The former French Roman Catholic diocese of Agde (Lat.: Agathensis) was in existence by the beginning of the 6th century. It was a suffragan of the diocese of Narbonne. Agde was in Languedoc, in the south of France, in what is now the department of Hérault. It was bounded on the east by the diocese of Montpellier, and on the north and west by the diocese of Béziers. The sea formed its southern boundary, and it was one of the principal ports of the Septimania.Fisquet, p. 394.

The diocese of Agde was suppressed in 1791 during the French Revolution, and, in the Concordat of 1801 between First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII, the diocese was not revived.Georges Goyau, "Montpellier." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 10 (New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911). Retrieved: 2016-07-17. ; David M. Cheney, Catholic-Hierarchy: Diocese of Agde. G-Catholic: Diocese of Agde, . Retrieved: 2016-07-17.

The seat of the bishop was the Cathedral of Saint-Étienne, originally dedicated to Saint Andrew. The diocese had only twenty-six parishes.Gallia christiana VI, p. 644. Jean, p. 254. The territory of the former diocese is now part of the diocese of Montpellier.

History

The city of Agde came under the control of the Visigoths in 475, thanks to a treaty between King Euric and the Emperor Julius Nepos.Fisquet, p. 394. It was occupied by the Saracens from . In the early feudal period it received a viscount attached to the Marquisate of Gothia. In 859 and 860, Agde was occupied by the Northmen.Fisquet, p. 395. In the 10th century, the marquisate was joined to the Vicomté of Béziers. In 1187, Vicomte Bernard Aton ceded all of his seignorial rights to the bishop and Chapter of Agde. The bishops became vicomtes, and later comtes. This gave them a great advantage in excluding the Albigensian heresy from the city and diocese.Rastoul, p. 927.

Chapter and cathedral The Cathedral of Saint-Étienne, originally dedicated to Saint Andrew was located in the city of Agde. The cathedral was served by a Chapter, consisting of twelve Canons, including the Archdeacon, the Sacristan, the Precentor and the Treasurer. There were twelve chaplains (hebdomidarii), eight for daily services and four for requiems. There were thirty-two prebendaries.Gallia christiana VI, p. 644.

There were two abbeys in the city, Saint-André, allegedly founded in the second half of the 5th century by the Syrian monk Severus; and Saint-Sever, originally called Saint-Martin, first heard of in the 9th century. In 1158, Saint-Sever, which had had several bishops as abbot, was united to the property (mensa) of the bishops of Agde.Fisquet, pp. 545–552. Rastoul, p. 929. Outside the city, there was the abbey of Saint-Thibéry in the village called Cessero (Caesarion), six miles from Agde, first mentioned at the beginning of the 9th century.Fisquet, pp. 552–573; the buildings wer in a dilapidated condition in the 18th century, and it was suppressed in 1789 at the beginning of the French Revolution. The abbey of Sainte-Marie de Valmagne was founded in 1138; its last monks dispersed in 1790, and in 1793 its physical remains were carted off and sold as building materials.Fisquet, pp. 573–590.

In April 1243, the archbishop of Narbonne held a diocesan synod at Béziers, addressing the problem of the resurgence of the Cathars (Albigensians).Carl Joseph von Hefele, Histoire des conciles d'après les documents originaux, , tr. H. Leclercq, Volume 5, part 2 (Paris: Letouzey, 1913), p. 1629. Bishop Pierre Raimond de Fabre of Agde (1243–1271) was present, and he also attended the council of 19 April 1246, in which the procedures for acting against heretics were decided upon. He won the favor of Pope Innocent IV who granted him the privilege of immunity from excommunication or interdict, except one pronounced by the pope himself.Fisquet, pp. 462–463.

On 5 December 1248, at the direction of Pope Innocent IV, the papal legates Cardinal Pietro de Collemedio and Hugo de Santo Caro held a special council at Valence of four ecclesiastical provinces, Narbonne, Vienne, Arles and Aix. The purpose was to excommunicate once again the Emperor Frederick II and his followers. The council also issued a set of 23 canons, mostly reenactments of earlier legislation. Among those present was the Bishop of Agde, Pierre Raymond de Fabri.Charles Joseph Hefele, Histoire des conciles , ed. Delarc, Volume 8 (Paris: Adrien Leclere 1872), p. 414-416.

