The Archdiocese of Besançon (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Archidiœcesis Bisuntina''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Besançon'') is a

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

ecclesiastical territory or

archdiocese 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 ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It comprises the ''

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

'' of

Doubs Doubs (, ; ; frp, Dubs) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Named after the river Doubs, it had a population of 543,974 in 2019.Montbéliard Montbéliard (; traditional ) is a town in the Doubs Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eastern France, about from the border with Switzerland. It is one of the two Subprefectures in F ...

) and the ''département'' of

sede vacante ''Sede vacante'' ( in Latin.) is a term for the state of a diocese while without a bishop. In the canon law of the Catholic Church, the term is used to refer to the vacancy of the bishop's or Pope's authority upon his death or resignation. Hi ...

. From 1034 to 1184, the archbishop had civil authority within 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 ...

as the prince-archbishop of Besançon. He gradually lost his civil power to the town council; the city became the

Imperial city of Besançon Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texas ...

in 1184. The city was annexed by France in stages, eventually being fully subsumed by France in 1792 during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. The Archdiocese of Besançon is a

metropolitan see Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a t ...

with five

suffragan diocese A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria ...

s in its

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

: the Dioceses of Belfort-Montbéliard, Nancy, Saint–Claude, Saint-Dié, and

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

Early history of the diocese

Local tradition states that the diocese was evangelized by Saints

Ferreolus and Ferrutio Saints Ferreolus and Ferrutio (or Fargeau and Ferrutius; french: Ferréol et Ferjeux; it, Ferreolo e Ferruccio) (died ca. AD 212) are venerated as martyrs and saints by the Catholic Church, especially in Besançon where they are honored as its p ...

(Ferréol and Ferjeux), who were sent here by

St. Irenaeus Irenaeus (; grc-gre, Εἰρηναῖος ''Eirēnaios''; c. 130 – c. 202 AD) was a Greeks, Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christianity, Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, mor ...

Bishop of Lyon The Archdiocese of Lyon (Latin: ''Archidiœcesis Lugdunensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Lyon''), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The Archbishops o ...

. According to the Catholic encyclopedia, "

Louis Duchesne Louis Marie Olivier Duchesne (; 13 September 1843 – 21 April 1922) was a French priest, philologist, teacher and a critical historian of Christianity and Roman Catholic liturgy and institutions. Life Descended from a family of Breton sailors, ...

proved that these legends belong to a chain of narratives forged in the first half of the 6th century and of which the "passion" of St. Benignus of Dijon was the initial link." During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

several popes visited Besançon, among them

pope Leo IX Pope Leo IX (21 June 1002 – 19 April 1054), born Bruno von Egisheim-Dagsburg, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 February 1049 to his death in 1054. Leo IX is considered to be one of the most historically ...

who consecrated the altar of the old Cathedral of St. Etienne in 1050, and

Eugenius III Pope Eugene III ( la, Eugenius 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 w ...

who in 1148 consecrated the church of St. Jean, the new cathedral. A council was held at Besançon in 1162, presided over by Holy Roman Emperor

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...

, in the interest of the Antipope Victor IV against

Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland ( it, Rolando), 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 con ...

. Guido of Burgundy, who was pope from 1119 to 1123 under the name of

Calixtus II Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, ...

, and the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

Claude-Adrien Nonnotte Claude-Adrien Nonnotte (born in Besançon, 29 July 1711; died there, 3 September 1793) was a French Society of Jesus, Jesuit controversialist, best known for his writings against Voltaire. At nineteen he entered the Society of Jesus and preached ...

(1711–1793), an adversary of

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...

, were natives of Besançon.

Abbeys founded from the diocese

The

monastery of Luxeuil A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

, founded by

St. Columbanus Columbanus ( ga, Columbán; 543 – 21 November 615) was an Irish missionary notable for founding a number of monasteries after 590 in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms, most notably Luxeuil Abbey in present-day France and Bobbio Abbey in pr ...

(d. 615), gave to the diocese of Besançon a series of saints. First came the direct successors of St. Columbanus: the Abbot St. Eustasius who founded a celebrated school in this monastery; the Abbot St. Valbert who sent monks to found the Abbeys of St. Valéry, St. Omer, and St. Bertin, and died in 665; the Abbot St. Ingofroid; St. Donatus, who became Bishop of Besançon; and St. Ansegisus, author of a celebrated collection of capitularies. The Abbey of Lure (in

Haute-Saône Haute-Saône (; Arpitan: ''Hiôta-Sona''; English: Upper Saône) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of northeastern France. Named after the river Saône, it had a population of 235,313 in 2019.St. Déicole (Deicolus), or Desle, disciple of St. Columbanus; later its abbots were princes of the Holy Empire. The Abbey of Beaume les Dames, founded in the 5th century and in which

Gontram Saint Gontrand (c. 532 in Soissons – 28 March 592 in Chalon-sur-Saône), also called Gontran, Gontram, Guntram, Gunthram, Gunthchramn, and Guntramnus, was the king of the Kingdom of Orléans from AD 561 to AD 592. He was the third eldest and ...

