List bishops of Chartres

List of the bishops of Chartres : The oldest known episcopal list is in a manuscript of XIe century coming from the Trinité of Vendôme. It contains 57 names since Adventus (holy Aventin) until Aguiertus (Agobert) died in 1060. The most known list is that which contains the Vieille Chronicle of Chartres, dated of 1389. It is very close to the preceding one (Agobert carries number 56 there) and was used as a basis for all the following ones. Printed in 1608 by Villiers at the head of its edition of the Letters of Fulbert, it was used for work of modern scholarship, of the Gallia Christiana with the catalog placed by Lépinois and Merlet in the introduction of the Cartulaire of Notre-Dame .
We respect the order of it below. It should be noted that, if the list of XIe century does not provide any date, that of the Vieille Chronicle illustrates the legend of the Chartres-native origins by making of Adventus the bishop devoted by the envoys of Pierre saint.

4th century (?)

  • holy Aventin (Adventinus) , legendary biography which makes a contemporary of the apostles of it.
  • Optat (?)
  • Valentine; Valentine is quoted by Sulpice-Severe (Dialogs, III) like contemporary of holy Martin, which makes it possible to assign a date to him towards 395; if he is indeed the third bishop of Chartres as the lists affirm it, that would place its two predecessors in second half of the century, chronology coherent with what we know of the close Churches (Orleans, Paris, Sens…)

5th century

  • Martin the White (Martinus Candidus) , problematic character, in relation to the monastery of Saint-Martin-with-Valley which would have been built on its tomb.
  • Aignan, non-existent; although one composed at the 12th century a Vita to make a local saint of it, it is acted in fact of saint Aignan of Orleans introduces into the Chartres-native list by error or to pack it
  • Sévère, to see the note will infra.
  • Beaver, to see the note will infra.
  • Africanus (?)
  • Owner (Possessor) , to see the note will infra.
  • Polychronius, to see the note will infra.
  • Palladius (?)
  • Arbogast, to see the note will infra.
  • Flavius (?) - In a life of saint Aventin (IXe S.?) without authority, this Flavius is given like the great-uncle of Solen and Aventin, their teacher and their computer.
the eight preceding bishops pose a difficult problem; four of them, to the common names not very, bear names of bishops of the areas of the Meuse and the Moselle: Possessor and Polychronius are bishops of Verdun, Arbogast and Sévère of the bishops of Trier (but Arbogast is also attested with Strasbourg). Dom Morin produced a letter (with the indisputable authenticity) in which fugitive clerks who found reception near a bishop named Castor ask their own bishop, Polychronius, to come to visit them. It is trying to identify with him the Beaver of this letter with that of the Chartres-native list. One could see then in these bishops of exiled who, in front of the franque projection in the Rhineland, folded up themselves in the Paris basin. These old relations between the Churches could also explain the rather incomprehensible worship returned in the diocese of Chartres to an obscure Lorraine martyr of IVe century, Saint Élophe (Eliphus) , which even left its name to the village of Saint-Éliph (canton of the Magnifying glass).
Castor would be thus the only bishop of Chartres of the 5th century to receive some historical consistency. It is possible also that one or the other of these driven out bishops of their seat occupied that of Chartres.

6th century

  • holy Solen or Solenne (Solemnis) , problems, perhaps legendary.
  • holy Aventin II, obscure character whose biography is closely related to that of Solen. His existence was sometimes disputed. It however subscribes to the council of Orleans of 511, which makes of him the first bishop of Chartres directly documented. It perhaps sat at Châteaudun. (cf holy article Solen)
  • Éthère, more rarely Euthère (Etherus) , subscribed to the councils of Orleans into 533,538 and 541.
  • holy Lubin or Leobinus : subscribed to the councils of Orleans 549 and Paris 551. Its worship extended quickly; at the beginning of the 13th century, the Church of Chartres honors it with equal with a founder and makes the model of the bishops of it by devoting to him a famous canopy in the northern side of the cathedral.

  • holy Calétric (Caletricus, Chaletricus) , sometimes francized in Caltry or even Calais, subscribed to the councils of Paris 557 and Turns 566; one found in 1703 his tomb with an inscription; Fortunat wrote a short panegyric at the time of its death.

