalogue or list, with brief historical notices, of all the Catholic dioceses and abbeys of France from the earliest times, also of their occupa ...

'' places later in the list of bishops. Lycerius was

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of St-Lizier, the town in which the bishops of Couserans had their official residence. The historian

Pierre de Marca Pierre de Marca (24 January 1594 – 29 June 1662) was a French bishop and historian, born at Gan in Béarn of a family distinguished in the magistracy. His family was known among judicial circles in the 16th century, and maintained the ...

(1643–52), a native of Béarn and President of the

Parliament of Navarre The Parliament of Navarre ( Spanish ''Parlamento de Navarra'', Basque ''Nafarroako Parlamentua'') or also known as ''Cortes de Navarra'' (in Spanish) or ''Nafarroako Gorteak'' (in Basque) is the Navarre autonomous unicameral parliament. Functi ...

, was subsequently

Bishop of Toulouse The Archdiocese of Toulouse (–Saint Bertrand de Comminges–Rieux) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the Department of Haute-Garonne and its seat is Toulouse Cathedral. Archbi ...

and

Archbishop of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been created i ...

. Up until the administration of Bishop Bernard de Marmiesse (1654–1680), the town of Saint-Lezier had two co-cathedrals, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-la-Sède in the upper town next to the Episcopal Palace, and the Cathedral of St.-Lizier farther down to the south. Each co-cathedral was served by its own Chapter, each Chapter having a

Precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...

, a Sacristan, an ''Operarius'', six Canons, ten Prebendarii and a priest called the Vicar Perpetuus. Over both Chapters stood the Archdeacon and the Aumonier. Bishop de Marmiesse united the two chapters and based them in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-la-Sède; it was composed of the Archdeacon, two Precentors, two Sacristans, two ''Operarii'', the Aumonier, twelve Canons, and two Vicarii perpetui; there were twenty-four prebends. In 1752 there was one dignity and twelve Canons.

Bishops

to 1200

* c. 451: Valerius * 506-c. 548: Glycerius * 549-551: Theodorus * c. 614: Johannes I * Saint Quintianus * † ca. 663: Saint

Licerius Saint Lycerius (sometimes also Glycerius (disambiguation), Glycerius; ; ) (died 548) was a bishop of Couserans in the late 5th and 6th centuries. Bishop Glycerius is recorded as having attended the Council of Agde in 506. After his death in ...

* c. 663 or 664: Sesemundus * Maurolenus * c. 788-c. 791: Francolinus * c. 879: Wainardus * c. 887: Rogerius or Roger I. * 973-978: Bernardus or Bernard I. * c. 1019: Atto * c. 1025: Berengarius or Béranger I. * c. 1035: Bernard II. Raymond * 1068-1078: Pelet * 1078-1085: Vacant * 1085-1095: William I. or Guilielmus * 1117-1120: Jordanes I. * 1120-1155: Petrus or Pierre I. * 1165-1177: Rogerius or Roger II. * c. 1177: Augustinus * Stephanus (?) * c. 1180: Auger I. (or Augerius I.) * 1190-1191: Arnoldus or Arnaldus I. * 1195-1198: Laurentius

1200 to 1400

* 1208-1211: Navarrus d'Acqs * 1213: Sance or Sanchius * c. 1226: Raymond I. (or Raymundus I.) * c. 1229: Cerebrun * 1246–4 October 1270: Nikolaus * c. 1273: Petrus or Pierre II. * ?-16. October 1275: Raymond II. de Sobole or de Saboulies * 1277-c. 1279: Raymond III. de Rostoil * 1279–1 June 1303: Auger II. (or Augustin) de Montfaucon * 1303 - 31 May 1309: Bernard III. de Montaigu * 4 July 1309 - 31 May 1329: Arnaldus II. Fredeti * 27 June 1329 - 17 July 1336: Raymond IV. de Montaigu * 17 July 1336 - c. 1337: Antonius d'Aspel * c. 1337-1342: Pierre III. de Palude * Durandus * 1354–1 December 1358: Canardus * c. 1358-1360 or 1361: Jean II. de Rochechouart * c. 1361–17 October 1362: Béranger II. * 10 December 1362 - 1368: Ponce de Villemur * 19 August 1371 - 18 May 1384:

Amelius de Lautrec Amelius (; ), whose family name was Gentilianus, was a Neoplatonist philosopher and writer of the second half of the 3rd century. Biography Amelius was a native of Apamea or Tuscany.Porphyry, ''Vit. Plotin.'' 7 Originally a student of the works of ...

* 381-1384: Arnaldus III.* 18 May 1384 - 1389: Pierre IV Aymery (Avignon Obedience) * 27 May 1390 – 17 October 1390: Robert du Bosc * 17 October 1390 – 18 September 1405: Gérald or Gérard I de Brolio (de Breuil)

1400 to 1800

* 1405 - 19 Juli 1412: Sicard (or Aicard) de Burguiroles * 23 September 1412 – (17. January): Guillaume III. Beau-Maître * 1417-1423?: Guillaume IV. de Nalajo * 22 December 1423 – 18 May 1425: Arnaldus * 1425-1428: Jean III * 1428-1432: Gérard II. Faidit * before 23 March 1439 - 1440: André * 18 April 1440 - 1443: Jordanes II. d'Aure * 1443-c. 1444: Raymond VI. de Tullio * 1444-1460: Tristan * 5 November 1460 - 10 March 1475: Guiscard d'Aubusson * 1480-1515: Jean IV. d'Aule * 25 June 1515 - 24 April 1523: Charles de Grammont * 28 April 1523 - 19 September 1524: Gabriel I. de Grammont * 1524-1548: Ménald de Martory * 1548-1574: Hector d'Ossun * 1581-1584: François Bonard * 1593-1612: Jérôme de Langue (de Lingua) * 1614–14. November 1621: Octave de Bellegarde * 7 June 1623 - October 1642: Bruno Ruade, O.Cart. * 1642-1654:

* 28 May 1654 - 22 January 1680: Bernard IV. de Marmiesse * 1680 - 24 December 1707: Gabriel II. de Saint-Estève * 24 June 1708 - October 1725: Isaac-Jacob de Verthamont * 12 January 1727 - 1752: Jean-François de Machéco de Prémeaux * 22 October 1752 - 28 September 1779: Joseph de Saint-André-Marnays de Vercel * 1780 - 1795: Dominique de LasticDominique de Lastic was born at Saint-Chatély in the diocese of Mende, and obtained a Licenciate in theology from the University of Paris. He was the nephew of Antoine de Lastic Bishop of Comminges (1740–1763). For twelve years he served as a Vicar General of Rouen. He was nominated bishop of Couserans on 3 October 1779 by

King 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 (son and heir-apparent of King Louis XV), and Mari ...

, and approved (preconized) 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 ...

on 13 December 1779. He died in exile in Münster on 3 March 1795. Jean, p. 79. Ritzler, VI, p. 179 with note 3; 181.

References

Bibliography

Reference works

* pp. 540–541. (Use with caution; obsolete) * (in Latin) pp. 103–104. * (in Latin) p. 134. * p. 176. * p. 160. * p. 169. * p. 179. *

Studies

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Couserans Former Roman Catholic dioceses in France Dioceses established in the 5th century