King of Burgundy The following is a list of the kings of the two kingdoms of Burgundy, and a number of related political entities devolving from Carolingian machinations over family relations. Kings of the Burgundians * Gebicca (late 4th century – c. 407 ...

, was buried, was the school where St. Odo, afterwards

Abbot of Cluny The Abbot of Cluny was the head of the powerful monastery of the Abbey of Cluny in medieval France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, o ...

, studied in the tenth century; at the end of the eighth century there was built near it an abbey for Benedictine nuns, members of the nobility. During the French Revolution the superb church of this abbey was laid waste. Other saints of the Diocese of Besançon include the

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

St. Aldegrin (10th century).

Later history

St. Peter Fourier (1565–1640), who inaugurated systematic education for girls, was born in the diocese. The miracle attributed to the "Sacred Host of Faverney", during a fire in the year 1608, was annually commemorated by elaborate ceremonies. The places of pilgrimage were Notre Dame du Chêne at

Scey The Scey () is a 20.4 km long river that traverses the Doubs and Haute-Saône departments in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in We ...

; Notre Dame d'Aigremont; the pilgrimage of Saint Peter of Tarentaise at Cirey-les-Bellevaux, where St. Pierre de Tarentaise died in 1174; Notre Dame des Jacobins at Besançon; and Notre Dame de la Motte at

Vesoul Vesoul () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté located in eastern France. It is the most populated municipality of the department with inhabitants in 2014. The same year, the Communauté d'agglo ...

. Few 19th-century dioceses have undergone similar territorial changes. The Concordat of 1802 gave the Diocese of Besançon all those districts which, in 1822, constituted the Diocese of St.-Claude. In 1806, Besançon was given jurisdiction over the three parishes of the Principality of Neufchâtel (

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

) which fell under the control of the

bishopric of Lausanne The Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg ( la, Dioecesis Lausannensis, Genevensis et Friburgensis) is a Latin Catholic diocese in Switzerland, which is (as all sees in the Alpine country) exempt (i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See, not p ...

in 1814. In 1870, after the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine by Germany, the district of Belfort was withdrawn from the bishopric of Strasburg and attached to the diocese of Besançon. The metropolitan jurisdiction of Besançon also underwent changes. In 1802 its suffragans were the Bishoprics of

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...

and

Autun Autun () is a subprefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of central-eastern France. It was founded during the Principate era of the early Roman Empire by Emperor Augustus as Augustodunum to give a Ro ...

(in Burgundy),

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 ...

, Nancy and

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

(in Alsace-Lorraine). Under the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * ...

, Dijon and Autun were withdrawn from Besançon, which became the metropolitan of the sees of Saint-Dié,

and

Belley Belley () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. History Belley is of Roman origin, and in the 5th century became an episcopal see. It was the capital of the province of Bugey, which was a dependency of Savoy till 1601, when i ...

. In 1874, after the Franco-Prussian War, the churches of Metz and Strasburg were exempt, under the direct control of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

. On 3 November 1979,

Belfort Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Territo ...

, Montbéliard, and the canton of Héricourt (Haute-Saône) were detached from the diocese of Besançon and constituted into a new autonomous diocese, that of Belfort-Montbéliard.

Bishops

To 1000

According to the ''

Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

'', "the catalogue of the earliest bishops of Besançon is to be read with caution." * Ferreolus 180?–211? * Linus * Antidius I. c. 267 * Germanus * Maximinus died before 304 * Paulinus died c. 310 * Eusebius * Hilarius * Pancratius died c. 353 * Justus c. 362 * Aegnanus died c. 374 * Sylvester I 376–396? *Anianus (4th century) * Fronimius * Desideratus * Leontius ?–443 * Chelidonius c. 445, died 451?, deposed by

Hilary of Arles Hilary of Arles, also known by his Latin name Hilarius (c. 403–449), was a bishop of Arles in Southern France. He is recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, with his feast day celebrated on 5 May. Life In hi ...

* Antidius II * Chelmegisl * Claudius I c. 517 * Urbicus c. 549 * Tetradius I c. 560 * Sylvester II. c. 580 * Vitalis I * St. Rothadius, a monk at

Luxeuil Luxeuil-les-Bains () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. History Luxeuil (sometimes rendered Luxeu in older texts) was the Roman Luxovium and contained many fine buildings ...

and organizer of the monastic life * Nicetas died c. 611 * Protadius 614?–624? * St. Donatus, a monk at Luxeuil, wrote a rule for canon priests in his diocese, died 660 * Migetius * Ternatius died c. 680 * St. Gervase c. 680, died 685) *

Claudius II Marcus Aurelius Claudius "Gothicus" (10 May 214 – January/April 270), also known as Claudius II, was Roman emperor from 268 to 270. During his reign he fought successfully against the Alemanni and decisively defeated the Goths at the Battle ...

