The former French Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux (Latin: Dioecesis Sancti Pauli Tricastinorum; French: Diocèse de Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux), sometimes, just like the town, also known as the Diocese of Saint-Paul-en-Tricastin (Latin: Dioecesis Sancti Pauli Tricastinorum; French: Diocèse de Saint-Paul-en-Tricastin), existed from the sixth century to the French Revolution.
According to a legend of the fifteenth century, St. Restitutus, the man born blind mentioned in the Gospel,[2] was the first Bishop of St-Paul-Trois-Châteaux.[3] Local traditions also make Saints Eusebius, Torquatus, Paulus, Amantius, Sulpicius, Bonifatius, Castorinus and Michael early bishops of St-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, in the 3rd to 6th centuries.[4] Of those, Louis Duchesne regards St. Paulus (fourth or sixth century), patron saint of the city, as the earliest attested bishop, after whom the diocese was later named. The "three chateaux" never existed; they are the result of a linguistic error in which an extra "r" was added to the word "tricastinorum".[5]
Owing to Saracen ravages from Iberia (827-29) the see of St-Paul-Trois-Châteaux was, by a decree of Gregory IV,[7] united aeque principaliter (i.e. in personal union) with that of Orange. By the 11th century, there were continuous squabbles between St-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and Orange, the former because of the union, the latter because of the assignment of parish churches.[8] In spring 1095, as he was travelling to France, Pope Urban II wrote a letter from Cremona on 15 April to Bishop Pontius of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, advising him that he had decided to reunify the two dioceses as one, and that no successor of Bishop Guillaume of Orange and Saint-Paul would be elected. Pope Urban personally visited Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux in mid-September, and both Bishop Pons and Bishop Guillaume were present at the council of Clermont from 18 to 28 November 1095.[9]
Bishop Guillaume of Orange went on crusade, and died in the siege of Marra on 11 December 1098.[10] In 1100, Pope Paschal II announced that, after extensive consultations, the longstanding union of the two dioceses should be dissolved.[11] In 1107, however, the clergy of Orange approached Pope Paschal with the claim that problems had been resolved; the pope authorized Cardinal Richard, Bishop of Albano, to hold a council of the ecclesiastical province of Arles. to decide the question, and if they agreed, to elect a new bishop of Orange.[12] The Diocese of Orange was re-established, and Berengarius was elected.[13] On the death of Bishop Pontius of St-Paul-Trois-Châteaux in 1112, squabbling broke out again, which Paschal II silenced with a bull on 18 October 1113.[14]
Pope Gelasius II visited St-Paul-Trois-Châteaux on 21 December 1118 during his exile from Rome.[15] He was on his way to Cluny, where he died on 29 January 1119.[16]
Bishop Guillaume Adhémar de Monteil (1482-1516) died on 23 July 1516, and the Chapter of the cathedral duly met to elect a successor. They chose Jacques de Vesc, and applied to the metropolitan, Archbishop Jean Ferrier of Arles, for canonical confirmation. King Francis I of France, however, had written to Pope Leo X, nominating Antoine de Lévis.[17] In reply, on 10 September 1516, Pope Leo issued the bull "Decet Romanum pontificem," in which he voided the election of Jacques de Vesc, on the grounds that the papacy had previously reserved to itself the appointment of the next bishop. He "provided" (appointed) Antoine de Lévis, who, in turn, since he remained in Paris with the king, appointed the Bishop of Viviers, Claude de Tournon, a relative of his mother, his grand vicar in Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux.[18][19]
In 1674, the population of the city of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux was only approximately 2,000 persons, about half of whom were Protestants.[20] When the Edict of Fontainebleau, revoking the toleration of the Edict of Nantes, was published in October 1685, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux was invested by royal troops and Protestant pastors were forced to leave the country. Individual Protestants and their families were hunted down.[21] The Protestant church in Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux was ordered destroyed by the Parliament of Grenoble.[22]
