The Diocese of Séez (
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 Sagiensis'';
French: ''Diocèse de Séez'') is a
Latin Church
The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...
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
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 ...
. Originally established in the 3rd century, the diocese encompasses the
department of
Orne
Orne (; or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.[region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...]
of
Normandy
Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy.
Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
. The episcopal see is the
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
in
Sées
Sées () is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France. It is classed as a Petite Cité de Caractère.
Geography
The commune is spread over an area of with a maximum altitude of and minimum of
It lies on the river Orne fr ...
, and the diocese is 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 Rouen
The Archdiocese of Rouen (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rothomagensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rouen'') is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the Archbishop of Rouen's ecclesi ...
.
In 2022, in the Diocese of Séez there was one priest for every 2,836 Catholics.
History
Saint
Ebrulf
Ebrulf (''Evroul, Evroult, Ebrulfus, Ebrulphus'') (517–596) was a Frankish hermit, abbot, and saint.
Life
Ebrulf was of noble birth, born at Bayeux. He was a courtier at the Merovingian court of Childebert I, serving as a cup-bearer to the ...
, a native of the
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 ...
, founded, after 560, several monasteries in the Diocese of Séez; one of them became the important
Abbey of Saint-Martin-de-Séez, which, owing to the influence of its administrator-general,
Cardinal Richelieu
Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...
, the chief Minister of
King Louis XIII
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown.
...
, was reformed in 1636 by the
Benedictines of Saint-Maur.
Richard I of Normandy
Richard I (28 August 932 – 20 November 996), also known as Richard the Fearless (French: ''Richard Sans-Peur''; Old Norse: ''Jarl Rikard''), was the count of Rouen from 942 to 996.Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln, Europäische S ...
(942–996) rebuilt the abbey of Fécamp. In 990,
Bishop Azon (c. 986–1006) consecrated the church of the Abbey of the Trinity at Fécamp. In 1006, he attended a Chapter held at the monastery.
Chapter and cathedral
Bishop Azon (c. 986–1006) began the building of a new cathedral, dedicated to Nôtre-Dame-du-Vivier. In 1045, the old cathedral was burned to the ground, during an attack by the freebooting brothers Richard, Robert and Avesgaud de Soreng. The cathedral of Séez dates from the twelfth century; that of Alençon was begun in the fourteenth. The new cathedral of Séez was begun by Bishop Yves de Bellême (c. 1035–1070). It was consecrated by Bishop Jean (1123–1143) on 21 March 1126. In mid-1802, Cardinal
Giovanni Battista Caprara
Giovanni Battista Caprara Montecuccoli (1733 – 1810) was an Italian statesman and cardinal and archbishop of Milan from 1802 to 1810. As a papal diplomat he served in the embassies in Cologne, Lausanne, and Vienna. As Legate of Pius VII in F ...
, the papal legate in France, without consideration of local sensibilities, changed the dedication of the cathedral to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In 1129, the cathedral Chapter, which was responsible for the service and administration of the cathedral, was reorganized, and changed from secular priests to religious priests following the Rule of Saint Augustine as practiced by the Canons Regular of Saint Victor in Paris. In 1131, the arrangement was approved by
Innocent II
Pope Innocent II (; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as Pope was controversial, and the first eight years o ...
at the Council of Reims. The Chapter was headed by eight dignities (Provost, Cantor, Achdeacon of Séez, Archdeacon Oximensis, Archdeacon Hulmensis, Archdeacon Bellensis, Archdeacon Corbonensis, and the Penitentiary) and sixteen canons (including the Theologus and the Praeceptor).
On 25 May 1199,
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216.
Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...
signed the bull "Quoties a Nobis" for the canons of the cathedral of Séez, confirming all their privileges and possessions in detail.
On 22 November 1547, after striking an agreement with the canons and receiving the permission of King Henri II, Bishop Pierre Duval (1545–1564) replaced the Canons Regular of the cathedral with secular canons. A bull was obtained from
Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III (; ; born Alessandro Farnese; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549.
He came to the papal throne in an era follo ...
, "Clementia ejus" dated 19 November 1547, ratifying the agreement.
A provincial council of Normandy was held on 1 October 1196, in which Bishop Lisiard of Séez participated.
