The Diocese of Fréjus–Toulon (

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 Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Dioecesis Foroiuliensis–Tolonensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Fréjus–Toulon'') is a

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 ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in southeastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

on the Mediterranean coast. The present diocese comprises the territory of the ancient Diocese of Fréjus as well as that of the ancient

Diocese of Toulon The former France, French Roman Catholic Diocese of Toulon existed until the Concordat of 1801. Its seat was in Toulon. Bishops To 1000 * c. 451: Honoratus * † c. 472: Saint Gratien * 524–549: Cyprian of Toulon, Cyprian * 549–c. 554: Pall ...

. In 1957 it was renamed the Diocese of Fréjus–Toulon. Under the

Civil Constitution of the Clergy The Civil Constitution of the Clergy () was a law passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution, that sought the Caesaropapism, complete control over the Catholic Church in France by the National Constituent Assembly (France), French gove ...

the ''département'' of Var constituted a diocese, absorbing the former ancient dioceses of

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

, Fréjus,

Grasse Grasse (; Provençal dialect, Provençal in classical norm or in Mistralian norm ; traditional ) is the only Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur Re ...

and

Vence Vence (; ) is a commune set in the hills of the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France, north of Nice and Antibes on the Mediterranean coast. Ecclesiastical history The first known Bishop ...

. It was suppressed by the

Concordat of 1801 The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between the First French Republic and the Holy See, signed by First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII on 15 July 1801 in Paris. It remained in effect until 1905, except in Alsace–Lorraine, ...

, re-established ineffectually by that of 1817, and definitively established in 1823, when its assigned territory comprised once more the whole ''département'' of Var. A

Papal Brief A papal brief or breve (from the Latin "''breve'', meaning "short") is a formal document emanating from the pope. History The introduction of briefs, which occurred at the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Eugene IV (3 March 1431 – 23 Februa ...

of 1852 authorized the bishop to assume the title of Bishop of Fréjus and Toulon. It was and has remained 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 Aix-en-Provence and Arles, The arrondissement of Grasse until 1860 belonged to the ''département'' of Var, when it was annexed to that of the

Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; ; ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the France–Italy border, Italian border and Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'A ...

. In 1886 it was separated from Fréjus and attached to the

Diocese of Nice The Diocese of Nice (Latin: ''Dioecesis Nicensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Nice'') is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the Department of Alpes-Maritimes. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Ma ...

. Since 7 January 2025, the Bishop of Fréjus–Toulon has been Bishop François Touvet.

History

Christianity would seem to have been introduced into

Fréjus Fréjus (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (department), Var Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, Var, Saint-Raphaël ...

in the fourth century. In 374 a certain Acceptus, who had just been elected to the See of Fréjus, falsely declared himself guilty of some crimes in order to rid himself of the episcopal dignity. At the Council of Valence, which met in July of 374, he begged the Church to name another in his place. The Council decided that his actions made it inappropriate for him to be consecrated a bishop. Fréjus was completely destroyed by the Saracens in the early tenth century. It was Bishop Riculfus who began the reconstruction of the cathedral. The following are named among the bishops of this see: * Raymond Berengarius (1235–1248), who arranged the marriage of Beatrice, daughter of the

Count of Provence The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

, with

Charles of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 a ...

* Jacques d'Euse (1300–1310), preceptor of St. Louis of Toulouse, and later pope under the name of John XXII * Cardinal Nicolò Fieschi (1495–1524), who at the time of his death was dean of the Sacred College (in 1524, from 20 May to 14 June) *

André-Hercule de Fleury André-Hercule de Fleury (22 June or 26 June 165329 January 1743) was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon, Bishop of Fréjus and as the chief minister of Louis XV. He was cre ...

(1698–1715).

Bishops

To 1000

* before 419 – 433:

Leontius Leontius (; died 15 February 706) was Byzantine emperor from 695 to 698. Little is known of his early life, other than that he was born in Isauria in Asia Minor. He was given the title of ''patrikios'', and made ''strategos'' of the Anatolic T ...