One of the first acts of the French Revolution was the abolition of feudalism and its institutions, including estates, provinces, duchies, baillies, and other obsolete organs of government. The National Constituent Assembly ordered their replacement by political 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, the boundaries fixed on 26 February 1790, with the institution to be effective on 4 March 1790.[23] Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux was assigned to the Departement de Drôme, with its administrative center at Valence. 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, which, after vigorous debate, was approved on 12 July 1790. There was to be one diocese in each department,[24] requiring the suppression of approximately fifty dioceses.[25] Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux was an obvious target, given its small size and limited resources; its suppression was facilitated by the coincidental death of Bishop Pierre-François-Xavier de Reboul de Lambert, on 13 March 1791, before the required oaths of allegiance to the Civil Constitution by the clergy could be imposed. The suppression of dioceses by the state was uncanonical, and thus the Church considered the diocese without a bishop (sede vacante) from 1791 to 1801.[26]
In the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, the National Constituent Assembly also abolished cathedral chapters, canonicates, prebends, chapters and dignities of collegiate churches, chapters of both secular and regular clergy of both sexes, and abbeys and priories whether existing under a Rule or in commendam.[27]
On 1 March 1794, the name of the city was changed to Paul-lès-Fontaines.[28]
On 29 November 1801, in the concordat of 1801 between the French Consulate, headed by First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte, and Pope Pius VII, the bishopric of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and all the other dioceses in France were suppressed. This removed all the contaminations and novelties introduced by the Constitutional Church.[29] The pope then recreated the French ecclesiastical order, respecting in most ways the changes introduced during the Revolution, including the reduction in the number of archdioceses and dioceses. In 1801, when the archdiocese of Vienne was suppressed, the archdiocese of Lyon became the metropolitan of the diocese of Valence.[30] The diocese of Saint-Paul-trois-châteaux (Tricastrensis), which had been a suffragan of the archdiocese of Arles, which was also suppressed on 29 November 1801, was not restored, and its territory was incorporated into the diocese of Valence.[31]
On 12 June 1911, the title of the diocese of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux was revived, though not the diocese itself. The title was assigned to the Diocese of Valence. Its former cathedral, Ancienne cathédrale Notre-Dame et Saint-Paul, dedicated to Saint Paul and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, was not granted co-cathedral status. The diocese of Valence, however, does not use the title Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, calling itself "Eglise Catholique dans la Drôme: Diocese de Valence."[32]
^Frank W. Walbank, "Some reflections on Hannibal's pass," in: Selected Papers: Studies in Greek and Roman History and Historiography, (Cambridge University Press, 2010), pp. 110-111.
^Gospel of John, chapter 9. In Latin, "restitutus" means "restored". The name does not occur in the Gospel of John.
^Louis Duchesne, p. 263: "Le premier, saint Restitut, a été identifié au XV* siècle avec l'aveugle-né de l'Evangile. De tout ce groupe, le seul personnage qui puisse être introduit avec confiance dans la série épiscopale est saint Paul, le patron de la ville."
^Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 5-28, accepts Sulpicius, Eusebius, Torquatus, Bonifacius, Amantius. Castorinus, and Michael.
^Pierre Sogno, Villages de la Drôme, (in French) (La Louvière: Les points cardinaux, 2007), p. 88: " Suite à une erreur linguistique au Moyen Age, Tricastinorum devint Tricastrinorum et la cité se trouva nantie de trois châteaux qui n'ont jamais existé." Edward A. Freeman, "Saint-Paul Trois-Chateaux," in: Archaeological Journal 45 (London 1888), pp. 12-21, at p. 14.
^Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, p. 41, suggests that the union might belong to the 10th century, "On reporte à son temps l'union de l'évêché d'Orange à celui de St-Paul, causée surtout par le manque de ressources du premier diocèse. Peut-être faut-il la renvoyer au commencement du X° siècle (voir à l'évêché d'Orange) ou a- t-elle été intermittente." The bull of Pope Urban II, (Denis de Sainte-Marthe, Gallia Christiana (Paris: Typographia Regia, 1715), "Instrumenta," p. 119): "Tricaltinus
vero post diuturnam, et plusquam centenariam possessionem, venerabilium pontificum Romanorum, & Gregorii & Alexandri privilegiis, causæ suæ partes tuebatur."
^"inter Tricaftinos et Arausicos diuturna contentio habita est, Tricastinis quidem de unitione, Arausicis vero de parochiarum ecclesiarum divisione contestantibus...."
^Denis de Sainte-Marthe, Gallia Christiana (Paris: Typographia Regia, 1715), "Instrumenta," p. 120: "Jure enim & auctoritate esse vacuum quidquid prædecessorum nostrorum aliqua de Gregorii, Victoris, Alexandri & Urbani statutis Aurasicensis ecclesia Tricastinæ constet ecclesiæ esse unita quæstioni super hoc negotio diu ventilata, secundum statuta eorum, consilio confratrum nostrorum finem imponere decrevimus; & ut episcopo Tricastino de cetero sicut proprio pontifici postposita omni refragatione obediatis, apostolica auctoritate mandamus...."
^Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, p. 517: "Nos, ne constitutio et deputatio, ac provisio et prefectio predicte valeant quomodolibet impediri providere volentes, quascumque electiones seu postulationes de quibuscumque personis, praesertim dilecti filii Jacobi de Vesc, in episcopum Tricastrinensem per dilectos filios capitulum dicte ecclesie, illorumque confirmationem metropoliticam forsan factas, e indse secuta quecumque, utpote contra reservationem et decretum hujusmodi attemptata, nulla prorsus et invalida nulliusque roboris vel momenti fuisse et esse...."
^Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 389, note 1. In 1743, it is estimated to have been 3.000 persons: Ritzler & Sefrin VI, p. 415, note 1.
^Frédéric Bernard, Wonderful Escapes, (New York: Scribner, Armstrong, 1875), pp. 90-95. Jacques Le Fèvre, Nouveau Recueil De Tout Ce Qui S'Est Fait Pour Et Contre Les Protestans, Particulierement En France: Où L'On Voit L'Establissement, le Progrez, la Décadence, & l'Extinction de la R.P.R. dans ce Royaume,(in French), Volume 1 (Paris: chez Frederic Leonard, 1686), pp. 661-662.
^"Civil Constitution," Title I, "Article 1. Chaque département formera un seul diocèse, et chaque
diocèse aura la même étendue et les mêmes limites que le département."
^Ludovic Sciout, Histoire de la constitution civile du clergé (1790-1801): L'église et l'Assemblée constituante,(in French and Latin) ., Vol. 1 (Paris: Firmin Didot 1872), p. 182: Art. 2 "...Tous les autres évêchés existant dans les quatre-vingt-trois départements du royaume, et qui ne sont pas nommément compris au présent article, sont et demeurent supprimés."
^J. B. Duvergier, Collection complète des lois, décrets, ordonnances, règlemens avis du Conseil d'état,(in French), Volume 1 (Paris: A. Guyot et Scribe, 1834), p. 244: "20. Tous titres et offices , autres que ceux mentionnés en la présente constitution , les dignités , canonicats, prébendes, demi-prébendes, chapelles, chapellenies, tant des églises cathédrales que des églises collégiales, et tous chapitres réguliers et séculiers de l'un et de l'autre sexe, les abbayes et prieurés en règle ou en commende, aussi de l'un et de l'autre sexe, et tous autres bénéfices et prestimonies généralement quelconques , de quelque nature et sous quelque dénomination que ce soit, sont, à compter du jour de la publication du présent décret, éteints et supprimés, sans qu'il puisse jamais en être établi de semblables."
^Bishop Paulus is identified with the Paulus who attended the council of Valence on 12 July 374. The name of the diocese and the name of the bishop, however, do not appear together. Duchesne, p. 263.
^Bishop Florentius attended the Council of Epaone in 517, and the Council of Lyon, which was held between 518 and 523. Duchesne, p. 264, no. 2. Carolus de Clercq, Concilia Galliae (Turnhold: Brepols 1963), p. 36 ("Item Florentius in Christi nomine episcopus ciuitatis Trecastininsis relegi et subscripsi.").
^Bishop Eusebius participated in the council of Valence in 584, and was represented at the council of Mâcon in 585. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 33-34.
^Bishop Agricola attended the council of Paris on 10 October 614. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, p. 34: "Ex civitate Trigassinum Agricola episcopus."
^Betto attended the council of Chalon-sur-Saône, held on 25 October, between 647 and 653, summoned by King Clovis II. C. DeClercq, Concilia Galliae, A. 511 – A. 695 (Turnholt: Brepols 1963), p. 302. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, p. 34: "Item Betto episcopus ecclesie Trecastinensis subscripsi."
^Sainte-Marthe, Gallia Christiana I, "Instrumenta," p. 119: "Tres itaque Tricastinæ ecclesiæ clerici super evangelia facro-fancta jurarunt, se vidisse et legisse Romani pontificis Gregorii bullatum privilegium Bonifacio Tricastino episcopo attributum, per quod prædictæ ecclesiæ fuerant coünita." Gregory IV ruled 827–844.
^In the episcopal list, Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, p. 1. before the name "Pontius I" appear the names Segaldus, Bertrandus I, Aldebranus I, Berniconius, Aldebranus II. These names are all rejected by Duchesne, p. 264: "Depuis cet évêque [Betto] on n'en connaît aucun autre avant le temps de Louis le Pieux."
