French
Ancien Régime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for " ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
** Ancien Régime in France
{{disambig ...
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, prov ...
s and ecclesiastical provinces were heirs of Late Roman
civitates (themselves created out of
Gaul
Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...
ish tribes) and provinces.
Historical sketch
Most of them were created during the first Christianization of Gaul, in the 3rd to 5th centuries.
But, at several occasions during the Middle Ages or the Ancien Régime, new dioceses were created, replacing older ones or carved out of them. For instance, the
Albigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade (), also known as the Cathar Crusade (1209–1229), was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, what is now southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted pri ...
entailed the creation of many new dioceses in the early 14th century. All the same, in 1789, on the eve of the
French Revolution, the ecclesiastical map of France still very much recalled that of
Roman Gaul
Roman Gaul refers to GaulThe territory of Gaul roughly corresponds to modern-day France, Belgium and Luxembourg, and adjacent parts of the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany. under provincial rule in the Roman Empire from the 1st century B ...
. This explains why many dioceses and provinces did not coincide with French borders, with their head cities lying in present-day
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
or
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
.
In 1790, this map was entirely revised to fit the new administrative map: dioceses were now to coincide with
départements (the new administrative units). Ancien Régime dioceses all disappeared, then, in 1790. Many former bishoprics remained heads of the new dioceses, but many cities lost their bishop. Even so, in those cities, the former cathedral very often kept its rank as a cathedral church. This explains why many post-Revolutionary episcopal sees bear the name of several cities. For instance, in the département of the
Drôme
Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019. , only the city of
Valence retained its bishop, the former episcopal sees of Die and Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux being suppressed, but the bishop retained the title of bishop of Valence, Die and Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux.
Here follows a list of Ancien Régime dioceses, as of 1789, on the eve of the Revolution. With the exception of those dioceses which were created in the Late Roman period (before the 6th century), whose date of creation generally cannot be established, we provide the date of creation and, when appropriated of suppression of the bishopric. Dioceses whose sees were not within the borders of the kingdom of France are in brackets.
Listing of dioceses by church province
Province of Aix (Narbonensis Secunda)
*
Archdiocese of Aix
*
Diocese of Apt
The former French Catholic diocese of Apt, in southeast France, existed from the fourth century until the French Revolution. By the Concordat of 1801, it was suppressed, and its territory was divided between the diocese of Digne and the dioces ...
*
Diocese of Fréjus
*
Diocese of Gap
*
Diocese of Riez
*
Diocese of Sisteron
Province of
Arles
Arles ( , , ; ; Classical ) is a coastal city and Communes of France, commune in the South of France, a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Reg ...
(Viennensis Secunda)
*
Archdiocese of Arles
*
Diocese of Marseille
*
Diocese of Orange
*
Diocese of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux
*
Diocese of Toulon
out of which (1475):
Province of
Avignon
Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...
*
Archdiocese of Avignon
The Archdiocese of Avignon (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Avenionensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse d'Avignon'') is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese exercises jurisdiction over the territory embraced by the departmen ...
— became a metropolitan see in 1475.
*
Diocese of Carpentras
*
Diocese of Cavaillon
*
Diocese of Vaison
Province of Auch (Novempopulania)
*
Archdiocese of Auch — became head of the province between 7th and 9th century, following the demise of the former
metropolitan see of Eauze
*
Diocese of Aire
*
Diocese of Bazas
*
Diocese of Dax
The Diocese of Dax, Landes, Dax or Acqs was a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Gascony in south-west France. According to tradition it was established in the 5th century. It was suppressed after the French Revolution, by the Concordat ...
, out of which:
**
Diocese of Bayonne — created late 8th century.
*
Diocese of Lectoure
*
Diocese of Lescar
*
Diocese of Oloron
*
Diocese of Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges
*
Diocese of Saint-Lizier
*
Diocese of Tarbes
Province of
Besançon
Besançon (, ; , ; archaic ; ) is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerland.
Capi ...
(Maxima Sequanorum)
*
Archdiocese of Besançon
*
Diocese of Basel
*
Diocese of Belley — moved to Belley in 537 (former see in
Nyon).
*
Diocese of Lausanne
Province of
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
(Aquitania Secunda)
*
Archdiocese of Bordeaux
The Archdiocese of Bordeaux (–Bazas) (Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Lati ...