, 685, died 693? * Felix c. 710 * Tetradius II died 732 * Albo c. 742 * Wandelbert * Evrald * Arnoul * Hervaeus 757–762 * Gedeon died 796 * Bernoin 811–829 * Amalwin 838–840 * Arduicus 843–872 * Theoderic I 872–895 * Berengar 895–831 * Aymin c. 914 * Gontier c. 931 * Gottfried I 944–953 * Guy 958–970 * Guichard * Leutald 993–994

1000–1300

* Hektor 1002–1015 * Walter I 1016–1031 *St. Hugh I of Besançon (Hugh I of Salins) (1031–1067), prince of the Empire, founded markets and schools in Besançon * Hugo II de Montfaucon died 1085 * Hugo III of Burgundy 1085–1101, son of

William I, Count of Burgundy William I (1020 – 12 November 1087), called the Great (''le Grand'' or ''Tête Hardie'', "the Stubborn"), was Count of Burgundy from 1057 to 1087 and Mâcon from 1078 to 1087. He was a son of Renaud I and Alice of Normandy, daughter of Richar ...

, brother of

Pope Callixtus II Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, ...

* Hugo IV 1102–1107 * Guillaume I de Arguel 1109?–1117 * Anseric de Montréal 1117–1134 * Humbert 1134–1162 * Walter II 1162–1163 * Herbert (schismatic) 1163–1170 * Eberhard de Saint-Quentin 1171–1180 * Theoderic II. de Montfaucon 1180–1191 * Etienne de Vienne 1191–1193 * Amadeus de Tramelay 1197–1220 * Gerard I. de Rougemont 1221–1225 * Jean I. Allegrin (

John Halgren of Abbeville John Halgren of Abbeville ( – 28 September 1237) was a French scholastic theologian and cleric. He served successively as a university professor, priest, prior, archbishop, cardinal, apostolic legate and diplomat. John was born around 1180 in Ab ...

) 1225–1227 * Nicolas de Flavigny 1227–1235 * Gottfried II. 1236–1241 * Jean II. 1242–1244 * Guillaume II. de la Tour 1245–1268 * Odo de Rougemont 1269–1301

1300–1500

* 1302–1311 : Hugues de Chalon (also prince-bishop of Liège) * 1312–1333 : Vital de Maignaut * 1333–1355 : Hugues de Vienne * 1355–1361 :

Jean de Vienne Jean de Vienne (1341 – 25 September 1396) was a French knight, general and Admiral of France during the Hundred Years' War. Early life Jean de Vienne was born at Dole, in what is now Franche-Comté. As a nobleman, he started his military car ...

* 1361–1362 : Louis de Montbéliard * 1363–1370 : Aymon de Villersexel * 1371–1391 : Guillaume de Vergy * 1391–1404 : Gerard d'Athies * 1405–1429 : Thiébaudde Rougemont * 1430–1437 :

Jean de La Rochetaillée Jean de La Rochetaillée (died 1437) was a French churchman, eminent jurist, and Cardinal. His real name was Jean de Fort. He was bishop of Saint-Papoul in 1413, bishop of Geneva in 1418, and bishop of Paris in 1421/2. He became archbishop of R ...

* 1437–1438 : François Condomieri * 1438–1439 : Jean de Norry * 1439–1462 : Quentin Ménard * 1462–1498 :

Charles de Neufchâtel The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baiocensis et Lexoviensis''; French language, French: ''Diocèse de Bayeux et Lisieux'') is a diocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is coextensive with the Department of ...

1500–1800

* 1498-1502 : François de Busleyden (on the French-language Wikipedia) * 1502–1541 : Antoine I. de Vergy * 1541–1544 : Cardinal Pierre de la Beaume (had been Coadjutor from 1530; Cardinal in 1541) * 1544–1584 : Claude III. de la Beaume (Cardinal in 1578) * 1584–1586 : Cardinal Antoine II. de Perrenot; also known as

Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle (20 August 151721 September 1586), Comte de La Baume Saint Amour, was a Bisontin ( Free Imperial City of Besançon) statesman, made a cardinal, who followed his father as a leading minister of the Spanish Habsb ...