* 433–455: Theodorus * 463–465: Asterius * 475?: Auxilius * 484?–506: Victorinus * ? 524: Joannes (Jean, John) * 527–529: Lupercianus * 541: Dionysius (Didier) * 549–554: Expectatus * 582: Epiphanius * 636: Martin * ... * 909–911: Benedict * 949–952: Gontar * 973–1000?: Riculfus

1000 to 1300

* 1010–1044: Gaucelme * 1044–1091: Bertrand * 1091–1131: Berenger * 1131–1145: Bertrand II. * 1154–1157: Pierre de Montlaur * 1166–1198: Fredol d'Anduze * 1198–1202:

Guillaume du Pont Guillaume may refer to: People * Guillaume (given name), the French equivalent of William * Guillaume (surname), the French equivalent of Williams Places * Guillaume (crater), Moon, Earth-Moon System, Solar System * Guillaumes, Vence, Nice, Alpes ...

* 1203–1206: Raimond de Capella * 1206–1212: Bermond Cornut * 1212?–1215:

Raimond de Puyricard Raimond is both a masculine given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Raimond Aumann (born 1963), German footballer *Raimond Beccarie de Pavie, Seigneur de Fourquevaux (1508–1574), French soldier, politician a ...

* 1220: Olivier * 1224–1233?: Bertrand III. de Favas * 1235–1248: Raimond Berenguer * 1248–1264:

Bertrand de Saint-Martin Bertrand de Saint-Martin (died 28 or 29 March 1278) was a French cardinal. He was born in Arles. Career in the Church He entered the Order of Benedictines and by 1238 was dean of the abbey of Saint-André de Villeneuve at Avignon. In 1248 he wa ...

* 1264–1266: Pierre de Camaret * 1267–1280?:

Guillaume de la Fonte Guillaume may refer to: People * Guillaume (given name), the French equivalent of William * Guillaume (surname), the French equivalent of Williams Places * Guillaume (crater), Moon, Earth-Moon System, Solar System * Guillaumes, Vence, Nice, Alpes ...

* 1280?–1299: Bertrand V. Comarque

1300 to 1500

* 1300–1310: Jacques Arnaud Duèze, later Pope John XXII * 1318–1318: Bertrand VI. d'Aimini * 1318–1340: Barthélémy Grassi * 1340–1343: Jean d'Arpadelle * 4 June 1343 – 14 March 1346: Guillaume d'Aubussac * 7 April 1346 – 1348: Pierre Alamanni * 1348: Pierre du Pin (''electus'': transferred to Viterbo 10 December 1348) * 2 March 1349 – 9 June 1360: Guillaume Amici (administrator) (also Bishop of Apt and

Bishop of Chartres The oldest known list of bishops of Chartres is found in an 11th-century manuscript of Trinity Abbey, Vendôme. It includes 57 names from Adventus (Saint Aventin) to Aguiertus (Agobert) who died in 1060. The most well-known list is included in the ...

) * 1360–1361: Pierre Artaudi * 1361–1364:

Guillaume de Ruffec Guillaume may refer to: People * Guillaume (given name), the French equivalent of William * Guillaume (surname), the French equivalent of Williams Places * Guillaume (crater), Moon, Earth-Moon System, Solar System * Guillaumes, Vence, Nice, Alpes ...

* 1364–1371: Raimond Daconis * 1371–1385: Bertrand de Villemus * 1385: Emanuel * 3 August 1385 – 13 April 1405: Louis de Bouillac * 9 September 1409 – 1 February 1422: Gilles Le Jeune * 1422–1449?: Jean Bélard * 1449–1452: Jacques Juvénal des Ursins * 1452–1453:

Jacques Séguin Jacques or Jacq are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over one hundred identified noble families related t ...

* 1453–1455: Guillaume d'Estaing * 1455–1462:

Jean du Bellay Jean du Bellay (1492 – 16 February 1560) was a French diplomat and cardinal, a younger brother of Guillaume du Bellay, and cousin and patron of the poet Joachim du Bellay. He was bishop of Bayonne by 1526, a member of the ''Conseil privé'' ...

* 1462–1472:

Léon Guérinet Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...

* 1472: Réginald d'Angline * 1472–1485: Urbano Fieschi (senior) * 15 March 1485 – 1487:

Niccolò Fieschi Niccolò Fieschi (Genoa, c. 1456 – Rome, 1524) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal,From 1503; bishop of Albano 1518, bishop of Sabina 1521, bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina 1523, bishop of Ostia 1524. of the prominent family of ...

(transferred to

Agde Agde (; ) is a commune in the southern French department of Hérault. It is the Mediterranean port of the Canal du Midi. It is situated on an ancient basalt volcano, hence the name "Black Pearl of the Mediterranée". Location Agde is locate ...