  • Pappolus (Papulus, Pabulus)

7th century - 8th century

  • holy Béthaire or Bohaire (Betharius)
  • Magnobode, dubious name: Magobertus , Magnebodus , Mugoldus (?)
  • Sigoald
  • Mainulf
  • Thibaut
These four bishops that the Vieille Chronicle makes sit between 551 and 598 (obviously indefensible dates) are unknown apart from the lists and perhaps they was gathered here only to fill gaps. Certain authors Chartres-native (in particular A. Clerval, Schools of Chartres… , p. 9) are unaware of them and make of Lancégésile the immediate successor of Béthaire.
  • Lancégésile or Bertegisilus (Leodegisilus , Lancissilus , Langesilisus, Bertegisilus) … Subscribed to the council of Rheims 625. It appears, like its Béthaire predecessor, resulting from the entourage of Clotaire II and one finds it mingled with a miracle with Saint Chéron. Its tomb existed formerly in the church of Saint-Martin-with-Valley.
  • Holy Malard, subscribed to the council of Châlons 644, still listed in 653 in a charter of Landry, bishop of Paris.
  • Gaubert, or Gausbert (Gaubertus, Gausbertus…) - City in subscriptions of charters of worms 658 to 666. - The Vieille Chronicle gives him a successor Godebertus who is probably only one unfolding of Gaubert.
  • Déodat, dubious
  • Dromus, or Dronus, Drono, and Pronus, or Promoted, Promotion (?) - two bishops given by the Vieille Chronicle and who must do only one of them.
  • Berthegran
  • Haynius
  • Agirard or Airard (Agirardus, Aidradus, Airardus, Aicardus, Haigradus…) - Subscribed to a council of Rouen towards 689. Known by an original diploma of 696/697. († 698 according to the Old Chronicle )
  • Agatheus
  • Léobert (Leobertus, Leudisbertus) - Known into 723 by an inscription (disappeared) in a reliquary, the year 15th of its ordination.
  • Hado
  • Flavius
the dates of these bishops are very dubious. Those which are given by the Vieille Chronicle agree badly with the thin data which we have in addition. It places Godessald and Bernoin in VIIIe century, fact of Hélie (789-815) the contemporary of Charlemagne then “is caught up with” by giving long reigns to Bouchard (815-841) and Frotbold (841-855 - date on which it places the catch of Chartres by the Norman ones).
the Carolingians appear to have been attentive with the nomination of the bishops of Chartres. All those which we know, until Rainfroy, contemporary of Louis d' Outremer, included, are the their faithful ones.

9th century

  • Godessald, Gondesault (?), for Godosaldus, Godalsadus
  • Bernoin (Bernoinus, Hernoinus, but also Hieronymus) - subscribed to a council of Paris 829 and a council of Directions 836.
  • Hélie, more rarely Élie (Helias) , known from 840 to 849 by a violent conflict with the monks of the Holy Father who prefer to exile themselves in Auxerre rather than to recognize the episcopal jurisdiction; correspondent of Wolf of Tool bags.
  • Bouchard (Burchardus) . Known into 853-854, missus in Orléanais and Blésois, trying to organize resistance against the Norman ones. The name of Bouchard - which is also that of a hypothetical local saint - appears at that time in the entourage of Robertiens and will appear in the hereditary anthroponymy of the first counts de Vendôme. It was undoubtedly imposed by Charles the Bald person.
  • Frotbold: known into 855-857. Massacred in its cathedral by a Dane troop according to the Paul monk, drowned in the Eure while trying to escape to them according to Rigord. - Correspondent of Wolf of Tool bags.
  • Gislebert or Gilbert (Gislebertus, Willebertus, Galeverius, Galtherus) - known from 859 to 878. Familiar of Charles the Bald person, former royal notary; soucrit in particular the charter of foundation of the abbey of Bonneval in 861. The construction of the Carolingian cathedral undertakes. It is also him which would have received into 876 the Shirt of the Virgin of the hands of the king.
  • Aymon (Haimo) , appears into 885 in the account of translation of the saints Wandrille and Saint Ansbert reducing in front of the Norman ones; in company of the Aimeric abbot, it receives them in the abbey of Saint-Chéron.
  • Gerard or Girard, listed in 886 or 887.
  • Aymeric or Aymery, mentioned into 890/891