La Trappe
in fulfillment of a vow,
Count Rotrou II of Perche established in 1122, at
Soligny, the
Abbey of La Trappe, in favour of which
bulls
Bulls may refer to:
*The plural of bull, an adult male bovine
* Bulls, New Zealand, a small town in the Rangitikei District
Sports
*Bucking bull, used in the sport of bull riding
*Bulls (rugby union), a South African rugby union franchise operated ...
were issued by
Pope Eugene III
Pope Eugene III (; c. 1080 – 8 July 1153), born Bernardo Pignatelli, or possibly Paganelli, called Bernardo da Pisa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1145 to his death in 1153. He was the first Cist ...
("Apostolici moderaminis," 7 June 1147),
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181.
A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a Papal election, ...
("Religiosam Vitam," 18 December 1173) and
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216.
Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...
("Non absque dolore," 30 October 1203). In 1214, Bishop Sylvester (1202–1220) assisted Archbishop Robert of Rouen in the dedication of the abbey church of La Trappe.
A printing press was established in the diocese at Alençon in 1530, by Simon Dubois, soon joined by another by Robert Malassis.
Protestants
Bishop Pierre Duval (1545–1564) attended the
Colloquy of Poissy
The Colloquy at Poissy was a religious conference which took place in Poissy, France, in 1561. Its object was to effect a reconciliation between the Roman Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots) of France.
The conference was opened on 9 September i ...
in September–October 1561, presided over by Queen Mother
Catherine de Medici
Catherine de' Medici (, ; , ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Italian Florentine noblewoman of the Medici family and Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King Henry II. She was the mother of French kings Fran ...
, which attempted, unsuccessfully, to achieve a reconciliation between Catholics and Protestants in France. In the next year, Comte Gabriel de Montgomery, who had become a Protestant and who gave refuge to fellow believers in his domain near Vimoutiers in the diocese of Séez, 43 km (26.5 mi) north of Sées, conducted a sudden attack on Alençon which successfully brought the Protestants into possession of the city. They also raided Le Perch in the east, and the abbey of Belle-Étoile in the west of the diocese. In February 1563,
Coligny and the Huguenot army, accompanied by
Theodore de Bèze Theodore may refer to:
Places
* Theodore, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
* Theodore, Queensland, Australia
* Theodore, Saskatchewan, Canada
* Theodore, Alabama, United States
* Theodore Reservoir, in Saskatchewan
People
* Theodore (gi ...
, entered the diocese. On 18 March, having pillaged the monastery of Almenèches, Coligny and part of his army arrived in Sées, where the house of the
Cordeliers
The Society of the Friends of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen ( ), mainly known as Cordeliers Club ( ), was a Populism, populist List of political groups in the French Revolution, political club during the French Revolution from 1790 to 179 ...
was pillaged and three of the friars killed. Fortunately, Bishop Duval was in Italy, attending the Council of Trent.
In 1568, open warfare between Catholics, led by the Marshal de Marigny, and the Protestants, led by Gabriel de Montgomery, broke out again in the diocese. In May, the situation was so bad in Sées that Bishop Louis de Moulinet (1564–1601) had to leave along with some of his clergy and seek refuge in Argentan. In September 1568, Protestant forces led by Montgomery entered Sées, and entirely destroyed the abbey of Saint-Martin. The cathedral and other churches in the neighborhood were pillaged. In November 1569, Bishop de Moulinet preached and conferred minor orders in Alençon, whose priest had apostasized and joined
the Calvinists. Alençon quickly became a center of Protestantism. It was not until 1571 that Matigny was able to give his attention to repairing the damage which had been done to the city of Sées.
During the continuation of the
St Bartholomew's Day massacre
The Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre () in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations and a wave of Catholic mob violence directed against the Huguenots (French Calvinist Protestants) during the French Wars of Religion. Traditionally believed ...
in 1572, Jacques Matignon, governor of Alençon and leader of the Catholics, succeeded in saving the lives of the Protestants at Alençon. Catholic priests and nuns were harassed and driven out.
The future bishop of Séez, Jean Bertaut (1606–1611), who was Abbot of Sainte-Marie-d'Aulnay and First Almoner to Queen Catherine de Medici at the time, was present at the assassination of King
Henry III of France
Henry III (; ; ; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575.
As the fourth son of King Henry II of France, he ...
on 1 August 1589. Bertaut supported the legal heir, the Protestant Henry of Navarre, who became King Henry IV of France. The future bishop Claude de Morenne (1600–1606) presented a funeral oration at the death of Henry III, and wrote poems and a panegyric for teh coronation of Henry IV.
