Christianity in Besançon

Christianity in Besançon appeared in the 3rd century, a period during which, according to tradition, the martyrs Ferrutio and Ferreolus evangelized the city and its region. However, the torture and assassination of these two figures of Franc-Comtois Christianity are today considered by some historians as an invention of late antiquity, with the former Sequania Gallo-Roman gradually converting to Christianity only from the 4th century onwards.Yves Jeannin, "Le peuple christianisé à la recherche de 'ses martyrs' : le cas de Besançon", Mélanges Pierre Lévêque, Besançon, 1992, p. 127-138 The first mention of a bishop of the city dates back to 346, but documents mention religious figures in office in the Comtois capital as early as the mid-3rd century, when the first Franc-Comtois church was probably built on the site of the current Cathedral of Saint John.

Other buildings were constructed subsequently and up to the 18th century, such as the , the , or the . In the 18th century, the Église de la Madeleine, the , and many other chapels and churches were built.

Today, the Archdiocese of Besançon comprises 67 parishes (or pastoral units), grouped into 13 deaneries representing 1,010 communes. Currently, Besançon, like many other French and European cities, is experiencing a decline in church attendance rates and the number of practicing faithful within its Christian community.

History

Sequani

The Sequani were one of the Gallic peoples of eastern Gaul, who opposed their neighbors, the Aedui, to the southwest. If the Saône appears in the writings of Caesar under the name Arar, it is likely that the term sequana is the primitive name of the river (the same form also being the origin of the name of the Seine). Etymologically, the Sequani are named "those of the goddess Sequana" or "those of the Seine", which does not necessarily imply that they occupied the banks of this river before the population movements of the 3rd century BC, especially since the name "Seine" perhaps designated more the deity than the river consecrated to her: Su-ik-wana in Celtic means "the good source (or giver) of water", as opposed to Ik-wana, which gave "Yonne", which is not qualified as "good".

Early Christianity in Franche-Comté According to tradition, particularly reported by Gregory of Tours, the evangelization of Franche-Comté is due to Saint Ferrutio and his brother Saint Ferreolus, sent on a mission by Irenaeus of Lyon. Following their unexpected success, the first mother church, the current Cathedral of Saint John, was allegedly founded at the heart of a future capitular district in Besançon. However, historians today do not recognize the historicity of this account. Thus, according to Yves Jeannin, the holy martyrs of Besançon, Ferreolus and Ferrutio, are likely an invention by Bishop Amantius and his entourage around 500 to meet the aspirations of their time.Yves Jeannin, "Peu à montrer, beaucoup à dire !", De Vesontio à Besançon, Neuchâtel, 2006, p. 129

After Constantine's conversion, a diocese was formed in the course of the 4th century, bishops were appointed, and churches were built throughout Franche-Comté, particularly in Besançon. This marked the expansion of Christianity in Franche-Comté, a progression that continued for over 17 centuries until the mid-20th century.

Saint Ferrutio and Saint Ferreolus

According to tradition, the deacon Ferrutio (or Fargeau) and his brother, or friend, the priest Ferreolus were both natives of Asia Minor and were converted to Christianity by Saint Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna in present-day Turkey, before studying in Athens, Greece.C. Fohlen, Histoire de Besançon, volume I, pages 161 to 167. After completing their studies at the end of the 2nd century, they are found in the city of Lyon, France, where the bishop Saint Irenaeus, after ordaining them priest and deacon, sent them to found the Roman Catholic Church of Vesontio ("Besançon" in Latin) and to evangelize the Sequania Gallo-Roman.La Cathédrale Saint-Jean de Besançon, page 6.

They settled in a cave on the current site of the commune of Saint-Ferjeux, from where they conducted their activity for about thirty years, gradually expanding their action before suffering martyrdom and being beheaded on June 10 of a year during the reign of Aurelian according to the account of their passion, on the orders of the Roman governor Claude. The date is sometimes corrected by modern authors to June 10, 212.Thus Léon Cristiani, "Liste chronologique des saints de France, des origines à l'avènement des carolingiens (essai critique)", Revue d'histoire de l'église de France, 1945, 31-118, p. 9, retained "212?" Martyrologies describe at length the interrogations and tortures to which the two brothers were subjected: their tongues were cut out for continuing to preach their faith, and they were tortured with thirty awls driven into their bodies; they were finally beheaded and buried in their cave. The Roman Claude, who seems to be the governor of Sequania, allegedly ordered the execution of the two evangelizers following his wife's conversion to Christianity, seeing their Christian activities as a source of public disorder.

However, according to tradition, their goal was achieved: Franche-Comté was gradually evangelized, and the Church of Besançon began to organize, notably with the foundation of a mother church, the arrival of priests, and the appointment of bishops. Shortly after the death of Saint Ferrutio and Saint Ferreolus, the Church of Saint-Ferjeux was erected in their honor. The name of the current district of Saint-Ferjeux is undoubtedly due to one of the two saints.