) * 17 September 1487 – 26 November 1494:

Rostan d'Ancesune Rostan is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Georges Rostan (1938–2020), French actor * Léon Rostan (1790–1866), French doctor * Marc Rostan (born 1963), French racing driver See also

*Rostagnus, for the given n ...

(transferred to Embrun) * 25 February 1495 – 1511:

1500 to 1800

Under Louis XIV, who enjoyed the right to nominate bishops to all French sees with the exception of Metz, Verdun and Toul, the See of Fréjus was often an early stepping-stone for careers of clerics whose ambitions lay elsewhere. * 5 November 1511 – 23 January 1523:

Urbano Fieschi (junior) Urbano may refer to: * Urbano (album), ''Urbano'' (album), a 2002 album by Elvis Crespo * Urbano music, an umbrella term for certain genres of Latin music People with the given name * Urbano José Allgayer (born 1924), Brazilian prelate of the Ro ...

nephew of Cardinal Niccolò Fieschi * 1524 – 15 June 1424: Cardinal Niccolò Fieschi * 1524–1534: Franciot des Ursins * 1525–1564: Léon des Ursins * 1565–1579: Bertrand de Romans * 1579–1591: François de Bouliers * 1591–1599?:

Gérard Bellenger Gérard (French language, French: ) is a French masculine given name and surname of Germanic languages, Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other Germanic name, early Germanic names, it is ...

* 1599–1637: Barthélémy Camelin * 1637–1654:

Pierre Camelin Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

* 1658–1674:

Zongo Ondedei Zongo may refer to: Places *Zongo, Sud-Ubangi (DR Congo), a town in Democratic Republic of the Congo *Zongo, Kongo Central DRC, a town in Kongo Central, Democratic Republic of the Congo; see Congo River *Zongo (crater), an impact crater in the Arg ...

* 1676–1678: Antoine de Clermont * 1679–1680: Louis d'Anglure de Bourlemont * 1681–1697: Luc d'Aquin * 1697–1699: Louis d'Aquin * 1699–1715:

(1. November 1698 bis 3. Mai 1715) * 1715–1739: Pierre de Castellane * 1739–1765: Martin du Bellay * 1766–1801:

Emmanuel de Bausset Immanuel or Emmanuel (, "God swith us"; Koine Greek: ) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the House of David. The Gospel of Matthew ( Matthew 1:22 –23) interprets this as a prophecy of ...

** 1791–1799: Jean-Joseph Rigouard (Constitutional Bishop of Var)

From 1800

* ''Suppressed 1801–1822'' * Charles-Alexandre de Richery (8 August 1817 – 8 February 1829) (also

Archbishop of Aix The Archdiocese of Aix-en-Provence and Arles (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Aquensis in Gallia et Arelatensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse d'Aix-en-Provence et Arles''; Occitan Provençal: ''Archidiocèsi de Ais de Provença e Arle'' or ''Archidioucès ...

) * Louis-Charles-Jean-Baptiste Michel (16 April 1829 – 22 February 1845) * Casimir-Alexis-Joseph Wicart (29 March 1845 – 3 July 1855) (also Bishop of Laval) * Joseph-Antoine-Henri JordanyEspitalier (1904), pp. 94-96. (6 November 1855 – March 1876) * Joseph-Sébastien-Ferdinand Terris (17 March 1876 – 8 April 1885) * Fédéric-Henri Oury (2 March 1886 – 3 June 1890) (also Bishop of Dijon) * Eudoxe-Irénée-Edouard Mignot (3 June 1890 – 7 December 1899) (auch Archbishop of Albi) * Aloys-Joseph-Eugène Arnaud (7 December 1899 – 17 June 1905) * Félix-Adolphe-Camille-Jean-Baptiste Guillibert (21 February 1906 – 31 May 1926) * Auguste-Joseph-Marie Simeone (30 July 1926 – 22 October 1940) *

Auguste Joseph Gaudel Auguste may refer to: People Surname * Arsène Auguste (1951–1993), Haitian footballer * Donna Auguste (born 1958), African-American businesswoman * Georges Auguste (born 1933), Haitian painter * Henri Auguste (1759–1816), Parisian gol ...

(24 September 1941 – 30 June 1960) * Henri-Louis-Marie Mazerat (30 July 1960 – 11 December 1961) (also

Bishop of Angers The Diocese of Angers (Latin: ''Dioecesis Andegavensis''; French: ''Diocèse d'Angers'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The episcopal see is located in Angers Cathedral in the city of Angers. The diocese extends ov ...

