Ancient Diocese of Agde

The former French Roman Catholic diocese of Agde existed from about the 6th century[1] to the Concordat of 1801 between First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII. Agde is in the south of France, in what is now the department of Hérault. The last bishop, Charles François de Rouvroy de Saint Simon Sandricourt, was guillotined in Paris on July 25, 1794.

Cathédrale Saint-Étienne, Agde.

The diocesan seat was the Cathedral of Saint-Étienne, originally dedicated to Saint Andrew. The cathedral was served by a Chapter, consisting of twelve Canons, including the Archdeacon, the Sacristan, the Precentor and the Treasurer. There were twelve chaplains (hebdomidarii), eight for daily services and four for requiems. There were thirty-two prebendaries. The diocese had only twenty-six parishes.[2] The territory of the former diocese is now part of the diocese of Montpellier.

Bishops

To 1000

• Venustus (Venuste, in French) ca. 405[3]
• Beticus ca. 450?
• Sophronius (Sophrone) 506
• Leo 541
• Pronimius (Fronime) ca. 569–ca. 585
• Tigride 589
• George 653
• Wilesinde 673
• Primus (Prime) 683
• Justus (Just) 788, 791
• Dagobert I. (Dagbert, Agbert) 848–872
• Boson 885–897
• Gerard I. 899–922
• Stephan I. 922
• Dagobert II. 937–948
• Bernhard I. 949
• Salomon I. 954–957
• Bernhard II. 958
• Ameil 971
• Salomon II. 972–976
• Armand (Arnaud) 982
• Stephan II. 990–1034

1000 to 1300

• Wilhelm I 1043
• Gontier 1050–1064
• Bérenger 1068–1098
• Bernard Déodat 1098–1122
• Adelbert 1123–1129
• Raimond de Montredon 1130–1142 (translated to Arles)
• Ermengaud 1142–1149
• Bérenger II 1149–1152
• Pons 1152–1153
• Adhémar 1153–1162
• Wilhelm II. 1165–1173
• Pierre Raimond 1173–1191 or 1192
• Raimond de Montpellier 1192–1213
• Pierre Poulverel (Pulverel) 1214
• Thédise 1215–1233
• Bertrand de Saint-Just 1233–1241
• Chrétien 1242
• Pierre Raimond de Fabre (Fabri) 1243–1270 or 1271
• Pierre Bérenger de Montbrun 1271–1296
• Raimond du Puy 1296–1327 or 1331

1300 to 1500

• Bernard Géraud (de Girard) 1332–1337
• Guillaume Hunaud de Lanta 1337–1341 or 1342
• Pierre de Bérail de Cessac 1342–1353 or 1354
• Arnaud Aubert 1354 (also bishop of Carcassonne)
• Sicard D'Ambres de Lautrec 1354–1371 (also bishop of Béziers)
• Hugues de Montruc 1371–1408
• Cardinal Guy de Malesec 1409–1411 (administrator)
• Philippe de Levis de Florensac 1411–1425 (also archbishop of Auch)
• Bérenger Guilhot 1425–1426 (archbishop of Auch in 1408–1425[4])
• Jean Teste 1426–1435 or 1436
• Renaud de Chartres 1436–1439 (also archbishop of Reims)
• Guillaume Charrier 1439–1440
• Jean de Montmorin 1440–1448
• Étienne de Roupt de Cambrai 1448–1460 or 1462
• Charles de Beaumont 1462–1470 or 1476
• Jacques Minutoli 1476–1490
• Nicolas Fieschi 22 October 1488 – 1494[5] (later bishop of Fréjus)
• Jean de Vesc 1494–1525[6]

From 1500

• Jean-Antoine de Vesc 1525–1530[7] (later bishop of Valence)
• Cardinal François Guillaume de Castelnau de Clermont-Lodève 1530–1540 Uncle of Jean-Antoine de Vesc[8]
• Claude de La Guiche 1541 or 1540–1546 (later bishop of Mirepoix)
• Gilles Bohier 1546 or 1547–1561
• Aimery de Saint-Sévérin 1561–1578[9]
• ? Pierre de Conques
• Bernard du Puy 1578 or ca. 1583 – 1601 or 1611[10]
• Louis de Valois 1612–1622 (illegitimate son of King Charles IX of France)[11]
• Balthazar de Budos de Portes 1622–1629
• Fulcran de Barrès 1629–1643[12]
• Jean Dolce 13–26 June 1643
• François Fouquet 1643–1656 (also archbishop of Narbonne)
• Louis Fouquet[13] 1656 or 1657–1702
• Philibert-Charles de Pas de Feuquières 1702–1726
• Claude Louis de La Châtre 1726–1740
• Joseph-François de Cadente de Charleval 1740–1758 or 1759[14]
• Ch.-Fr.-Siméon de Vermandois de Saint-Simon de Rouvroy de Sandricourt 1759–1794[15]