French Revolution
On 2 November 1789, the National Assembly proclaimed that all ecclesiastical property was confiscated by the State.
Even before it directed its attention to the Church directly, the
National Constituent Assembly attacked the institution of monasticism. On 13 February 1790. it issued a decree which stated that the government would no longer recognize solemn religious vows taken by either men or women. In consequence, Orders and Congregations which lived under a Rule were suppressed in France. Members of either sex were free to leave their monasteries or convents if they wished, and could claim an appropriate pension by applying to the local municipal authority.
The
National Constituent Assembly ordered the replacement of political subdivisions of the ''ancien régime'' with subdivisions called
"departments", to be characterized by a single administrative city in the center of a compact area. The decree was passed on 22 December 1789, and the boundaries fixed on 26 February 1790, with the effective date of 4 March 1790. A new department was created called "Orne," and Alençon became the administrative city in the department.
The National Constituent Assembly then, on 6 February 1790, instructed its ecclesiastical committee to prepare a plan for the reorganization of the clergy. At the end of May, its work was presented as a draft
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 ...
, which, after vigorous debate, was approved on 12 July 1790. There was to be one diocese in each department, requiring the suppression of approximately fifty dioceses. The diocese of Orne (Seez) was named the diocese of the department of Orne, and its seat fixed at Seez. A new metropolitanate was created, the "Metropole des côtes de la Manche," with its metropolitan seated in Rouen. Orne (Séez) was one of its suffragans. All ecclesiastical officials were required to subscribe to an oath to the Civil Constitution, or face deposition, ejection, arrest, trial, and deportation. Bishop Jean-Baptiste du Plessis d'Argentré, who was also serving as mayor of the city of Sées, refused to take the oath, and fled to England, from which he joined his brother in Münster, where he died on 24 February 1805. He, and all the other legitimate bishops of France, had been ordered by
Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...
, in a brief of 16 July 1801, to resign his office. He refused, and was therefore deposed.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy also abolished Chapters, canonries, prebends, and other offices both in cathedras and in collegiate churches. It also abolished chapters in abbeys and priories of either sex, whether regular or secular.. On 14 January 1791, the General Council of the commune of Sées ordered the cathedral Chapter to cease its functions.
In February 1791, the electors of the department of the Orne elected the parish priest of Condé-sur-Seurthe, Marin Loublier, as constitutional bishop of Orne. He refused and protested, writing a pamphlet attacking the constitutional church as schismatic, and had to leave the department. He went to Paris, where he was arrested on 23 August 1792, and massacred at the prison of Saint-Fermin on 3 September 1792. With the refusal of Abbé Loublier, the electors, on 24 February 1791, chose the parish priest of Berus (diocese of Le Mans), André-Jacques-Simon Lefessier, as their constitutional bishop. He was uncanonically and blasphemously consecrated in Paris on 3 April 1791, by Jean-Baptiste Gobel. He remained in Paris from 1791 to 1793, as a member of the
Legislative Assembly, having been refused admission by the canons of the cathedral in Séez. The constitutional clergy were constantly harassed and driven out by the
Chouans
Chouan (, "the silent one", or "owl") is a French nickname. It was used as a nom de guerre by the Chouan brothers, most notably Jean Cottereau, better known as Jean Chouan, who led a major revolt in Bas-Maine against the French Revolution. Pa ...
, who supported the monarchy and were in revolt against the governments in Paris. On 15 March 1794, he appeared before the general council of the department of Oure, and resigned his ecclesiastical functions. After the death of Robespierre, however, he resumed his functions, until he was compelled to resign in the summer of 1801.
During the French Revolution the
Trappists
The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a Religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious o ...
went with Dom Augustin de Lestranges, 26 April 1791, into Switzerland, where they founded the convent of La Val Saint. The Congregation returned to Soligny soon after the accession of Louis XVIII. Among the abbots of the Trappist monastery at Soligny were: Cardinal
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'' ...
, who held a number of bishoprics and resigned his abbatial dignity in 1538; the historian Dom
François Armand Gervaise, superior of the abbey from 1696 to 1698. The Grande Trappe of Soligny still exists in the Diocese of Séez.