10th century

  • Gancelme or Goussaume (Waltelmus, Wantelmus, Waltelmus, Gancelinus, Gantelmus, Ancelmus, Gancelmus…) Celebrates to have organized the defense of the city against the Norman ones into 911 (miracle of the Holy Shirt).
  • Aganon or Haganon, known in 931 and 940. Restorer of the abbey of the Holy Father of Chartres, with the assistance of the Alveus canon. A. Chedeville suggested a bond with a Lorraine homonym, adviser of Charles the Simple one, quoted several times by Flodoard before 920. Died into 941, according to Nécrologe of Notre-Dame (but the date is dubious). - One calls Vieil Aganon (Vetus Aganon) the first volume of the cartulaire of the Holy Father compiled at the end of the 11th century by the Paul monk, because the oldest documents implemented go back to its episcopate.
  • Rainfroy, sometimes Ragenfroy (Ragenfredus) . Known towards 949-950 by donations and privileges granted to the abbey of the Holy Father of which it continues the restoration. Like Aganon, Rainfroy is faithful Carolingians: with most extremely from the fight between Hugues Large the and Louis IV of Overseas, it always dates its charters from the reign of this last.
  • Hardouin, known in years 950; he would have been the brother of Rainfroy, according to the Paul monk.
Hardouin occupies a particular place in Chartres-native historiography. The medieval tradition, recorded by the Old Chronicle , wanted that, since Malard at least, the bishops of Chartres also exerted the authority comtale. Hardouin, “wanting to be given only to the divine things”, would have been the first to institute a laic count. It would have chosen certain Eudes, member of its family, and would have equipped it with temporal with the Holy Father and Saint-Martin-with-Valley. The tradition is false: counts are known before the time of Hardouin. Lépinois put forth the assumption (begun again by Chedeville) that, confronted with the will of the count to control évêché, Hardouin could reach the episcopate only by delivering to Saint-Martin-with-Valley to Thibaut the Cheater. The tradition gummed memory of the bishop this feature of pure simony while affirming a manner of superiority of the episcopal authority on the authority comtale.
In spite of the similarity of the names, nothing makes it possible to establish a relation between the Hardouin bishop and the viscontal line of Hardouin/Gilduin.
  • Vulfaldus, or Ulphardus, former monk of Fleury, quoted in the Chronicle of Flodoard for year 962. Died into 967 according to Nécrologe of Notre-Dame; its funerary inscription was formerly known with the abbey of the Holy Father.
  • Eudes (Odo) - known by various subscriptions from 968. Died in 1003 or 1004 according to Nécrologe of Notre-Dame. It gave to the church of Chartres the ground of Gamaricourt, close to Beauvais, which perhaps indicates its country of origin.

11th century

  • 1004 - 1007: Raoul (Radulfus, Rodulfus) , according to a doubtful charter, it would have obtained simultaneously from the king and the count the immunity of the cloister of the Holy Father.
a passage of the Cartulaire of the Holy Father (I, p. 104) clearly lets hear that Raoul was named by Robert the Piles. From now on, Capétiens impose the bishops of their choice which, except for the personality out of the commun run of Fulbert, was seldom happy. As of second half of the century, papacy is involved more and more in the election.
  • 1007 - 1028: Fulbert (960 † 1028). Raise of Gerbert, personal friend of Robert the Piles of which he was the fellow student, large lawyer; chancellor before being a bishop, it made school cathedral of Chartres one of the first of Christendom. He undertook the construction of the Romance cathedral. We know it by his collection of Lettres and by its poems.
  • 1028 - 1048: Thierry (Theodoricus) - Previously chèvecier, imposed by the queen Constance against the chapter which had elected its Albert senior (we let us know the protest of the canons). It is known like amateur of books.
  • 1048 - 1060: Agobert (Agobertus, Agenertus, Aivertus, Adevertus) , badly known. It appears to have been the first to be worried about adventurous theology of Bérenger about Turns.
  • 1060 - 1064/1065: Hugues of Chartres,
  • 1065 - 1069: Robert de Tours, support of very suspect Berenger of Turns and itself of heresy.
  • 1069 - 1075: Arrald
  • 1075 - 1076: Robert de Grantemesnil
  • 1077 - 1089: Geoffroy (sometimes called Geoffroy Ier to distinguish it from Geoffroy de Lèves) - deposited

12th century

13th century

  • 1218 - 1234: Gautier, sometimes written Gauthier - establishes the Preachers in Chartres.
  • 1234 - 1236: Hugues of Ferté - former senior of the chapter.
  • 1236 - 1244: Aubry Horned the - nephew of Gautier and Gilles Cornut, archbishops of Direction.
  • 1244 - 1246: Henri de Grez (of Gressibus)
  • 1247 - 1259: Mathieu of the Fields (of Campis) - nephew of Gautier
  • 1259 - 1276: Pierre de Mincy - nephew of Henri de Grez
  • 1277 - 1297: Simon de Perruchay - nephew of the pope Martin IV (pope)

