Diocese of Angers Dioecesis Andegavensis Diocèse d'Angers
Angers Cathedral
Location
Country	France
Ecclesiastical province	Rennes
Metropolitan	Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo
Statistics
Area	7,166 km2 (2,767 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2012) 783,000 566,000 (72.3%)
Parishes	85
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	372
Cathedral	Cathedral of St. Maurice in Angers
Patron saint	Saint Maurice
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Emmanuel Delmas
Metropolitan Archbishop	Pierre d'Ornellas
Map
Website
Website of the Diocese

The Diocese of Angers (Latin: Dioecesis Andegavensis; French: Diocèse d'Angers) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The episcopal see is located in Angers Cathedral in the city of Angers. The diocese extends over the entire department of Maine-et-Loire.

It was a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Tours under the old regime as well as under the Concordat. Currently, the diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo.

History

The first Bishop known in history is Defensor, who, when present in 372, at the election of the Bishop of Tours, made a determined stand against the nomination of Martin of Tours. The legend concerning the earlier episcopate of a certain Auxilius, is connected with the cycle of legends that centre about Firmin of Amiens and is contradicted by Angevin tradition from before the thirteenth century.

Among the illustrious names of the Diocese of Angers during the first centuries of its existence are those of Maurilius, disciple of Martin, and at an earlier period hermit of Chalonnes, who made a vigorous stand against idolatry, and died in 427; Thalassius, consecrated bishop in 453, who has left a compendium of canon law, consisting of the decisions of the councils of the province of Tours; Albinus (sixth century); Licinius, former Count of Anjou, and bishop during the early part of the seventh century.

As for the tradition that Renatus, who had been raised from the dead by Maurilius, was Bishop of Angers for some time shortly before 450, it bases its claims to credibility on a late life of Maurilius written in 905 by the deacon Archinald, and circulated under the name of Gregory of Tours, and it seems to have no real foundation.

Among the Bishops of Angers in modern times were:

• Cardinal de la Balue (1467) confined by Louis XI in an iron cage (1469–1480) for his negotiations with Charles the Bold
• Henri Arnauld (1649–1693), a Jansenist
• Charles-Émile Freppel (1870–1891), who had a seat in the Chamber of Deputies, and warmly defended Catholic interests
• François-Désiré Mathieu (1893–1896), cardinal of the Curia and member of the French Academy

Angers Cathedral, a majestic structure without side aisles, dedicated to Maurice, dates from the twelfth century and exhibits the characteristic type of Angevin or Plantagenet architecture. During the Middle Ages Angers was a flourishing monastic city with six great monasteries: the Abbey of St. Aubin founded by King Childebert I; the Abbey of St. Serge by Clovis II; those of St. Julien, St. Nicholas and Ronceray, founded by Count Foulques Nerra, and All Saints' Abbey, an admirable structure of the twelfth century. In 1219 Pope Callixtus II went in person to Angers to assist at the second consecration of the church attached to Ronceray Abbey. The Diocese of Angers includes Fontevrault, an abbey founded at the close of the eleventh century by Robert d'Arbrissel but which did not survive the Revolution. The ruins of St. Maur perpetuate the memory of the great Benedictine abbey of that name.

In 1244, a university was founded at Angers for the teaching of canon and civil law. In 1432 faculties of theology, medicine and art were added. This university was divided into six "nations," and survived up to the time of the Revolution. In consequence of the law of 1875 giving liberty in the matter of higher education, Angers again became the seat of a Catholic university. The Congregation of the Good Shepherd (Bon Pasteur), which has houses in all parts of the world, has its mother-house at Angers by virtue of a papal brief of 1835. Berengarius, the heresiarch condemned for his doctrines on the Holy Eucharist, was Archdeacon of Angers about 1039, and for some time found a protector in the person of Eusebius Bruno, Bishop of Angers. Bernier, who played a great role in the wars of La Vendée and in the negotiations that led to the Concordat, was curé of St. Laud in Angers.

Bishops

See also

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

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Goyau, Pierre-Louis-Théophile-Georges (1907). "Diocese of Angers". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

Bibliography

External links

47°28′N 0°34′W / 47.47°N 0.56°W / 47.47; -0.56