In 1562, at the beginning of the First French War of Religion (1562–1563), the Protestants captured Agde, from which they expelled the priests and members of religious orders. In 1563, they were driven out, and Catholic control was resumed. Protestant churches, however, were established in the diocese at Cette, Montagne, and Ville veyrae.Rastoul, p. 927.

French Revolution At the beginning of the French Revolution, the National Constituent Assembly ordered the replacement of political subdivisions of the ancien régime with subdivisions called "departments", to be characterized by a single administrative city in the center of a compact area. The decree was passed on 22 December 1789, and the boundaries fixed on 26 February 1790, with the effective date of 4 March 1790.Pisani, pp. 10-11. A new department was created, called "Hérault", and its meeting center rotated among Montpellier, Béziers, Lodève, and Saint-Pons.J. B. Duvergier, Collection complète des lois, décrets, ordonnances, règlemens avis du Conseil d'état, , Volume 1 (Paris: A. Guyot et Scribe, 1834), p. 106, col. 1: "33. HÉRAULT.- La première assemblée de ce département se tiendra à Montpellier, et alternera entre Béziers, Lodève, Saint-Pons et Montpellier. Ce département est divisé en quatre districts, dont les chefs-lieux sont: Montpellier, Béziers, Lodève, Saint-Pons."

The National Constituent Assembly then, on 6 February 1790, instructed its ecclesiastical committee to prepare a plan for the reorganization of the clergy. At the end of May, its work was presented as a draft Civil Constitution of the Clergy, which, after vigorous debate, was approved on 12 July 1790. There was to be one diocese in each department, a policy later adhered to by Napoleon."Civil Constitution," Title I, "Article 1. Chaque département formera un seul diocèse, et chaque diocèse aura la même étendue et les mêmes limites que le département." Under the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, the seat of the Constitutional diocese of Hérault was fixed at Béziers, and Catholic diocese of Béziers and the other dioceses in Hérault, including the diocese of Agde, were consequently suppressed, their territories becoming part of the new diocese of Hérault.Duvergier, Vol. 1, p. 242, column 2.

The last bishop of Agde, Charles François de Rouvroy, was guillotined in Paris on July 25, 1794.Jean, p. 255–256, no. 76.