14th century

  • 1298 - 1315: Jean de Garlande
  • 1316 - 1326: Robert de Joigny
  • 1326 - 1328: Pierre de Chappes - former chancellor of France, bishop of Arras in 1320; it is created cardinal by Jean XXII in 1328 and cancels its benefit of Chartres to its successor.
  • 1328 - 1332: Jean Pasté - bishop of Arras before succeeding Pierre de Chappes. He celebrated in 1329 in the cathedral of Chartres the marriage of Jean, duke of Brittany, with Jeanne de Flandres.
  • 1332 - 1342: Aymery de Chastellux - resigns évêché of Chartres after its rise to the cardinalat
  • -: Guillaume Amy (Amici) - before bishop of Apt; transferred to the patriarchat from Jerusalem in 1343.
  • - 1357: Louis de Vaucemain - a character whom one finds employed by Jean the Good in various negotiations († January 19th, 1357).
  • 1357 - 1360: Simon Lemaire - transferred since the évêché from Fraud.
  • 1360 -: Jean d' Anguerant - appears to be a nephew of Louis de Vaucemain; he refuses into 1367 to be transferred to the évêché from Luçon, then ends up accepting that of Beauvais.
  • -: Guerin d' Arcy - bishop of Oporto in 1372; († 1380).
  • - 1390: Jean Lefèvre, known as also Jean the Boilerman (Fabri) , chancellor of Louis of Anjou (1381-1388); it is him which made write the Vieille Chronicle in 1389.

15th century

  • 1391 - 1406: Jean de Montaigu, brother of the bishop of Paris, Gerard de Montaigu. It became in 1399 first President of the Room of the Accounts and, in 1405, chancellor of France. Transferred to the archbishop's palace from Direction in 1406.
  • ] - 1415: Martin Gouges of Charpaigne, in favor of the Charles dolphin which made its chancellor in 1414 of it; transferred to the seat from Clermont-Ferrand in 1415.
  • 1415 - 1418: Philippe de Boisgilon
According to the Gallia Christiana , the Jordan cardinal of Ursins would have held the Church of Chartres in commende without never taking possession of it.
  • - 1432: Jean de Frétigny - Locally, two bishops dispute the seat: Robert Dolphin, elected by the canons (minority) in favor of king de France and Jean de Frétigny, in favor of king d' Angleterre. It is the latter which holds indeed the seat. It is killed the weapons with the hand, on April 12th, 1432, at the time of the catch of the city by the troops of Charles VII.
  • 1432 - 1434: Robert Dolphin, thus called because he is the son of Béraud II, dolphin of Auvergne, takes possession of évêché when the city is conquered by Charles VII; but he does not manage to be essential against the canons “English”, always majority, who elected Philippe Prunelé, abbot of Saint-Lomer of Blois. Robert is transferred to the archbishop's palace from Albi in 1434.
  • - 1441: Thibaut Lemoine, already bishop elected of Sées. Lépinois and Merlet Cartulaire…, I, p. xlii) published its epitaph which was in the church Saint-Jean-in-the Hôpital in Paris, which says it monk of the diocese of Mans, doctor in one and the other right, bishop of Chartres and chief clerk of the pope Eugene IV; he died on June 28th (or on July 3rd according to a Chartres-native source) 1441.
  • 1442 - 1443: Pierre de Comborn, given by Gallia Christiana, according to the registers of the Vatican. It surely did not take possession of évêché, but took that of Évreux in 1443.
  • 1444 - 1459: Pierre Bèchebien, senior of the Medical college of Paris († February 1459)
  • 1459 - 1492: Miles of Illiers, in competition with Christophe d' Harcourt; it appears for the first time in a council with Sens in 1460; resign the episcopate in 1492.
  • 1492 - 1507: Rene d' Illiers, nephew of the precedent († April 8th, 1507).

16th century

  • 1507 - 1525: Érard of Marck, previously bishop elected of Liege, uncle of the duke of Bubble, Marshal of France. This large lord, near to Louis XII, was named cardinal by Leon X with the prayer of Charles Quint. In constant conflict with its canons, it alienated the favor of François Ier which put évêché of Chartres in Régale and Érard had finally to yield it in 1525 in Louis Guillard.
  • 1525 - 1553: Louis Guillard, was bishop elected of Turned of 1513 to 1525; transferred to Châlon in 1553 and 1560 to Senlis.
  • 1553 - 1573: Charles Guillard, nephew of the precedent, strongly suspected of sympathies calvinists († February 22nd, 1573).
  • 1573 - 1598: Nicolas de Thou, celebrated in 1594 the sacring of Henri IV in the cathedral of Chartres († November 5th, 1598).