) * Gilles-Henri-Alexis Barthe (4 May 1962 – 8 February 1983) * Joseph Théophile Louis Marie Madec (8 February 1983 – 16 May 2000) * Dominique Rey (16 May 2000 – 7 January 2025) * François Touvet (10 December 2023 (as coadjutor), 7 January 2025 – present)

Saints

The Island of Lérins, well known as the site of the celebrated monastery founded there in 410, was sold in 1859 by the bishop of Fréjus to an English purchaser. A number of the saints of Lérins are especially honoured in the diocese. Among them are Sts.

Honoratus Honoratus (; – 6 January 429) was the founder of Lérins Abbey who later became an early Archbishop of Arles. He is honored as a saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. Life Honoratus was born in the north of Gaul to a consular ...

, Caesarius, Hilary, and Virgilius, all of whom became

archbishop of Arles The former French Catholic Archbishopric of Arles had its episcopal seat in the city of Arles, in southern France. At the apex of the delta (Camargue) of the Rhone River, some 40 miles from the sea, Arles grew under Liburnian, Celtic, and Punic in ...

; Quinidius,

Bishop of Vaison The Diocese of Vaison () was a Roman Catholic diocese in France, suppressed in 1801, with its territory transferred to the Diocese of Avignon. It had been one of nine dioceses in the ecclesiastical province presided over by the archbishop of Arles ...

; Valerius,

Bishop of Nice The Diocese of Nice (Latin: ''Dioecesis Nicensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Nice'') is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the Department of Alpes-Maritimes. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Ma ...

; Maximus, Bishop of Riez; Veranus and Lambertus, both

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 ...

;

Vincent of Lérins Vincent of Lérins (; died ) was a Gallic monk and author of early Christian writings. One example was the '' Commonitorium'', c.434, which offers guidance in the orthodox teaching of Christianity. Suspected of semi-Pelagianism, he opposed ...

, author of the ''Commonitorium'', and his brother

Lupus Lupus, formally called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Common ...

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 ...

;

Agricola Agricola, the Latin word for farmer, may also refer to: People Cognomen or given name :''In chronological order'' * Gnaeus Julius Agricola (40–93), Roman governor of Britannia (AD 77–85) * Sextus Calpurnius Agricola, Roman governor of the m ...

Bishop 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 department ...

; Aigulphus and

Porcarius Porcarius ( or ''Porchaire'') is the Latin word for "swineherd" and was occasionally used as a masculine given name in the early Middle Ages. Since ''porcarii'' were often slaves, "only elite couples amed their children Porcarius and they probab ...

, martyrs; St. Tropesius, martyr during the persecution of

Emperor Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until hi ...

; St.

Louis of Toulouse Saint Louis of Toulouse (9 February 1274 – 19 August 1297), also known as Louis of Anjou, was a Neapolitan prince of the Capetian House of Anjou and a Catholic bishop. Life Louis was born in Brignoles, Provence (or in Italy, at Nocera, whe ...

(1274–1297), a native of

Brignoles Brignoles (; ) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. Alongside Draguignan, it is one of two subprefectures in Var. It was the summer residence of the counts of Provence; their ...

, in the

, and later

Archbishop 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. Archb ...

; and the virgin St. Roseline, prioress of the monastery of La Celle-Roubaud, who died in 1329, and whose shrine, situated at Les Arcs near Draguignan, has been for six centuries a place of pilgrimage, are likewise especially honoured in the diocese. The sojourn in 1482 of St. Francis of Paola at Bormes and at Fréjus, where he caused the cessation of the plague, made a lasting impression.

References

Bibliography

Reference works

* * pp. 551–552. (Use with caution; obsolete) * (in Latin) p. 252. * (in Latin) p. 155. * p. 197-198. * pp. 189. * pp. 203–204. * p. 218.

Studies

* * second edition (in French) * * * * *Font-Réaulx, J. de. ''La carte et la structure: Les évéques de Fréjus du VIe au XIIIe siècle'' *

External links

* Centre national des Archives de l'Église de France
''L'Épiscopat francais depuis 1919''
, retrieved: 2016-12-24. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frejus-Toulon, Roman Catholic Diocese of Frejus Var (department) 1801 disestablishments in France Frejus-Toulon Frejus-Toulon 1817 establishments in France