*
Diocese of Agen
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 ...
, out of which:
**
Diocese of Condom — Created 1317.
*
Diocese of Angoulême
*
Diocese of Périgueux, out of which:
**
Diocese of Sarlat — Created 1317.
*
Diocese of Poitiers, out of which:
**
Diocese of Luçon — Created 1317.
**
Diocese of La Rochelle — Created in 1317 with its see in
Maillezais. Was moved to La Rochelle in 1648.
*
Diocese of Saintes
Province of
Bourges
Bourges ( ; ; ''Borges'' in Berrichon) is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre (Cher), Yèvre. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Cher (department), Cher, and also was the capital city of the former provin ...
(Aquitania Prima)
*
Archdiocese of Bourges
*
Diocese of Clermont, out of which:
**
Diocese of Saint-Flour — Created 1317.
*
Diocese of Limoges, out of which:
**
Diocese of Tulle — Created 1317.
*
Diocese of Le Puy
out of which (1678):
Province of
Albi
Albi (; ) is a commune in France, commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department, on the river Tarn (river), Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ...
*
Archdiocese of Albi — became a metropolitan see in 1678. Out of which:
**
Diocese of Castres — created 1317.
*
Diocese of Cahors
*
Diocese of Mende — moved to Mende in the 6th century (former see was in
Javols).
*
Diocese of Rodez, out of which:
**
Diocese of Vabres — created 1317.
Province of Embrun (Alpes Maritimæ)
*
Archdiocese of Embrun
*
Diocese of Digne
*
Diocese of Entrevaux — Actually in the hamlet of Glandèves.
*
Diocese of Grasse — Moved to Grasse in 1244 (former see in
Antibes
Antibes (, , ; ) is a seaside city in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in Southeastern France. It is located on the French Riviera between Cannes and Nice; its cape, the Cap d'Antibes, along with Cap Ferrat in Saint-Jean-Ca ...
. Belonged to the province of Aix-en-Provence down to 1057.
*
Diocese of Nice
*
Diocese of Senez
*
Diocese of Vence
Province of
Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
(Province created in 1133: Northern Corsican sees belonged to this province)
*Diocese of Mariana — The bishop resides in
Bastia
Bastia ( , , , ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest popu ...
*
Diocese of Nebbio — The bishop resides in
Saint-Florent
Province of
Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
(Lugdunensis Prima)
*
Archdiocese of Lyon, out of which:
**
Diocese of Saint-Claude — Created 1742.
*
Diocese of Autun
*
Diocese of Langres, out of which:
**
Diocese of Dijon
The Archdiocese of Dijon (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Divionensis''; French language, French: ''Archidiocèse de Dijon'') is a Latin Church, Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archepiscopal see is Dijon Cathedral, which is located in ...
— Created 1731.
*
Diocese of Chalon-sur-Saône
*
Diocese of Mâcon
Province of
Mainz
Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
(Germania Prima)
*
Diocese of Speyer
*
Diocese of Strasbourg
*other dioceses wholly in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
Province of
Narbonne
Narbonne ( , , ; ; ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and was ...
(Narbonensis Prima)
*
Archdiocese of Narbonne, out of which:
**
Diocese of Alet — Created 1317.
**
Diocese of Carcassonne — Created late 6th century.
**
Diocese of Montpellier — Created late 6th century. Moved to Montpellier in 1536 (former see in
Maguelonne).
**
Diocese of Perpignan — Created late 6th century. Moved to Perpignan in 1602 (former see in
Elne).
**
Diocese of Saint-Pons — Created 1317.
*
Diocese of Agde
*
Diocese of Béziers
*
Diocese of Lodève
*
Diocese of Nîmes, out of which:
**
Diocese of Alès — Created 1694
*
Diocese of Uzès
out of which (1317):
Province of
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
*
Archdiocese of Toulouse — Became a metropolitan see in 1317. Out of which:
**
Diocese of Lavaur — Created 1317
**
Diocese of Lombez — Created 1317
**
Diocese of Montauban — Created 1317
**
Diocese of Pamiers — Created 1295, out of which:
***
Diocese of Mirepoix — Created 1317
***
Diocese of Rieux — Created 1317
**
Diocese of Saint-Papoul — Created 1317
Province of
Reims
Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...
(Belgica Secunda)
*
Archdiocese of Reims, out of which
**
Diocese of Laon — Created late 5th century.
