Diocese of Vannes

The Diocese of Vannes (Latin: Dioecesis Venetensis; French: Diocèse de Vannes) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. It was established in the 5th century. The seat of the bishop is Vannes Cathedral, in the city of Vannes, on the southern shore of the peninsula of Brittany (Bretagne). The diocese corresponds to the French civil department of Morbihan, and has been a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo since 3 January 1859.Pius IX, "Ubi Primum Placuit", 3 January 1859 ("anno millesimo octingesimo quinquagesimo octavo") in: Pii IX. Pontificis Maximi Acta: Acta exhibens quae ad Ecclesiam universalem spectant, Pars prima. Vol. III (Ex Typographia bonarum artium habita facultate. Giorgio Franz in Monaco, 1864), pp. 34-48, esp. 35, 39: "...excipimus postulationes...Napoleonis...Imperatoris.., quibus Episcopalem Ecclesiam Rhedonensem ad Metropoliticam dignitatem attolli, eique Episcopatus Venetensem, Briocensem et Corisopitensem Metropolitico Turonensis Archiepiscopi iuri modo subditos in suffraganeos adiici implorandum studuit."

Raymond Michel René Centène is the current bishop since his appointment in 2005.

In 2022, in the Diocese of Vannes there was one priest for every 1,884 Catholics.

History

The ancient Gallo-Roman name for the city of Vannes (city of the Veneti) was Darioritum.J. de La Martinière, "Darioritum: Métropole de la cité des Vénètes, après la conquête romaine," , in: Bulletin mensuel de la société polymathique du Morbihan, Année 1923 (Vannes: Société polymathique du Morbihan 1923), pp. 124-141: "La métropole de la cité des Vénètes à l'époque galloromaine s'est appelée, au ive siècle, du nom de la cité et, antérieurement, Darioritum.;;;Il y a en outre des raisons de proposer l'identification de Locmariaker avec Vindana portus. Navalis portus, Port-Navalo serait une annexe du port principal." Hauréau, Gallia christiana XIV, p. 915.

Sede vacante

Bishop Guido Conley died on 21 (or 31) October 1270.Eubel I, p. 520. Trevaux, p. 160. On the appointed day, seventeen dignities and canons assembled to elect his successor. Four scrutators were selected to supervise the voting. Nine voters supported Hervé, the Cantor of the cathedral Chapter; six supported Master Gaufridus, one of the canons. The stalemate was reported to the papal Curia, which was living in exile in Viterbo and engaged in the longest papal election in history, and a lawsuit was begun. A new pope was not elected until 1 September 1271, and, since he had been on crusade, he did not arrive in Viterbo until February 1272; he was crowned in Rome as Gregory X on 27 March 1272. He handed the case to Cardinal Simon Paltanieri to act as Assessor, but Gregory died on 10 January 1276 and Paltanieri not long thereafter, with the matter of the Vannes election still undecided. His successor, Pope Innocent V, died six months later. His successor, Pope Adrian V, lasted 5 weeks. His successor, Pope John XXI, appointed Cardinal Guillaume de Bray to continue the case, but John XXI reigned for only 8½ months. During his reign, one of the principals in the case, Canon Gaufridus, died. Pope John's successor, Pope Nicholas III, finally took up the case, and issued a ruling on 12 December 1279. He found the election canonical, confirmed Cantor Hervé, and consecrated him personally.Frederic J. Baumgartner, Behind Locked Doors: A. History of the Papal Elections, (New York: Palgrave Macmillan 2003), pp. 37-40. J.N.D. Kelly & M.J. Walsh, Oxford Dictionary of Popes, second edition (OUP 2010), p. 199. Jules Gay, Les registres de Nicolas III, , Paris: Fontemoing 1898), pp. 254-255.

In 1642, during a pastoral visitation, Bishop Sébastien de Rosmadec (1622–1646) issued an set of statutes for the diocese. On 4 June 1648, he held a synod in Vannes.L. Petit, J.-B. Martin; J. D. Mansi (edd.), Sacrorum conciliorm nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, , Vol. 36ter (Arnhem-Leipzig: H. Welter 1924), pp. 255, 299.

On 22 September 1693, Bishop François d'Argouges (1687–1716) held a synod in Vannes, and issued a set of statutes.Statuts synodaux du diocèse de Vannes, publiés dans le synode général, tenu à Vennes, le 22 septembre 1693, par M. François d'Argouges, évêque de Vennes. (Vannes: la veuve de Pierre Doriou 1693).

Chapter and cathedral The edifice of the cathedral dates from several epochs. It was vaulted in the 18th century.