^Laudonis (or Laudo) was elected by the clergy and people of Orange and Tricastensis on 19 February 839. Duchesne, p. 265. Denis de Sainte-Marthe, Gallia Christiana (Paris: Typographia Regia, 1715), "Instrumenta," p. 119. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, p. 41, suggests a date of 909.
^Pons (I): Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 41-42.
^Gérard attended the council of Avignon in 1060, and was the recipient of three letters from Pope Alexander II. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, p. 44.
^Gaucerand had been abbot of the monastery of Insula Barbara near Lyon. Bishop Gaucerand died on 10 May 1211. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica I, p. 497 with note 1.
^Hugues consecrated the new cathedral of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux on 3 June 1348. He died in July 1348. Albanès, "Les évêques de Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux...," Vol. 5 (1885), pp. 398-400; Vol. 6 (1885), pp. 5-8. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 136-155.
^Guitard was appointed bishop of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux on 14 August 1348. He was transferred to the diocese of Lisieux by Pope Clement VI on 4 November 1349. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, p. 155-160, esp. p. 157, no. 340. Eubel I, pp. 304, 497.
^Coci had previously been Bishop of Vence (1347–1348), then Bishop of Grasse (1348–1349). He was appointed bishop of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux by Pope Clement VI on 4 November 1349. He died in the spring of 1364. Albanès, "Les évêques de Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux...," Vol. 6 (1885), pp. 11-15. Eubel I, p. 497. There was no sede vacante of three years.
^Artaud held the degree of bachelor of laws, and was a canon of the cathedral of Die. He was named bishop of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux by Pope Urban V on 10 July 1364. He was transferred to the diocese of Gap on 10 April 1366. He died in August 1399. Albanès, "Les évêques de Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux...," Vol. 6 (1885), pp. 17-20. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 168-177. Eubel I, pp. 497, 514.
^Raymond de Castellane had been Provost of Aix. His election was approved by Pope Urban V on 15 September 1367. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 177-184. Eubel I, p. 497.
^Aimar de La Roche, previously Bishop of Bethléem à Clamecy (1363–1378). He was transferred to the diocese of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux by Pope Clement VII (Robert of Geneva) on 10 November 1378. Fabri was named bishop of Geneva on 12 July 1385 by Clement VII. He died on 8 October 1388. Eubel I, pp. 135, 260, 497. "Fabri" was never part of his name: Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, p. 184.
^Diodatus was appointed on 23 December 1388 by Pope Clement VII. Bishop Hugues de Theissiac was named administrator of the diocese of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux on 11 February 1411 by Pope John XXIII in place of the deceased Bishop Dieudonné. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 204-232. Eubel I, p. 497.
^Hugues de Theissiac had been appointed Bishop of Vaison (1412 – 1445) by Pope Alexander V, after the Council of Pisa had deposed both Gregory XII (Roman Obedience) and Benedict XIII (Avignon Obedience), for manifest heresy, schism, and perjury. Bishop Guillaume of Vaison had remained faithful to Benedict XIII and had been deposed as well. On 18 February 1411, after the death of Bishop Dieudonné, Pope Alexander V, elected at Pisa, named him administrator of the diocese of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux. On 30 March 1444, due to senescence, he was assigned a coadjutor bishop of Vaison, Pons de Sade. Bishop Hugues died in his castle of Crestet int the diocese of Vaison, before 15 July 1448. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 232-253. Eubel I, p. 497; II, p. 255.
^Pons was coadjutor-bishop for Bishop Hugues de Theissiac, and thus also acted as administrator of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux along with Bishop Hugues. He became Bishop of Vaison (1445 – 1473). Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 253-257. Eubel II, p. 255, note 1.
^Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 257-268. Eubel II, p. 255.
^De Laye was a papal protonotary, and perpetual administrator of the diocese. He was not in episcopal orders. He died in Rome before 14 August 1478. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 375-428. Eubel II, p. 256 with note 5.
^Aimery was consecrated a bishop in Rome on 6 September 1478. He was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Vienne on 11 December 1480. He died in 1482. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 429-448. Eubel II, p. 256 with note 6; 257 note 2 (under Troja).
^Antoine was the nephew of François de Tournon. He held the degree of bachelor of Canon Law, and was almoner of Queen Claude of France. Though only in minor orders, he was nominated bishop of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux by King Francis I and appointed by Pope Leo X, though he remained in Paris at court. Still bishop-elect, he was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Embrun on 8 January 1526, in succession to his uncle François. Still bishop-elect he was transferred to the diocese of Saint-Flour on 9 January 1548 by Pope Paul III. He died in 1566. Sainte-Marthe, Gallia christiana I, p. 729. Eubel III, pp. 190, 197, 318 with note 3. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 515-523.
