The former

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Diocese of Ypres, in present-day

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, existed from 1559 to 1801.Ypres_(Ieper)_(Diocese)_[Catholic-Hierarchy]
/ref>_Its_seat_was_Saint_Martin's_Cathedral.html" ;"title="atholic-Hierarchy]">Ypres (Ieper) (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]
/ref> Its seat was Saint Martin's Cathedral">atholic-Hierarchy]">Ypres (Ieper) (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]
/ref> Its seat was Saint Martin's Cathedral in Ypres. In 1969 it was reconstituted as a titular see.

History

The diocese was originally part of the Diocese of Thérouanne, which had been established in the 7th or 8th century. In 1553

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Crown of Castile, Castil ...

besiege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characterize ...

d the city of

Thérouanne Thérouanne (; vls, Terenburg; Dutch ''Terwaan'') is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. It is located west of Aire-sur-la-Lys and south of Saint-Omer, on the D 157 and D 341 road junction. Locate ...

, then a French enclave in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

, in revenge for a defeat by the French at

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

. After he captured Thérouanne, he razed the city. In 1557, as a result of the war damage to its see, the diocese was abolished. This led to a reform of sees at the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trento, Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italian Peninsula, Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation ...

and the bishopric of Thérouanne was split between the

Diocese of Saint-Omer The former French Catholic diocese of Saint-Omer existed from 1559 until the French Revolution. Its see at Saint-Omer, in the modern department of Pas-de-Calais, was created as a reaction to the destruction of the see of Thérouanne, by military ...

, the

Diocese of Boulogne The former French Catholic diocese of Boulogne existed from 1567 to the French Revolution. It was created after the diocese of Thérouanne was suppressed because of war damage to the see; effectively this was a renaming. The Concordat of 1801 su ...

and the Diocese of Ypres. With this, Saint Martin's Church was elevated to cathedral status, as it became the see of the new diocese. After 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 ...

between

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

and

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 ...

, Ypres was incorporated into the

Diocese of Ghent The Diocese of Ghent (Latin: ''Dioecesis Gandavensis'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels ...

, and Saint Martin's lost its status as a cathedral.

Cornelius Jansen Cornelius Jansen (, ; Latinized name Cornelius Jansenius; also Corneille Jansen; 28 October 1585 – 6 May 1638) was the Dutch Catholic bishop of Ypres in Flanders and the father of a theological movement known as Jansenism. Biography He wa ...

, the father of the theological movement

Jansenism Jansenism was an early modern theological movement within Catholicism, primarily active in the Kingdom of France, that emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination. It was declared a heresy by t ...

, was Bishop of Ypres from 1635 to 1638.

Bishops

Martin Rythovius Martin Bauwens of Riethoven or Martinus Rythovius (1511 – 9 October 1583) was a Catholic theologian and the first Bishop of Ypres. He was a figure of some spiritual and political significance during the early decades of the Dutch Revolt. Life R ...

1561–1583 *

Petrus Simons Pierre Simons (1538—1605) was a theologian and the second bishop of Ypres. Life Simons was born at Tielt in 1538, to a farming couple, Etienne Simoens and Marie van Slambrouck. A. C. De Schrevel, "Simons, Pierre", ''Biographie Nationale de Belg ...

1584–1605 *

Charles Maes Karel Maes, Latinized Carolus Masius (1559–1612) was bishop of Ypres and later bishop of Ghent in the Habsburg Netherlands.bishop of Ghent The Diocese of Ghent (Latin: ''Dioecesis Gandavensis'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropoli ...

*Jean de Visscher 1611–1613 *Antoine de Haynin 1614–1626 * George Chamberlain 1627–1634 *

(''Jansenius'') 1635–1638 *Josse Bouckaert 1641–1646 *Josse Croy 1647 *

Ambrosius Capello Ambrosius Capello (1597–1676) was the seventh bishop of Antwerp (1654–1676). Life Capello was born in Antwerp on 22 June 1597, the son of an Italian military contractor, Jean-François Capello, and a Netherlandish lady, Marie de Boxhorn. He e ...

1647 (also

bishop of Antwerp The Diocese of Antwerp is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. The diocese was restored in 1961. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brus ...

) *N. 1647 *Jean-François de Robles 1654–1659 *Martin Prats 1665–1671 *

Henri of Halmale Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the 'List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Montm ...

1672–1676 *

Guillaume Herincx Guillaume Herincx (''Willem Herinx''; 1621 – 17 August 1678), was a Belgian Franciscan theologian. He became bishop of Ypres. Life Herincx was born at Helmond, North Brabant. After receiving his preliminary education at 's-Hertogenbosch he en ...

(O.F.M.) 1677-1678 *Jacques de Lière 1679 (not confirmed by the Pope) *Martin de Ratabon 1693–1713, (also

bishop of Viviers The Roman Catholic Diocese of Viviers ( la, Dioecesis Vivariensis; french: Diocèse de Viviers ) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected in the 4th century, the diocese was restored in the Concordat of 1822 ...

) *Ch.-Fr.-Guy de Laval-Montmorency 06/05/1713–26/08/1713 * Jean-Baptiste de Smet 1718–1732 (also

bishop of Ghent The Diocese of Ghent (Latin: ''Dioecesis Gandavensis'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropoli ...

) *Guillaume Delvaux 1732–1761 *Félix-Jo.-Hubert de Wavrans 1762–1784 *Charles-Alexandre D'Arberg 1786–1801, died 1809, last bishop

Titular bishops and archbishops

* Joseph Mees 1969-2001, archbishop, (

Apostolic Nuncio to South Africa The Apostolic Nunciature to South Africa the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to South Africa. It is located Pretoria. The current Apostolic Nuncio is Archbishop Peter Bryan Wells, who was named to the position by Pope Francis on 9 February 2016 ...

1985-1987) *

Gustaaf Joos Gustaaf Joos (; 5 July 1923 – 2 November 2004) was a prelate of the Diocese of Ghent, who was elevated to the Catholic College of Cardinals on 21 October 2003 by Pope John Paul II. Biography He studied with Karol Woytyla in the Belgian Pontif ...

2003-2003, archbishop, (

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

- Deacon of S. Pier Damiani ai Monti di S. Paolo) * Jacques André Blaquart 2006-2010, bishop (auxiliary bishop of Bordeaux,

Bishop of Orléans 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 ...

) * Jean Kockerols 2011-, bishop (auxiliary bishop of Mechelen-Brussels)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diocese Of Ypres

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...