Restoration
The
French Directory
The Directory (also called Directorate; ) was the system of government established by the Constitution of the Year III, French Constitution of 1795. It takes its name from the committee of 5 men vested with executive power. The Directory gov ...
fell in the coup engineered by
Talleyrand and
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
on 10 November 1799. The coup resulted in the establishment of the
French Consulate
The Consulate () was the top-level government of the First French Republic from the fall of the French Directory, Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799 until the start of the First French Empire, French Empire on 18 May 1804.
...
, with Napoleon as the First Consul. To advance his aggressive military foreign policy, he decided to make peace with the Catholic Church and the Papacy. In 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, ...
between the
French Consulate
The Consulate () was the top-level government of the First French Republic from the fall of the French Directory, Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799 until the start of the First French Empire, French Empire on 18 May 1804.
...
, headed by First Consul
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
Bonaparte, and
Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...
, and in the enabling papal bull, "Qui Christi Domini", the constitutional diocese of Orne (Séez) and all the other dioceses in France, were suppressed. This removed all the institutional contaminations and novelties introduced by the Constitutional Church. The diocesan structure was then re-established by the papal bull "Qui Christi Domini" of 29 November 1801, including the diocese of Séez. The Concordat was registered as a French law on 8 April 1802.
The addition of some parishes of the Dioceses of
Bayeux
Bayeux (, ; ) is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy in northwestern France.
Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It is also known as the fir ...
,
Lisieux
Lisieux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region in northwestern France. It is the capital of the Pa ...
,
Le Mans
Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
and
Chartres
Chartres () is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir Departments of France, department in the Centre-Val de Loire Regions of France, region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 1 ...
, and the removal of some districts formerly included in the diocese of Séez, made the boundaries of the new diocese exactly coextensive with the civil department of Orne. The diocese of Séez is
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 ...
to the
Archdiocese of Rouen
The Archdiocese of Rouen (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rothomagensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rouen'') is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the Archbishop of Rouen's ecclesi ...
in Normandy.
In the bull "Qui Christi Domini", Pius VII had allowed for the re-creation of cathedral Chapters, and had assigned to Cardinal
Giovanni Battista Caprara
Giovanni Battista Caprara Montecuccoli (1733 – 1810) was an Italian statesman and cardinal and archbishop of Milan from 1802 to 1810. As a papal diplomat he served in the embassies in Cologne, Lausanne, and Vienna. As Legate of Pius VII in F ...
, the papal legate in France, powers to see to their establishment, which he granted to each of the archbishops and bishops of the newly created dioceses. On 6 December 1802, Bishop Hilarion-François de Chevigné de Boischollet (1802–1812) established a Chapter, consisting of ten canons; he also added honorary canons, five in number. The canons, however, did not form a corporate body, and could not meet except with permission of the bishop, who presided. Contrary to Cardinal Caprara's instructions, no "dignity" was established; the two vicars-general of the bishop led the canons. At the insistence of the First Consul Bonaparte, the canons included several former officials of the schismatic constitutional church. On 18 December 1802, Bishop Boischollet issued a set of Statutes for the Chapter.
The diocesan seminary, which had been suppressed during the Revolution, was reopened by Bishop Boischollet on 1 November 1806, with 19 students.
Education
Before the application of
the law of 1901 against religious congregations, the diocese had several teaching congregations of brothers, including the
Redemptorists
The Redemptorists, officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (), abbreviated CSsR, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brothers). It was founded by Alphonsus Liguori at Scala ...
. Under the law, only the Frères des écoles chrétiennes, the Sulpicians, the Lazarists, the Spiritans, and the Pères des missions étrangères de Paris, were recognized.
Among the congregations of nuns originating in the diocese may be mentioned: the
Sisters of Providence, a teaching and nursing institute founded in 1683 with mother-house at Séez; the
Sisters of Christian Education, established in 1817 by Abbé Lafosse, mother-house at Argentan, and a branch of the order at Farnborough in England; the Soeurs de la Miséricorde de Séez (Sisters of Mercy), founded in 1818 by Abbé Jean-Jacques Bazin, vicar-general of Séez, to nurse the sick in their own homes.
In 1884 Monseigneur Buguet, curé of Montligeon chapel, founded an expiatory society for the abandoned souls in Purgatory, since erected by
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...
into a Prima Primaria archconfraternity.
