The bishopric of Lavaur (Tarn, France) (in Latin: dioecesis Vaurensis) was founded by Pope John XXII in his plan to reorganize the sprawling diocese of Toulouse. The town is situated some fifteen miles to the east of Toulouse. Lavaur had the reputation of being one of the strongest centers of Catharism, being referred to as sedes Satanae, atque erroris haeretici primatica ('seat of Satan and prime source of heretical error' The diocese consisted of some 80–90 parishes. It hosted one abbey, that of Sorèz,Gallia christiana XIII, pp. 354–368. a convent of the Clarisses, a convent of the Daughters of the Cross, a convent of Dominicans, one of Franciscans, one of Capuchins, two of reformed Dominicans, and two houses of the Doctrinaires.Prêtres de la Doctrine Chrétienne (in Latin: Congregatio Patrum Doctrinae Christianae), founded in Avignon in 1582 by César de Bus. The diocese produced some 35,000 livres for the bishop.

The diocese was abolished by the Concordat of 1801.

History

The diocese had its primitive origins in a donation made in 1098 by three sons of Guillaume Seigneur of the chateau of Lavaur, one of whom was Isarn, the Bishop of Toulouse. They gave to the monks of Saint-Pons the church of Saint-Élan (Alain) in the territory of Toulouse, not far from their chateau, on the left bank of the River Agoût; the church was in need of rebuilding; the mission of the monks was to rebuild the church, around which grew a small town (villa). During the Albigensian Crusade the town, which was politically in the County of Toulouse and subject to the heretic Count Raymond of Toulouse, was besieged.Compayré, pp. 458–459. The town was fortified in the 13th century. The monastery church became the Cathedral of Saint-Alain in the fourteenth century, when the diocese was created.Gallia christiana XIII, p. 331. De Vic and Vaissete, p. 448 (added by the later editors).

Pope John XXII created the diocese of Lavaur in a bull dated 22 February 1317.Gallia christiana XIII, Instrumenta no. ix, pp. 268–271.

The Cathedral Chapter had twelve Canons,Gallia christiana XIII, p. 331. De Vic and Vaissete, p. 438. among whom were the dignities of Provost,Gallia christiana XIII, pp. 352–355. Archdeacon, Sacristan, and Precentor. The Bishop had a vote in Chapter meetings, though he was not a member of the Chapter. There were also four hebdomidary chaplains and twenty-eight ordinary chaplains.

From 1622, the town of Lavaur became headquarters for the royal operations against Henri, Duke of Rohan. The Count de Vieule was named Governor of Castres and Lavaur, and the César, Duke of Vendôme, the natural brother of Louis XIII, was placed in charge of operations.Compayré, p. 461. Under Louis XIV, the King took a more active role in determining the talents of prospective bishops of Lavaur.Compayré, p. 470.

In 1671 the city of Lavaur had approximately 3,000 Catholics, and the diocese had approximately 65 parishes.Ritzler, V, p. 406, note 1. In 1768, there were perhaps 4,000 Catholics, and there were 88 parishes.Ritzler, VI, p. 433, note 1. A list of the parishes and their personnel is given by Th. Bessery, "L'état des paroisses du diocèse de Lavaur à la fin de l'Ancien Régime," Albia Christiana 9 (1912), pp. 251–273.

The French Revolution In 1790 the Constituent Assembly passed a number of anti-Catholic laws, the culmination of which was the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, which reduced the number of dioceses in France from 135 to 83, and made these dioceses coterminous with the new civil administrative districts, the 'départements'. The old dioceses were abolished. Clergy were to be provided with salaries, but they were required to take an oath of allegiance to the State. Bishops were to be elected by the electors of each department, rather than appointed by the King and approved by the Pope, as had been provided for in the Concordat of Bologna of 1516 between Francis I and Leo X. An elector need not be a Catholic, which meant that non-Catholics would be taking part in the selection of Catholic bishops. The inevitable result was schism between the French 'Constitutional Church' and the Roman Catholic Church.