*
Diocese of Amiens
*
Diocese of Beauvais
*
Diocese of Châlons-en-Champagne
*
Diocese of Senlis
*
Diocese of Soissons
*
Diocese of Noyon
*
Diocese of Thérouanne — Suppressed 1553, out of which:
**
Diocese of Boulogne — Created 1567.
**
Diocese of Saint-Omer — Created 1559.
out of which (1559):
Province of
Cambrai
Cambrai (, ; ; ), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Escaut river.
A sub-pref ...
*
Archdiocese of Cambrai — Became a metropolitan see in 1559.
*
Diocese of Arras
*
Diocese of Tournai
*other dioceses in present-day
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, created in 1559.
Province of
Mechelen
Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...
/Malines
*Province and
diocese of Mechelen created in 1559.
**
Diocese of Ypres — Created 1559.
*other dioceses in present-day
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
and the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, created in 1559.
Province of
Pisa
Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
(Province created out of the Province of
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
in 1092: central and Southern Corsican sees belonged to this province)
*
Diocese of Ajaccio
*Diocese of
Aléria — The bishop resides in
Cervione
*Diocese of Sagone — The bishop resides in
Vico
Province of
Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
(Lugdunensis Secunda)
*
Archdiocese of Rouen
*
Diocese of Avranches
*
Diocese of Bayeux
The Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baiocensis et Lexoviensis''; French language, French: ''Diocèse de Bayeux et Lisieux'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is coextensive with the Department of Ca ...
*
Diocese of Coutances
*
Diocese of Évreux
*
Diocese of Lisieux
*
Diocese of Sées
Province of
Tours
Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...
(Lugdunensis Tertia)
*
Archdiocese of Tours
*
Diocese of Angers
*
Diocese of Le Mans
*
Diocese of Nantes
Some dioceses of this province were part, in the 9th and 10th centuries, of an autonomous but
Short-lived Province of Dol
*
Diocese of Dol — Created 6th century, was an autonomous archbishopric for about 1½ centuries after the mid 9th century.
*
Diocese of Quimper — Created 6th century.
*
Diocese of Rennes — Out of which a short-lived diocese of
Redon in the 15th century.
*
Diocese of Saint-Brieuc — Created 6th century.
*
Diocese of Saint-Malo — Moved to Saint-Malo in the 12th century (former see was in
Alet).
*
Diocese of Saint-Pol-de-Léon — Created 6th century.
*
Diocese of Tréguier — Created 6th century.
*
Diocese of Vannes
Province of Sens (Lugdunensis Quarta)
*
Archdiocese of Sens
*
Diocese of Auxerre
*
Diocese of Nevers
*
Diocese of Troyes
out of which (1622):
Province of
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
*
Archdiocese of Paris — Became a metropolitan see in 1622.
*
Diocese of Chartres, out of which:
**
Diocese of Blois — Created 1697.
*
Diocese of Meaux
*
Diocese of Orléans
Province of Tarentaise (Alpes Graiæ et Pœninæ)
*
Archdiocese of Tarentaise — Its see was in
Moûtiers.
*other sees in present-day Italy (
diocese of Aosta) and Switzerland (
diocese of Sion).
Province of
Trier
Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
(Belgica Prima)
*(
Archdiocese of Trier)
*
Diocese of Metz
*
Diocese of Toul, out of which:
**
Diocese of Nancy — Created 1777.
**
Diocese of Saint-Dié — Created 1777.
*
Diocese of Verdun
Province of Vienne (Viennensis Prima)
*
Archdiocese of Vienne
*
Diocese of Die
*
Diocese of Geneva — In the 16th century, following the Reformation, the see was moved to
Annecy
Annecy ( , ; , also ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, regi ...
but kept its name.
*
Diocese of Grenoble
The Diocese of Grenoble–Vienne-les-Allobroges (; ) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in south-eastern France. The diocese, erected in the 4th century as the Diocese of Grenoble, comprises the Departments of France, department of ...
*
Diocese of Maurienne
*
Diocese of Valence
*
Diocese of Viviers
External links
Digital Atlas of Roman and Medieval Civilization(layers Medieval Bishoprics and French dioceses ca. 1000)
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Ancien Regime Dioceses Of France
Dioceses, Ancien Régime
History of Catholicism in France
*