17th century

  • 1599 - 1620: Philippe Hurault de Cheverny († May 27th, 1620), small nephew of the precedent.
  • 1620 - 1642: Léonor d' Étampes of Valençay, cousin of the precedent, transferred to the archbishop's palace from Rheims in 1641; resigned évêché of Chartres the following year (1585 † 1651).
  • 1642 - 1656: Jacques Lescot, († August 22nd, 1656); its tomb was with the Saint-Aignan church of Chartres.
  • 1657 - 1690: Ferdinand de Neuville de Villeroy, brother of the marshal of Villeroy, was bishop elected of Saint-Malo since 1644, (1611 † January 8th, 1690); buried in the church of the Large-Seminar of Chartres.
  • 1690 - 1709: Paul Cup of the Marshes, near of Madam de Maintenon, one of the spiritual directors of the House of Saint-Cyr military school. It is under its episcopate, in 1697, that the évêché of Blois is set up by découpement diocese of Chartres. († September 26th, 1709), buried like its predecessor in the church of the Large-Seminar.

18th century

  • 1710 - 1746: Charles-François of Montiers de Mérinville, nephew of the precedent, († May 10th, 1746).
  • 1748 - 1780: Pierre Augustin Bernardin de Rosset de Fleury (1717 † 1780). First chaplain of Marie Leszczyńska then of Marie-Antoinette.
  • 1780 - 1790: Jean-Baptist-Joseph de Lubersac, previously bishop of Tréguier (1775-1780); appointed clergy with the State-Generals (1789), he refuses the civil Constitution of the clergy (1790).
  • 1791 - 1793: Nicolas Bonnet, priest of the parish Saint-Michel of Chartres, elected official constitutional bishop by the assembly of the departmental voters on February 13rd, 1791.
In 1793, the cathedral of Chartres is converted into Temple of the Reason. The episcopal see is not restored after the Terreur and the Concordat of 1802 removes it to join together it with that of Versailles. Restored in theory in 1817, it should not any less be waited until 1821 so that a new bishop is named.

19th century

20th century

21e century

Sources and bibliography

  • Gallia Christiana in provincias ecclesiasticas distributa… Volume VIII - Paris, 1744. - In-fol. ;

  • Rouillard, Sebastien. - Parthénie or History of very-majestic and very-excessively pious woman church of Chartres… - Paris, 1609. ;
  • Shoveler duck, Jean-Baptiste. - History of the diocese and the town of Chartres… - Chartres, 1867-1876. - 4 vol. in-8 - Work of a canon of the XVIIIe century.

  • Cartulaire of Notre-Dame of Chartres…, edict. by E. of Lépinois and L. Merlet. - Chartres, 1862-1865 - 3 vol. in-4 - Volume I contains the edition of the Vieille Chronicle and, in the introduction, a catalog of the bishops established by the editors; volume III contains the Nécrologe of Notre-Dame , established by the combination of several sources;

  • Merlet, Rene - Clerval, Alexandre. - a Chartres-native Manuscript of XIe century… - Chartres, 1893. - In-4 - oldest nécrologe of Notre-Dame Contains known;
  • Obituaires of the province of Direction…, edict. by A. Molinier - Volume II: Diocese of Chartres. - Paris, 1906. - In-4 (Collection of the Historians of France) - Takes again and supplements the preceding nécrologes;
  • Cartulaire of the abbey of the Holy Father of Chartres , publ. by B. Guérard. - Paris, 1840 - 2 vol. in-4 - (new Documentation…) ;
  • Duchesne, L. - episcopal Records of old Gaulle. Volume 2 - 2nd ED. review and corr. - Paris, 1910.

  • Clerval, Alexandre Schools of Chartres to the Middle Ages… - Chartres, 1895.

  • Block, Claudine. - Chartres at the end of the Middle Ages . - Paris, 1987;
  • Chédeville, Andre. - Chartres and its campaigns (XIe-XIIIe century). - Paris, 1973;
  • History of Chartres and the Chartres-native Country, under dir it. of Andre Chédeville. - Toulouse, 1983;
  • religious History of Orléanais, under dir it. J. of Viguerie. - Chambray-the-Turns, 1983;
  • Lépinois, E. of. - History of Chartres. - Chartres, 1854-1858. - 2 vol.;
  • Merlet, Lucien and Rene. - Dignitaries of the Notre-Dame Church of Chartres - Chartres, 1900 - (Files of the diocese of Chartres) .

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