See also

• Catholic Church in France
• List of Catholic dioceses in France

Notes

1. Georges Goyau, "Montpellier." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 10 (New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911). Retrieved: 2016-07-17. ; David M. Cheney, Catholic-Hierarchy: Diocese of Agde; G-Catholic: Diocese of Agde Archived February 4, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved: 2016-07-17.
2. Gallia christiana VI, p. 644.
3. Duchesne, p. 317, n. 3. Gallia christiana VI, p. 665. The one and only reference to Venustus is found in a list printed in Gallia christiana Volume I, Instrumenta, p. 137, where he is one of twelve bishops killed by Crocus, king of the Alamanni. Saint-Marthe doubts the reliability of the text.
4. Eubel, I, p. 121. The promotion to the titular See of Tyre in 1425 suggests that Guillot had become an important papal administrator.
5. Eubel, II, p. 82.
6. Fisquet, pp. 504–505. Gams, p. 478. Eubel III, p. 97 n. 2, has Jean de Vesc resign in 1504, to be succeeded by Cardinal Niccolo Fieschi as Administrator until 1525. On 11 December 1504 there was a lawsuit between Fieschi and Vesc, which was won by Fieschi; Vesc resigned; Cardinal Francesco Soderini, appointed Commissioner by Julius II, transferred the See to Fieschi in commendam. Fieschi died on 15 June 1524: Eubel III, p. 8.
7. He was only twenty years old, and could not be consecrated. An Indult was issued by Pope Clement VII on 8 April 1528, granting Jean-Antoine the privilege of being consecrated when he reached 24: Eubel III, p. 97, n. 3. On 10 May 1531 Jean-Antoine was transferred to the diocese of Valence: Eubel III, p. 326.
8. Fisquet, pp. 505 and 540.
9. Eubel, III, p. 97. He died on 21 June 1578.
10. Eubel III, p. 97. Bernard du Puy was confirmed by the Pope in Consistory on 11 May 1583.
11. He was never consecrated. Hence, he was only Administrator. Eubel, III, p. 97, puts his appointment on 14 May 1618.
12. Fisquet, pp. 520–522.
13. Xavier Azéma (1963). Un prelat janseniste: Louis Foucquet, évêque et comte d'Agde 1656-1702 (in French). Paris: Librairie Philosophique J. Vrin.
14. Théophile Berengier (1884). Notice sur Mgr Joseph-François de Cadenet de Charleval, évêque et comte d'Agde (1710-1759) (in French). Marseille: Olive.
15. Charles Mariès (1894). Oraison funèbre de Monseigneur Charles-François-Siméon Vermandois de Saint-Simon Rouvroy Sandricourt, dernier évêque et comte d'Agde, 1759-1794, prononcée dans l'église-cathédrale Saint-Étienne d'Agde à l'occasion du premier centenaire de la mort glorieuse de Monseigneur de Saint-Simon (in French). Montpellier: Jean Martel aîné.

Bibliography

Reference Works

• Gams, Pius Bonifatius (1873). Series episcoporum Ecclesiae catholicae: quotquot innotuerunt a beato Petro apostolo. Ratisbon: Typis et Sumptibus Georgii Josephi Manz. pp. 477-478.
• Eubel, Conradus (ed.) (1913). Hierarchia catholica, Tomus 1 (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link) (in Latin) p. 76.
• Eubel, Conradus (ed.) (1914). Hierarchia catholica, Tomus 2 (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link) (in Latin) p. 82.
• Eubel, Conradus (ed.); Gulik, Guilelmus (1923). Hierarchia catholica, Tomus 3 (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link) p. 97.
• Gauchat, Patritius (Patrice) (1935). Hierarchia catholica IV (1592-1667). Münster: Libraria Regensbergiana. Retrieved 2016-07-06. p. 72.
• Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1952). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentis aevi V (1667-1730). Patavii: Messagero di S. Antonio. Retrieved 2016-07-06. p. 72.
• Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1958). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentis aevi VI (1730-1799). Patavii: Messagero di S. Antonio. Retrieved 2016-07-06. p. 69.

Studies

• Duchesne, Louis (1907). Fastes épiscopaux de l'ancienne Gaule: I. Provinces du Sud-Est. Paris: Fontemoing. second edition (in French)
• Fisquet, Honore (1864). La France pontificale (Gallia Christiana): Montpellier (in French). Premiere partie. Paris: Etienne Repos. pp. 393–592.
• Sainte-Marthe (Sammarathani), Denis de (1739). Gallia christiana in provincia ecclesiasticas distributa (in Latin). Tomus sextus (VI), Provincia Narbonensis. Paris: Typographia regia. pp. 664–728.