In the 20th century, philological, archaeological, and historical research questioned the veracity of these accounts, which are now considered imaginary."The original Passion of Saints Ferréol and Ferjeux, and already the earlier account it borrowed from the Passion of the saints of Valence, cannot constitute a page in the history of persecutions": B. de Vregille, "La plus ancienne version de la Passion des saints Ferréol et Ferjeux", Autour de Lactance : hommage à Pierre Monat, Besançon, 2003, p. 186 The origins of Christianity in Besançon are in fact obscure, and the earliest accounts of Ferreolus and Ferrutio contain improbabilities: in particular, situating their martyrdom under Aurelian is unlikely for alleged disciples of Irenaeus, who died in 202.Yves Jeannin, "Le peuple christianisé à la recherche de 'ses martyrs' : le cas de Besançon", Mélanges Pierre Lévêque, Besançon, 1992, p. 127-138, here p. 127 The first known bishop of Besançon is Pancharius in 346, and the second is Chelidonius in 444. In the 6th century, the episcopal list expands with Amantius between 487 and 515, Claudius around 517, Urbicus in 549, Tetradius in the 550s-560s, and then Silvester in the 580s, whose epitaph is still visible in the crypt of the Basilica of Saint-Ferjeux.Y. Jeannin, 1992, p. 127 By this time, as testified by Gregory of Tours, the tradition of the martyrs Ferreolus and Ferrutio is well established, and their tomb is reputed to produce miracles. The Passion of Ferreolus and Ferrutio, as a narrative, likely dates from around 500.Y. Jeannin, 1992, p. 128; the hagiographical tradition on Ferréol and Ferjeux is particularly well-known due to the work of Bernard De Vregille It is, in fact, a replica of a lost passion of the martyrs of Valence, Felix, , and Achilleus, who, like Ferreolus and Ferrutio, were considered disciples of Irenaeus. It is imitated by that of Saint Benignus of Dijon.B. de Vregille, "La plus ancienne version de la Passion des saints Ferréol et Ferjeux", Autour de Lactance : hommage à Pierre Monat, Besançon, 2003, p. 181-196

The Passion of Ferreolus and Ferrutio contains purely local indications: nails driven into the joints of the body - the awls - and decapitation. Around 370, Bishop Anianus allegedly rediscovered the bodies of the two holy martyrs and recognized their martyr status due to the nails embedded in their skulls.Y. Jeannin, p. 129 Various indications show that the buried individuals belonged to a public cemetery, with the presence of nails referring to funerary practices not related to Christian persecutions and known elsewhere.Y. Jeannin, 1992, p. 129-133L. Joan, Carte archéologique de la Gaule : 25/90. Le Doubs et le territoire de Belfort, Paris, 2003, p. 247 Notably, at the Viotte cemetery in Besançon.Y. Jeannin, 1992, p. 134 According to Yves Jeannin, the invention of the relics should be attributed to Amantius around 500.Y. Jeannin, 1992, p. 133-134 In light of the most recent historical research, "it is confirmed that the Passion of Ferreolus and Ferrutio is purely imaginary".Y. Jeannin, 1992, p. 135 The account of the invention of the relics likely refers to realities from the early 6th century, at a time when Christian communities were affirming themselves and establishing a local identity. It is now difficult to determine the stages of the establishment of Christianity in the Besançon region and neighboring areas at the end of antiquity and the beginning of the early Middle Ages. According to L. Joan, "It is generally considered that this new religion, clashing with Gallo-Roman polytheism, was established in Gaul in two successive waves, one at the end of the Roman period through evangelizers like Saint Martin, the other towards the end of the Merovingian period also under the impetus of a new generation of missionaries, foremost among whom is the Irishman Columban".L. Joan, 2003, p. 443 And for , "The evangelization of the Sequani came from the south and probably through the Rhone corridor, but the paucity of data does not allow for any firm inference".R. Turcan, CRAI, 147-1, 2003, p. 352.

Foundation of the Mother Church

The first truly known bishop of the city is attested in 346: it is Pancharius, although an episcopal catalog names him in sixth place, placing the first bishop of Besançon, Linus, around the mid-3rd century. The city had a church where the bishops sat, but little information has come down to us from that time; only the testimony of the Roman Emperor Julian in 360 attests to the existence of places of worship: "the city is beautiful and large, adorned with magnificent temples".La Cathédrale Saint-Jean de Besançon, page 7. Another piece of evidence supports the hypothesis of a Roman church: a sounding of the building dating from 1863 carried out near the top of the nave reveals the presence of "enormous stones from Vergenne that seem to have served as foundations for Roman buildings".Les Casati de l'église Saint-Étienne de Besançon, Henri Clere, page 72. This church was likely named Saint Stephen, as was customary (indeed, the main church was called Saint Stephen, the second Saint Mary, and the baptisteries generally Saint John). In 590, The Life of Saint Columban speaks of a miracle that allegedly occurred at the church in Besançon, without further specifying the exact location.Passage translated in Histoire de Besançon, volume I, page 72. The building underwent several significant alterations, notably during the Carolingian period as well as in the 9th, 11th, 12th, and 17th centuries. During the Middle Ages, a significant conflict pitted the chapter of Saint John against that of Saint Stephen regarding the legitimacy of the status of mother church for the Cathedral of Saint John, considerably poisoning the life of the Besançon clergy.

Organization of the Community