The diocese of Lavaur, which was on the schedule of dioceses to be abolished, was subsumed into the new 'diocèse de Tarn', a suffragan of the Metropole du Sud, with its seat at Albi. The electors of Tarn duly met at Castres on 13–15 March 1791, and elected Abbé Jean-Joachim Gausserand as their Constitutional Bishop; it was presumed that Cardinal de Bernis, in refusing to take the oath, had resigned the See of Albi. The Bishop of Lavaur had protested and fled to Spain. Gausserand was consecrated in Paris on 3 April 1791 by the Metropolitan of Rhone-et-Loire (Lyon), Antoine-Adrien Lamourette. The new bishop's reception in Albi was frosty, and in Lavaur it was icy. After the Terror, when religion was reconstituted, Gausserand discovered that he had lost 200 priests through abdication, and that 40 were married; several had left their priestly duties and were functioning as civil administrators. In 1797 he admitted that fewer than 100 priests continued to function in the 'diocese of Tarn'. When the Concordat of 1801 was negotiated between First Consul Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII, Gausserand refused to submit or recant, and, when steps were being taken in 1808 to place him under Interdict, he removed himself to Toulouse. He died on 12 February 1820.

In the implementation of the Concordat of 1801, the diocese of Lavaur was not restored.

Bishops 1300 to 1500

1317-1338 : Roger d'ArmagnacBishop Roger was the son of Count Géraud V of Armagnac and Fezensac. He had previously been Archdeacon of Agen and Canon of Paris. He was appointed on 26 October 1317, and was transferred to Laon on 22 May 1338. He died in 1339. De Vic and Vaissete, IV, p. 438. Eubel, I, pp. 296, 518. 1338-1348 : Robert de FoixRobert was Seigneur de Donazan, the third son of Gaston I, Comte de Foix. De Vic and Vaissete, p. 438. Eubel, I, p. 518. 1348-1357 : Archambaud de LautrecArchambaud's father was Amalric, Vicomte de Lautrec; his mother was Marguerite de Périgord, sister of Cardinal Élie de Talleyrand-Perigord. Archambaud was transferred to Châlons-sur-Marne on 11 January 1357. Eubel, I, pp. 175 and 518. 1357-1360 : Gilles Aycelin de Montaigu 1360-1383 : Robert de Via de Villamuro 1383-1390 : Gilles Aycelin de BellemèreThe narrative of the election on 11 September 1383 of Sicardus de Brugayrosio by five canons survives; Bertrand of Fréjus received one vote. Neither candidate was acceptable to Clement VII, who quashed the election. Gallia christiana XIII, p. 334, and Instrumenta, no. xii, pp. 273–275. On 8 October the Pope appointed instead Gilles de Bellemère, Doctor in utroque iure (Civil and Canon Law), the former Archdeacon of Angers (Eubel says Avignon), who was serving in the Curia in Avignon as Auditor causarum contradictarum (appellate judge). Eubel, I, p. 518 with n. 4. Bishop Gilles was transferred to Le Puy (Aniciensis) on 17 October 1390: Eubel, I, p. 92; he was transferred to Avignon on 19 August 1392: Eubel, I, p. 124. 1390-1394 : Guy de la RocheGuido de Rupe had previously been Archdeacon of Tours. He was approved on 25 October 1390, according to Eubel, I, p. 518; but according to Gallia christiana XIII, p. 336, he was elected on 13 January 1391. Documents indicate he was still alive in May 1393. 1394-1397 : Bernard de ChevenonBernard was transferred in 1397 to the diocese of Agen. 1397-1405 : Pierre de VissacPierre de Vissac had been Dean of Brivatensis in the diocese of Clermont. Bishop of St.-Flour (1383–1397). Eubel, I, pp. 251 and 518. 1405-1408 : Bertrand de Maumont 1408-1410 : Pierre Neveu 1410-1415 : Pierre Girard, Cardinal 1415-1433 : Jean BelliEubel, I, p. 518, states that his bulls were issued on 6 April 1412. His death on 21 September 1433: Gallia christiana XIII, pp. 340–341. 1434-1459 : Jean BoucherJean Boucher had been Archdeacon of the Church of Lavaur. He was elected by the Chapter in 1433, and his appointment was approved by Pope Eugene IV on 13 January 1434. He died on 6 September 1458. Gallia christiana XIII, p. 341. Eubel, II, p. 263. 1460-1469 : Jean Gentian 1469-1497 : Jean Vigier 1497-1500 : Hector de Bourbon was the natural son of Jean II, Duc de Bourbon. He held the diocese of Lavaur in commendam. He was already Archbishop of Toulouse since 18 February 1491; he died in 1502. Eubel, I, pp. 252 and 263.

