Manassès de Pougy ( – 11 June 1190) was a member of a powerful family in

Champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

, France, who was

Bishop of Troyes The Diocese of Troyes (Latin: ''Dioecesis Trecensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Troyes'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Troyes, France. The diocese now comprises the ''département'' of Aube. Erecte ...

from 1181 to 1190. He defended the rights of religious orders, and was a benefactor of the

Troyes Cathedral Troyes Cathedral () is a Catholic church, dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul, located in the town of Troyes in Champagne, France. It is the episcopal seat of the Bishop of Troyes. The cathedral, in the Gothic architectural style, has been ...

Early years

Manassès de Pougy was born in Pougy around 1130. He came from a branch of the same family as Bishop Manassès I d'Arcis, which included the counts of Arcis, Ramerupt and Pougy, the most powerful lords of the province after the

Count of Champagne The count of Champagne was the ruler of the County of Champagne from 950 to 1316. Champagne evolved from the County of Troyes in the late eleventh century and Hugh I was the first to officially use the title count of Champagne. Count Theobal ...

. He studied at the school attached to the

. He was canon of Troyes, then was made grand-archdeacon of Troyes in 1167 under Bishop Henry of Carinthia. He was probably the same as Manassès de Pougy, provost of Saint-Etienne de Troyes.

Bishop

Manassès succeeded Bishop Matthieu, who died in 1180. He devoted much effort to ecclesiastical discipline, enriched the monasteries and chapters and gave to the poor. He was very generous to the Chapter of Saint-Nicolas, which his family had founded in Pougy.

Pope Lucius III Pope Lucius III ( – 25 November 1185), born Ubaldo Allucingoli, reigned as head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 September 1181 to his death in 1185. Born to an aristocratic family in Lucca, prior to being elected p ...

(–85) confirmed his defense of the religious orders of the diocese of Troyes in the exercise of their special rights. He forbade the vicars of the parishes to bury the inhabitants of other parishes except in special circumstances. On 23 July 1188, during the Troyes Fairs, most of the buildings of the city were destroyed by a violent fire, including the cathedral and the Abbey of Notre Dame aux Nonnains. Several nuns died and all the archives were lost.

Henry II, Count of Champagne Henry II of Champagne or Henry I of Jerusalem (29 July 1166 – 10 September 1197) was the count of Champagne from 1181 and the king of Jerusalem ''jure uxoris'' from his marriage to Queen Isabella I in 1192 until his death in 1197. Early li ...

(1166–97) rebuilt the abbey, and Bishop Manassès renewed the privileges of the nuns. Manassès died in Troyes on 11 June 1190 and was buried in the Cathedral, of which he had been one of the main benefactors. He was the uncle of Ode de Pougy, abbess of Notre-Dame-aux-Nonnains from 1264 to 1272. She was known for her resistance to the construction of the Church of St Urbain.

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* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Manasses II de Pougy 1130s births 1190 deaths Bishops of Troyes People from Aube