Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Brieuc

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Brieuc, is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in France. The diocese comprises the department of Côtes du Armor in the Region of Brittany. The diocese is currently suffragan to the Archdiocese of Rennes. The current bishop is Lucien Fruchaud, appointed in 1992.

Originally erected in the 5th century, the diocese was suppressed by the French Revolution. Re-established by the Concordat of 1802, the diocese became a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Tours. Later, in 1850, it became suffragan of the Archdiocese of Rennes. The Diocese of Saint-Brieuc was formed to include: (1) the ancient diocese of the same name; (2) the greater portion of the diocese of Tréguier; (3) a part of the old Diocese of St. Malo, Dol, and Quimper, and the (4) parishes of the Diocese of Vannes. In 1852 the Bishops of Saint-Brieuc were authorized to add to their title that of the ancient See of Tréguier.

History

An Irish saint, Briocus (Brieue), who died at the beginning of the sixth century founded in honour of St. Stephen a monastery which afterwards bore his name, and from which sprang the town of Saint-Brieuc. An inscription later than the ninth century on his tomb, at Saint-Serge at Angers, mentions him as the first Bishop of Saint-Brieuc. According to Louis Duchesne, certain trustworthy documents prove that it was King Nomenoe who, about the middle of the ninth century, made the monastery the seat of a bishopric.

Among the Bishops of Saint-Brieue, the following are mentioned: St. Guillaume Pinchon (1220-34), who protected the rights of the episcopate against Pierre Mauclerc, Duke of Brittany, and was forced to go into exile for some time at Poitiers; Jean du Tillet (1553-64), later Bishop of Meaux; Denis de La Barde (1641-75); and Jean-Baptiste de Caffarelli du Falga (1802-15).

The principal pilgrimages in the Diocese of Saint-Brieuc are: Notre-Dame de Bon Secours at Guingamp the sanctuary of which was enriched by the munificence of the Dukes of Brittany; Notre Dame d'Espérance, at Saint-Brieuc, a pilgrimage dating from 1848; Notre Dame de La Fontaine at Saint-Brieuc, dating from the establishment of an oratory by Saint-Brieuc, and revived in 1893 to encourage devotion to that Saint; Notre Dame de Guyaudet, near St-Nicholas du Pélem. Notre Dame de LaRonce, at Rostrenen, a sanctuary raised to the collegiate dignity by Sixtus IV in 1483.

Ordinaries

• Jean L'Espervier † ( 1439 Appointed - 15 July 1450 Appointed, Bishop of Saint-Malo)
• Pierre de Montfort de Laval † ( 1472 Appointed - 19 September 1486 Appointed, Bishop of Saint-Malo)
• Jean du Tillet (appointed 1553, Bishop of Meaux, died 1570
• Etienne de Virazel † ( 1632 Appointed - 1641 Died)
• Hardouin Fortin de la Hoguette † (12 September 1675 Appointed - 2 February 1680 Appointed, Bishop of Poitiers)
• Louis-Marcel de Coëtlogon-Méjusseaume † (6 September 1680 Appointed - 11 April 1705 Appointed, Bishop of Tournai)
• Louis Frétat de Boissieu † (11 July 1705 Appointed - 30 October 1720 Died)
• Pierre-Guillaume de La Vieuxville-Pourpris † (8 January 1721 Appointed - 13 September 1727 Died)
• Louis-François de Vivet de Montclus † (20 October 1727 Appointed - 13 September 1744 Appointed, Bishop of Alès (Alais))
• Hervé-Nicolas Thépault de Brignou † ( 1744 Appointed - 26 January 1766 Died)
• François Bareau de Girac † (31 August 1766 Ordained Bishop - 1769 Appointed, Bishop of Rennes)
• Jules-Basile Ferron de La Ferronnays † ( 1769 Appointed - 1774 Appointed, Bishop of Bayonne)
• Hugues-François de Regnault-Bellescize † ( 1774 Appointed - 20 September 1796 Died)
• Jean-Baptiste-Marie Caffarelli † (9 April 1802 Appointed - 11 January 1815 Died)
• Mathias Le Groing de La Romagère † (11 October 1817 Appointed - 19 February 1841 Died)
• Jacques-Jean-Pierre Le Mée † (22 March 1841 Appointed - 31 July 1858 Died)
• Guillaume-Elisée Martial † (3 August 1858 Appointed - 26 December 1861 Died)
• Augustin David † (14 January 1862 Appointed - 27 July 1882 Died)
• Eugène-Ange-Marie Bouché † (20 September 1882 Appointed - 4 June 1888 Died)
• Pierre-Marie-Frédéric Fallières † (28 August 1889 Appointed - 11 May 1906 Died)
• Jules-Laurent-Benjamin Morelle † (13 July 1906 Appointed - 9 January 1923 Died)
• François-Jean-Marie Serrand † (4 June 1923 Appointed - 20 March 1949 Died)
• Armand Coupel † (20 March 1949 Succeeded - 19 January 1961 Retired)
• François-Louis-Marie Kervèadou † (19 January 1961 Appointed - 2 October 1976 Resigned)
• Pierre Jean Marie Kervennic † (2 October 1976 Appointed - 21 December 1991 Died)
• Lucien Fruchaud (17 July 1992 Appointed -)

External links

• Source

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.