French catholic Districts since 2002

History

The provinces and French dioceses of Old Mode were the heirs to the old provinces and Roman cities: the majority of them were thus created between 2nd and the 5th century. On several occasions during the the Middle Ages or under the Old Mode, of new dioceses were created to meet definite needs (such as the fight against the heresy Cathare in the Languedoc, which caused the creation of many dioceses in the years 1317 and following).

With the Revolution, the ecclesiastical chart of France was entirely redrawn so as to make it coincide with the department S, administrative units lately created. The dioceses of Old Mode have thus all disappeared, in the facts (and, in any case, within their old limits) in 1790. Many cities which, until 1790, were seat of one évêché, lost their bishop. However, the old cathedral, most of the time, preserved the row of church cathedral there, which explains why many posterior episcopal sees with the French revolution bear several names: thus, in the Department of Drome, only the town of Valence remained episcopal see, and the old ones évêchés of Die and Saint-Paul-Three-Castles were removed, but the bishop preserved the title of Évêque of Valence, Die and Saint-Paul-Three-Castles .

Papacy, however, did not recognize these new dioceses (and still, only some of them) that starting from the legal settlement of 1801. The ecclesiastical chart was altered thereafter in 1822-1823 (for better corresponding with the administrative chart). With 19th and 20th centuries, some new dioceses were created, especially to serve strongly populated areas (creation of the diocese of Lille in 1913, for example).

As for the ecclesiastical provinces, they in their turn were altered in 2002, so as to coincide more narrowly with the areas. This modification involved the loss of the statute of metropolis for several old metropolitan archdioceses; they however preserved the title of archdioceses.

It is possible that in the future, several French dioceses are amalgamated because of the terrible lack of priests, and of the increasing difficulty to find among them men able to assume the heavy load of bishop.

At present

Dates given in the column " Création" thus correspond:

- with the first mention or the creation of the diocese of Old Mode (when there is one)

- after an oblique bar (/), with the creation of the diocese post-certificated (after 1801).

See too

ecclesiastical Province
Diocese and Archdiocese
List of the catholic ecclesiastical provinces
List of the recent dioceses of France

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