^Antoine de Cros: Gauchet, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 344 with note 3. Bergin, p. 601.
^François de Grignan, who held a doctorate in theology, was nominated bishop of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux by King Louis XIII on 12 May 1630, and confirmed by Pope Urban VIII on 16 December 1630. On 31 March 1644, he was nominated Metropolitan Archbishop of Arles by King Louis XIV (Cardinal Mazarin), and on 16 January 1645 he was approved by Pope Innocent X. He died on 9 March 1689. Gauchet, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 344 with note 4. Bergin, pp. 634-635.
^Jacques (20 March 1645–1657) was the younger brother of his predecessor, François de Grignan. He was nominated Coadjutor Bishop of Uzès on 22 May 1657 by King Louis XV (Cardinal Mazarin), and preconised by Pope Alexander VII on 30 September 1658, succeeding as Bishop of Uzès on 12 February 1660. He died on 13 September 1674. Gauchet, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 344 with note 5. Bergin, p. 635.
^A native of Provins (Brie), Ruffier was a Cistercian at the abbey of Chaalis for 20 years. He studied in Paris, at the College des Bernardins, and became a doctor of the Sorbonne. He was vicar-general of the abbot of Cîteaux for Languedoc and Provence. He was grand-vicar for his uncle, Bishop Nicolas de Grillé of Uzès. He was nominated bishop of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux by King Louis XIV on 31 May 1657, and approved by Pope Alexander VII on 8 July 1658. He died on 16 March 1674. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 618-623. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 344 with note 6.
^Lucas d'Aquin was a doctor of Canon Law (Paris), and was a canon of the cathedral of Tulle. He was nominated bishop of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux by King Louis XIV on 6 June 1674, and confirmed by Pope Clement X on 11 June 1674. In 1675, he was a deputy of the ecclesiastical province of Arles to the General Assembly of the Clergy of France. He was transferred to the diocese of Fréjus on 17 March 1681. He died in Paris on 2 March 1718. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 618-623. Ritzler & Sefrin VI, pp. 204 with note 5; 389 with note 2.
^Roquemartine had previously been Provost of the cathedral Chapter of Arles. He was Bishop of Grasse (1676–1682). King Louis XIV nominated him bishop of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux on 21 March 1681; he was confirmed on 25 May 1682 by Pope Innocent XI. He died on 19 September 1713, at the age of 82. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 623-653. Ritzler & Sefrin V, p. 389 with note 2.
^Simiane was Dean of the Chapter of the collegiate church of S. Agricol in Avignon, and vicar-general of Bishop Gualtieri of Vaison. He was nominated bishop of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux by King Louis XV on 20 August 1717, and approved by Pope Clement XI on 27 June 1718. He was consecrated by Archbishop Jean-François de Forbin-Janson of Arles on 21 August 1718. He resigned the diocese in 1743, and retired to his abbey of S. Pierre-sur-Dives. He died on 7 December 1767. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 655-657. Ritzler & Sefrin V, p. 389 with note 5.
^Bishop de Lambert was a native of Aix-en-Provence, and held the degrees of doctor of theology and licenciate in Civil and Canon Law. He had been vicar-general of Aix. He was nominated by king Louis XV on 8 September 1743, and approved by Pope Benedict XIV on 16 December 1743. He died on 13 March 1791, at the age of 87. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 657-671. Ritzler & Sefrin VI, p. 415.
^De Lau was Metropolitan Archbishop of Arles (1775–1792). Ritzler & Sefrin VI, p. 97.
^Tavernier was appointed administrator of the diocese by virtue of an apostolic brief of Pope Pius VI. His tenure came to an end when the diocese was abolished by Pope Pius VII on 29 September 1801. Albanès, Gallia christiana novissima, pp. 671-672.
Albanès, Joseph Hyacinthe (1885). "Les évêques de Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, au quatorzième siècle," (in French), in: Bulletin d'histoire ecclésiastique et d'archéologie religieuse des diocéses de Valence, Digne, Gap, Grenoble et Viviers,Vol. 5 (1885), pp. 383-408. Vol. 6 (1885), pp. 5-34.
Albanès, Joseph Hyacinthe (1904). Gallia christiana novissima. (in Latin). Volume 4. Valence: Imp. Valentinoise, 1904.
Bergin, Joseph. The Making of the French Episcopate, 1589-1661. New Haven: Yale University Press 1996.