, was the minister of

Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...

and built the palace of Besançon * 1586–1636 : Ferdinand de Rye * 1636–1637 : Francois III. de Rye (

Coadjutor The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadj ...

from 1623) * 1637–1654 : Claude IV. de Achey * 1654–1659 : Charles Emanuel de Gorrevot, never consecrated * 1659–1662 : Jean Jacques Fauche * 1662–1698 : Antoine Pierre I. de Gramont, also known as Antoine-Pierre de Grammont, opposed

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 ...

and the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. In 1691, he transferred to Besançon the

University of Dôle The University of Dole was founded in 1423 by Philip the Good of Burgundy at Dole in the Free County of Burgundy (then a principality of the Holy Roman Empire, but now in France). It became a leading university in western Europe, historically nota ...

. * 1698–1717 : Francois-Joseph de Grammont * 1717–1721 : René de Mornay * 1723–1731 : Honoré de Grimaldi * 1733–1734 : Antoine-Francois de Bliterswijk-Montcley * 1735–1754 : Antoine Pierre II. de Grammont * 1754–1774 : Antoine Clairiard de Choiseul de Beaupré (Cardinal in 1761) * 1774–1792 : Raymond de Durfort * 1791–1793 : Philippe-Charles-François Seguin ** 1791–1801 : Flavigny ** 1798–1801 : Demandre

From 1800

* Claude Le Coz (1802–1815), former

constitutional bishop During the French Revolution, a constitutional bishop was a Catholic bishop elected from among the clergy who had sworn to uphold the Civil Constitution of the Clergy between 1791 and 1801. History Constitutional bishops were often priests wit ...

who opposed the

Concordat A concordat is a convention between the Holy See and a sovereign state that defines the relationship between the Catholic Church and the state in matters that concern both,René Metz, ''What is Canon Law?'' (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1960 st Ed ...

* Gabriel Cortois de Pressigny 1817–1823 * Paul-Ambroise Frère de Villefrancon 1823–1828 * Louis-François-Auguste de Rohan-Chabot (1828–1833) (

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 ...

in 1830) * Louis-Guillaume-Valentin DuBourg, P.S.S. 3 Feb 1833 to 12 Dec 1833 * Jacques-Marie-Adrien-Césaire Mathieu (1834–1875) (Cardinal in 1850), who defended episcopal temporal power, and was a member of the "Opposition" at the

First Vatican Council The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the First Vatican Council or Vatican I was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, after a period of planning and preparation that began on 6 December 1864. This, the twentieth ecu ...

. He opposed strenuously in his diocese the "simultaneous churches" which sprang up throughout the district of

Montbéliard Montbéliard (; traditional ) is a town in the Doubs Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eastern France, about from the border with Switzerland. It is one of the two Subprefectures in F ...

where there were many

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

. * Pierre-Antoine-Justin Paulinier 1875–1881 *

Joseph-Alfred Foulon Joseph-Alfred Foulon (29 April 1823 – 23 January 1893) was a French Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Lyon. Life Foulon was born in Paris and studied in the Saint-Sulpice Seminary. He was ordained priest on 18 December 1847 in Paris, w ...

(30 Mar 1882 - 26 May 1887), appointed Archbishop of Lyon (-Vienne) (Cardinal in 1887) * Marie-Joseph-Jean-Baptiste-André-Clément-Fulbert Petit 1894–1909 * François-Léon Gauthey (20 Jan 1910 – 25 Jul 1918) * Louis Humbrecht (14 Sep 1918 – 28 Jun 1927) * Charles Binet (31 Oct 1927 – 15 Jul 1936) (Cardinal in 1927) * Maurice-Louis Dubourg (9 Dec 1936 – 31 Jan 1954) * Marcel-Marie-Henri-Paul Dubois (10 Jun 1954 – 2 Jul 1966) * Marc-Armand Lallier (26 Aug 1966 – 6 Mar 1980) * Lucien Daloz (12 Dec 1980 – 13 Aug 2003) *

André Jean René Lacrampe André Jean René Lacrampe, Ist. del Prado (17 December 1941 – 15 May 2015) was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Besançon. He was born on 17 December 1941 in Agos-Vidalos, a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France ...

, Ist. del Prado (13 Aug 2003 – 25 Apr 2013) * Jean-Luc Marie Maurice Louis Bouilleret (17 November 2013 – present)

References

Sources

catholic-hierarchy

Bibliography

Reference works

* (Use with caution; obsolete) * (in Latin) * (in Latin) * * * * * * *

Studies

* * *Hours, Henri (ed.) (1999): ''Fasti Ecclesiae Gallicanae. Répertoire prosopographique des évêques, dignitaires et chanoines des diocèses de France de 1200 à 1500. IV. Diocèse de Besançon''. Turnhout, Brepols. *

External links

article
Website of the archdiocese
{{DEFAULTSORT:Besancon, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of

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 ...

Besancon