From the mid-15th century, the cathedral of Saint Peter was widely famed as the resting place of the remains of S. Vincent Ferrer, O.P. Fra Vincent had spent the last two years of his life, from 1417 to 1419, in Brittany, a good part of that time in Vannes. He died there on 5 April 1419.H. Fages, Historia de San Vicente Ferrer, , Volume 2 (Valencia: A. García, 1903), pp. 261-267. Laura Ackerman Smoller, The Saint and the Chopped-Up Baby: The Cult of Vincent Ferrer in Medieval and Early Modern Europe (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2014), Chapter 1. On 3 June 1455, in a consistory of cardinals and other prelates, Pope Calixtus III pronounced Vincent Ferrer a saint, and on 29 June 1455 he held a solemn public ceremony in which the declaration of canonization was made.Cesare Baronio (ed. Augustin Theiner), Annales ecclesiastici, , Vol. 29 (Bar-le-Duc:Typis Celestinorum — Bertrand 1876), p. 47 § 42. Cardinal Alain de Coëtivy, himself a Breton, was sent by Pope Calixtus as legate to France, and on 2–4 June 1456, he presided over the inauguration of the cult of Saint Vincent in the cathedral of Vannes.H. Fages, p. 325.

The cathedral is staffed and administered by a corporation called the Chapter. The Chapter consisted of four dignities (the archdeacon, the treasurer, the cantor, and the scholasticus) and fourteen canons.Trevaux, p. 148. In 1746, there were fifteen canons.Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 436, note 1. The dignities and canons were named alternately by the bishop and the pope.Trevaux, p. 148.

The diocese of Vannes had, at one time, three collegiate churches: Rochefort, founded on 1 June 1527, with a Dean, a Cantor and five canons; Guiméné, founded in 1529 with the approval of Pope Clement VII, with a Provost, six canons, and four chaplains; and Saint-Michel-du-Champ, founded in 1380, with eight canons, which was taken over by Carthusians in 1480.Hauréau, Gallia christiana XIV, p. 915. Trevaux, p. 149-150.

In the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, the National Constituent Assembly 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.J. B. Duvergier, Collection complète des lois, décrets, ordonnances, règlemens avis du Conseil d'état, , 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."

The liturgical life of the cathedral was enhanced, during the Counter-Reformation, and under the influence of the Catholic League, by numerous actions and gifts which added to the solemnity and the richness of various festivals.Elizabeth C. Tingle, Purgatory and Piety in Brittany 1480-1720 (London-New York: Routledge, 2016), pp. 139-141.

Seminary The issue of a diocesan seminary, mandated by the Council of Trent was first raised at a meeting of the clergy of Vannes in 1665. The aristocratic residence of Couessial was acquired, and the seminary opened in 1680. Staff were provided by clergy of the diocese, and canons of the cathedral took a leading role. In 1702, the bishop installed the Lazarists founded 1625 by Vincent de Paul, as faculty, positions they continued to fill until 1833. Subsequently, diocesan priests again served as faculty.Trevaux, p. 149.

The first school (collège) in Vannes began construction in 1574 near the Porte Saint-Yves, with a donation by Jean de Briçon Seigneur de Pé and his wife Anne Desprez. It received the approval of Bishop Louis de La Haye (1574–1588) on 9 December 1579. On 7 May 1629, the city entrusted the operation of the school to the Jesuits. On 2 August 1762, the Parlement of Rennes suppressed the Society of Jesus.Diego Mens Casas, "La construction de l’église du collège jésuite de Vannes: un modèle parisien et un architecte finistérien," , 2021, Monographie sur la chapelle Saint Yves de Vannes, 2021, unpaginated.

French Revolution

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.

Even before it directed its attention to the Church directly, the National Constituent Assembly attacked the institution of monasticism. On 13 February 1790. it issued a decree which stated that the government would no longer recognize solemn religious vows taken by either men or women. In consequence, Orders and Congregations which lived under a Rule were suppressed in France. Members of either sex were free to leave their monasteries or convents if they wished, and could claim an appropriate pension by applying to the local municipal authority.J. B. Duvergier, Collection complète des lois, décrets, ordonnances, règlemens avis du Conseil d'état, , Volume 1 (Paris: A. Guyot et Scribe, 1834), p. 118: "La loi constitutionnelle du royaume ne reconnaitra plus de voeux monastiques solennels des personnes de l'un ni de l'autre sexe: en conséquence, les ordres et congrégations réguliers dans lesquels on fait de pareils voeux sont et demeureront supprimés en France, sans qu'il puisse en être établi de semblables à l'avenir." Michael Burleigh, Earthly Powers: The Clash of Religion and Politics in Europe, from the French Revolution to the Great War (New York: Harper Collins 2006), p. 54. These decrees applied to the five monasteries of men in the diocese of Vannes (Redon, S. Gildas de Rhuis, Lanvaux Prières).Hauréau, Gallia christiana XIV, p. 1018. Also suppressed were the six monasteries of women (including La Joie).Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 436, note 1.