Bishops To 1000

Saint-Marthe, Gallia christiana VI, p. 665. Fisquet, pp. 411-413. The one and only reference to Venustus is found in a list printed in Gallia christiana Volume I, Instrumenta, p. 137, where he is one of twelve bishops killed by Crocus, king of the Alamanni. The editor, Saint-Marthe, doubts the reliability of the text. Duchesne, p. 317, note 3, points out that the source of the list is Polycarpe de la Rivière, a notorious forger of old documents and creator of fictitious episcopal lists. ( ca. 450?) : BeticusBeticus: Fisquet, pp. 413–414. He is rejected by Duchesne, p. 317, note 3. Sophronius 506Bishop Sophronius took part in the council of Agde in September 506, presided over by Caesarius of Arles. Duchesne, p. 317, no. 1. Charles Munier, Concilia Galliae, A. 314 – A. 506 , (Turnholt: Brepols 1963), p. 213: "Sofronius in Christi nomine episcopus ciuitatis Agatensis subscripsi." () : LeoBishop Leo is mentioned by Gregory of Tours in his de gloria martyrum, chapter 78. Fisquet, pp. 421–422. Duchesne, p. 317, no. 2. (ca. 567–ca. 579) : PhronimiusBishop Phronimius was compelled to flee into Frankish territory in 579. In 588, he became bishop of Vence. Fisquet, pp. 422–423. Duchesne, p. 317, no. 3. (589) : TigridiusBishop Tigridius attended the council of Toledo in 589, and the council of Narbonne in 589. Fisquet, pp. 423–424. Duchesne, p. 317, no. 4. (653) : GeorgiusBishop Georgius was present at the council of Toledo in 653. Fisquet, p. 424. Duchesne, p. 317, no. 5. () : WilesindeBishop Wilesinde (Wilesmond), who was defending Agde from the Visigoths, was taken prisoner by King Wamba during the campaign of 673. Fisquet, pp. 424-425. Duchesne, p. 317, no. 6. (683) : PrimusBishop Primus did not attend the fourth council of Toledo in November 683, but he sent his deacon Dexter to represent him. Fisquet, p. 425. Duchesne, p. 318, no. 7. (788, 791) : JustusBishop Justus allegedly was present at the false council of Narbonne in 788. Carl Joseph Hefele, Histoire des Conciles: d'aprés les documents originaux, Volume 5 Part 2, tr. H. Delarc (Paris: Le Clere et Cie, 1870), pp. 82-85. He attended a provincial council of Narbonne on 27 June 791. J.-D. Mansi, Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XIII (Florence: A. Zatta 1767), p. 824. Fisquet, p. 425. Duchesne, p. 318, no. 8. (848–872) : DagobertDagobert: Fisquet, p. 426–427. Duchesne, p. 318, no. 9. (885–897) : BosoBishop Boso was present at the council of Narbonne held at Notre-Dame du Port on 17 November 887, and another on 19 April 897. Fisquet, p. 427. Duchesne, p. 318, no. 10. (899–922) : GerardusBishop Gerardus attended the council of Narbonne, held in Barcelona in 906. Fisquet, p. 428. Duchesne, p. 318, no. 11. (922–) : StephanusStephan (I): Fisquet, p. 428-429. (937–948) : DagobertDagobert (II): In 937, Bishop Dagobert participated in the consecration of the abbey church of Saint-Pons de Thomières. In 937, he attended the provincial council of Archbishop Aimeri of Narbonne, in the village of Assignan. His latest notice is on 27 March 948, when he attended the election of a bishop of Elne. Fisquet, p. 429. ()Bernhard (I) is mentioned in a charter of the year 949. Fisquet, p. 429. J. Despetis, pp. 63–67, shows that the date has been misread, and that the two Salomons are the same person. J. Roquette, "Bulletin critique," , in: Revue d'histoire de l'Église de France, tome 7, n°36 (1921), pp. 284-286, at p. 285.

() : Salomon (982) : Armand (Arnaud) (990–1034) :Stephan (II.)

1000 to 1300

(1043) : Guillaume (1050–1064) : Gontier (Gunther) (1068–1098) : Bérenger (1098–1122) : Bernard Déodat (1123–1129) : Adelbert (1130–1142) : Raimond de MontredonRaimond had been archdeacon of Béziers. Bishop Raimond was transferred to Arles. Joseph Hyacinthe Albanès, Ulysse Chevalier Gallia Christiana novissima: Arles (Valence: Société anonyme d'imprimerie montbéliardaise, 1901), pp. 212-235. (1142–1149) : Ermengaud (1150–1152) : BérengerBérenger (II) was elected bishop on 6 February 1150 (1149 Old style). He died on 11 September 1152. Despetis, pp. 72–73. (1152–1153) : Pons de MontmiratPons had been archdeacon of Agde since at least 1148. He was already bishop of Agde in December 1152. His latest document is on 14 March 1153. Despetis, p. 73. (1153–1162) : Adhémar (1165–1173) : Guillaume. (1173–1192) : Pierre Raimond (1192–1213) : Raimond de MontpellierRaimond, the son of Guillaume VII of Montpellier, had been a monk at the abbey of Grandselve before his election as bishop of Agde. On 30 April 1212, Bishop Raimundus participated in the consecration of Archbishop Arnaud Amaury of Narbonne. In 1213, he went on crusade with his nephew, King Peter of Aragon, who was killed at the battle of Muret on 12 September 1212. On 3 November 1213, the bishop added a codicil to his will and died shortly thereafter. Fisquet, pp. 452–454. Eubel I, p. 76.