Some bishops
*
Saint Aunobertus (about 689). One set of sources places him in the late 6th century, while a document from Fontanelle places him in the year 688.
*
Adelin of Séez, author of a work on the life and miracles of Saint
Opportuna of Montreuil, sister of Bishop Godegrand (d. 770) and abbess of a Benedictine monastery called Monasteriolum in Séez.
*
Jean Bertaut (1607–1611), who, with his fellow-student and friend,
Jacques Davy Duperron
Jacques Davy Duperron (; 15 November 1556 – 6 December 1618) was a French politician and Roman Catholic cardinal.
Family and Education
Jacques Davy du Perron was born in Saint-Lô in Normandy, into the Davy family, which belonged to the Norman ...
, contributed to the conversion to Catholicism of
Henry IV of France
Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...
, and who was esteemed for his poetical talents.
*
Guillaume-André-Réné Baston, appointed bishop of Séez by
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
I in 1813, but not approved by
Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...
, who was still a prisoner at Savona.
Diocesan pilgrimages
The diocese of Séez maintains a web page, listing the pilgrimages of the year.
Bishops
"
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 ...
believed that for the period anterior to 900 no reliance can be placed on the episcopal catalogue of Séez, which we know by certain compilations of the sixth century." A later tradition assigns Saint Latuinus to the first century and makes him a missionary sent by
Pope Clement I
Clement of Rome (; ; died ), also known as Pope Clement I, was the Bishop of Rome in the late first century AD. He is considered to be the first of the Apostolic Fathers of the Church.
Little is known about Clement's life. Tertullian claimed ...
.
To 1000
:
Saint Latuin">/nowiki> Saint Latuin ">Saint_Latuin.html" ;"title="/nowiki> Saint Latuin">/nowiki> Saint Latuin /nowiki>
: Sigisbold, c. 460
: (c. 460) : Landry
* Nilllus or Hillus
* (c. 500) : Landry of Sées">Landry
* Nilllus or Hillus
* (c. 500) : Hubert de Sees
:? (511) : Litardus">Hubert de Sees">Landry of Sées">Landry
* Nilllus or Hillus
* (c. 500) : Hubert de Sees
:? (511) : Litardus
* (533–549) : Passivus
* (567–573) : Leudobaudis
* ( 575–585) Hildebrand
* ? ( 614) : ? Marcellus
* ( 647/653–663) : Amlacarius
: ? (670–682) : Raverenus
* (c. 688–706) : Alnobertus
* (706) : Rodobert or Chrodobert, also count of Hiémois
* Hugues I (bishop of Sees), 8th century
* (???–750) : Ravenger
* Loyer or Lothaire, around 750
* (???– 770?) : Chrodegang or Godegrand
* (765–805) : Gerard
* ( 811) : Reginald of Sees
* ( c. 833) : Ingelnom
* (840–852) : Saxoboldus
* (880–916) : Adalhelmus
* (10th cent.) : Robert I
* (10th cent.) : Benedict
* (c. 986–1006) : Azon the Venerable
1000 to 1378
* Richard
* (c. 1010–1026) : Sigefroi or Sigefroi
* (c. 1025–c. 1030) : Radbod
* (c. 1035–1070) : Yves de Bellême
Yves d'Alençon (died c. 1005), Seigneur de Bellême, the first known progenitor of the House of Bellême.
Life
Yves was probably the son of Yves de Creil,Yves de Criel and Yves de Bellême are confused by several sources and thought to be the sa ...