1500 to 1800

1500-1514 : Pierre de RoserguesPetrus de Roseyo: Eubel, II, p. 263, with note 2. 1514 : Giulio de' Medici, AdministratorEubel, III, p. 327. 1514-1525 : Simon de BeausoleilSimon de Beausoleil was elected by the Cathedral Chapter on 6 June 1514, with the consent of King François I, over the opposition of Cardinal de'Medici. He held the Licenciate in Canon Law, and was the major Archdeacon of Narbonne and Abbot of Mont-Olive. He resigned the diocese because of advanced age in 1525 (he was over 90). Gallia christiana XIII, pp. 343–344. 1525-1526 : Pierre de BuisPetrus de Buis (Busii) was the son of Antonius, a Councillor in the Parliament of Toulouse. He was a Protonotary Apostolic and Provost of the Church of Toulouse. He died on 30 October 1526. Gallia christiana XIII, p. 344. Eubel, III, p. 327, with note 6. 1526-1540 : Georges de SelveGeorges de Selve was third son of Jean de Selve, First President of the Parlement de Paris. He was tonsured in the diocese of Rouen, and became a Protonotary Apostolic. Georges was not yet eighteen when named Bishop of Lavaur by King Francis I. His predecessor, Pierre de Buxi, was a relative of Georges' mother. Compayré, p. 467. Georges de Selve was one of the "Ambassadors" of Hans Holbein's famous picture. 1542-1557 : Pierre de MareuilEubel, III, p. 328. 1557-1577 : Pierre DanèsA Parisian, Danès had directed the studies of the young Bishop Georges de Selve. He was a student of Janus Lascaris and Guillaume Budé, and the first professor of Greek at the Collège de France. He was sent by Francis I as one of his ambassadors to the Council of Trent. Danès died on 23 April 1577. Compayré, p. 467. Eubel, III, p. 328. 1577-1582 : Pierre Dufaur de PibracPierre Dufaur a priest of Toulouse. He Archdeacon of Toulouse. He served as Vicar-General of Cardinal Georges d'Armagnac. His appointment as Bishop of Lavaur by King Henri III was approved by Pope Gregory XIII on 14 March 1582; he died on 21 November 1582. He was never installed, and never visited the diocese. Gallia christiana XIII, p. 347. Eubel, III, p. 328. [? 1582-1583 : René de Birague, Cardinal]Birague, a native of Milan but a naturalized Frenchman, was Chancellor of France (1573–1583). He had been married, but after his wife's death he entered the Church. It is claimed that his name appears as Bishop in "les manuscrites de Lavaur," but Crozes places Birague in 1577, then stating that he resigned in favor of his nephew. Eubel, III does not list René de Birague. 1583-1601 : Horace de BiragueHorace de Birague was nephew of the Chancellor of France. He was approved by the Pope on 21 November 1583. He died on 26 February 1601. Gallia christiana XIII, p. 348. Eubel, III, p. 328. 1606-1636 : Claude DuvergierDuvergier was a native of Bourges, a priest of the diocese of Bourges, and Doctor in utroque iure (Civil and Canon Law). He was consecrated in Paris on 6 July 1606 by Bishop Leonard de Trappes, OFM Cap., of Auch. Gallia christiana XIII, p. 348. He died on 25 March 1636. He was responsible for the establishment of the Capuchins in Lavaur in 1617. Gauchat, IV, p. 360, with note 3. 1636-1647 : Charles François d'Abra de RaconisD'Abra: Gauchat, IV, p. 360, with note 4. 1647-1668 : Jean-Vincent de TullesDe Tulles died on 3 or 4 December 1668: Gauchat, IV, p. 360, with note 5.