* (c. 1070–c. 1081) : Robert de Ryes
* (1082–1091) : Gerard
* (1091–1123) : Serlon d'Orgères
* (1124–1143) : Jean de Neuville
* (1144–1157) : Gerard
* (1157–1184) : Froger
* (1184–1201) : Lisiard
* (1202–1220) : Sylvester
* (1220–1228) : Gervais of Chichester
* (1228-1240) : Hugues
* (1240–1258) : Geoffroy de Mayet
* (1258–1278) : Thomas d'Aunou
* (1278–1294) : Jean de Bernieres
* (1295–1315) : Philippe Le Boulanger
* (1315–1320) : Richard de Sentilly
* (1320–1356) : Guillaume Mauger
* (1356–1363) : Gervais de Belleau
* (1363–1378) : Guillaume de Rance
1378 to 1650
* (1378–1404) : Gregory Langlois, ''Avignon Obedience''
* (1404–1408) : Pierre Beaublé, ''Avignon Obedience''
* (1408–1422) : Jean, ''Avignon Obedience''
* (1422–1433) : Robert de Rouvres
* (1433–1434) : Thibaut Lemoine
* (1434–1438) : Jean Chevalier
* (1438–1454) : Jean de Pérusse d'Escars
* (1454–1478) : Robert de Cornegrue
* (1478–1493) : Étienne Goupillon
* (1493–1502) : Gilles de Laval
* (1503–1510) : Claude d'Husson
* (1511–1539) : Jacques de Silly
* (1539–1545) : Nicolas de Dangu
* (1545–1564) : Pierre Duval
* (1564–1600) : Louis de Moulinet
* (1600–1606) : Claude de Morenne
* (1606–1611) : Jean Bertaut
* (1611–1614) : Jacques Suares
* (1614–1650) : Jacques Camus de Pontcarré
1650 to 1801
* (1651–1671) : François de Rouxel de Médavy
* (1672–1682) : Jean de Forcoal
* (1682–1698) : Mathurin Savary
* (1698–1710) : Louis d'Aquin
* (1710–1727) : Dominique-Barnabé Turgot de Saint-Clair
* (1728–1740) : Jacques-Charles-Alexandre Lallemant
* (1740–1775) : Louis-François Néel de Christot
* (1775–1791) : Jean-Baptiste du Plessis d'Argentré
:;Constitutional Church (schismatic). Diocese of Orne
* (1791-1801) : André-Jacques-Simon Lefessier
Since 1802
* (1802–1812) : Hilarion-François de Chevigné de Boischollet
* (1817–1836) : Alexis Saussol
* (1836–1843) : Mellon de Jolly
* (1843–1881) : Charles-Frédéric Rousselet
* (1881–1897) : François-Marie Trégaro
* (1897–1926) : Claude Bardel (14 Apr 1897 Appointed – 16 Feb 1926 Died)
* (1926–1961) : Octave-Louis Pasquet (21 Jun 1926 Appointed – 31 Mar 1961 Retired)
* (1961–1971) : André-Jean-Baptiste Pioger (31 Mar 1961 Appointed – 24 Jul 1971 Retired)
* (1971–1985) : Henri-François-Marie-Pierre Derouet
* (1986–2002) : Yves-Maria Guy Dubigeon (22 Aug 1986 Appointed – 25 Apr 2002 Retired)
* (2002–2010) : Jean-Claude Boulanger
* (2010–2020) : Jacques Léon Jean Marie Habert
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 ...
* (2021–present) : Bruno Feillet (17 July 2021 – present)[Diocèse de Séez]
"Monseigneur Bruno Feillet;"
; retrieved: 2 March 2025.
References
Bibliography
Reference books
*
*
*
*
* p. 263
* p. 284.
*
*
*
Studies
* Pp. 675-761; "Instrumenta", pp. 151-200.
* Desportes, Pierre; Fouché, Jean-Pascal; Loddé, Françoise –Vallière, Laurent (edd.) (2005): ''Fasti Ecclesiae Gallicanae. Répertoire prosopographique des évêques, dignitaires et chanoines des diocèses de France de 1200 à 1500. IX. Diocèse de Sées''. Turnhout, Brepols.
* Duchesne, Louis (1910)
''Fastes épiscopaux de l'ancienne Gaule: L'Aquitaine et les Lyonnaises''
. 2nd ed. Volume 2. Paris: Fontemoing 1910.
* Fisquet, Honoré (1864)
''La France pontificale. Métropole de Rouen. Séez.''
. Volume 14. Paris: E.Repos 1864.
* Hommey, Louis Pierre (1898, 1899, 1900). ''Histoire générale ecclésiastique et civile du diocèse de Séez: ancien et nouveau, et du territoire qui forme aujourd'hui le Département de l'Orne,'' . Alençon: E. Renaut-De Broise
Volume 1 (1898)
Volume 2 (1899)
Volume 3 (1900)
Volume 4 (1900)
Volume 5 (1900)
*
* Marais, H. & Beaudoin, H. (1876)
''Essai historique sur la cathédrale et le chapitre de Séez''
. Alençon: Ch. Thomas 1876.
*
*
*
External links
Diocèse de Séez
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Diocese of Seez
S
3rd-century establishments in Roman Gaul