Diocese of Aire and Dax

The Diocese of Aire and Dax (Latin: Dioecesis Adurensis et Aquae Augustae; French: Diocèse d'Aire et Dax) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. It comprises the département of Landes, in the région of Gascony in Aquitaine.

It was a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Auch under the Ancien Régime, but was not re-established until 1822, when it was again made a suffragan of the re-established Archdiocese of Auch, and was assigned the territory of the former Diocese of Aire and Diocese of Acqs (Dax). It is now a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Bordeaux.

It has been known since 1857 as the Diocese of Aire and Dax.Catholic Hierarchy: see below It is a co-cathedral diocese, with cathedras in the Cathedral St-Jean-Baptiste d' AireCazauran, Pouillé, pp. 45-49. and in Nôtre Dame de Dax.

On April 6, 2017, the resignation letter of recent Bishop Herve Gaschignard was officially accepted by Pope Francis following allegations that Gaschignard engaged in inappropriate behavior with young people.French bishop resigns amid accusations of “inappropriate behavior” Crux Staff, 2017-04-06 Archived on 2017-04-07

History The first reference to a bishop of Aire, on the river Adour, in history is to Marcellus, represented at the Council of Agde, 506. Aire was also the home of St. Philibert; it numbered among its bishops during the second half of the sixteenth century François de Foix, Count of Candale, an illustrious mathematician, who translated Euclid and founded a chair of mathematics at the University of Bordeaux, though he never visited his diocese.

In 1572, on the death of Bishop Christophe de Candale, the Capitular Vicar of Aire submitted a status report (pouillé) to King Charles IX, providing a picture of the diocese at that time. There were two Archdeacons, that of Marsan and that of Chalosse. In addition to the two archdeacons, the Cathedral Chapter was composed of ten Canons and seven Prebendaries, two semi-Prebendaries, the Master of the Children of the Choir, and the Basse-Contre. The Statutes of the Chapter were confirmed by Bishop Tristan d'Aure in 1459 or 1460.Cazauran, Pouillé, pp. 17-18 and 47.

Religious establishments included: the Abbaye du Mas d'Aire (O.S.B.: four religious, a Prior, a Sacristan, a Chamberlain and an Almoner; eleven other positions vacant) the Abbaye de St-Jean de la Castelle (Premonstratensians: six religious priests, a child servant, and a soldier, though there were places for 18-20 religious and four novices) the Abbaye of Saint-Loubouer (Collegiate church: Abbot, eight Canons, Cantor) the Collegiate Church of Pimbo (Abbot, seven Canons and a Cantor) the Abbaye of Pontaut (Cistercians: Abbot, seven religious and a soldier) the Convent of Augustine Religious at Geune.Cazauran, pp. 18-20. the Priory of Mongaillard (O.S.B.) the Commanderie of St-Antoine the Abbaye of Saint-SeverCharles Higounet and Jean-Bernard Marquette, "Les origines de l'abbaye de Saint-Sever: Revision critique," (O.S.B.) (Abbot commendatory: Archbishop of Turin, thirteen religious, a vicar, and a soldier) the Jacobins, or Frères Prêcheurs de Ste-Ursule (six religious) the Priory of Nervis the Collegial Church of Saint-Girons (Abbot and eight Canons) the Commanderie of the Holy Spirit.Cazauran, pp. 20-23. the Priory of Roquefort (O.S.B.) the Commanderie de Bessaut the Commanderie de St-Antoine de Gelonies the Priory of Mont-de-Marsan (O.S.B.) the Priory of Sen a Labrit.Cazauran, pp. 24-29.

Bishops

To 1000 506, 533 : MarcellusFor the meager evidence on the first millennium, see: 585 : Rusticus 614 : Palladius ca. 620–630 : Philibaud ca. 633–675 : Ursus ca. 788 : Asinarius ca. 977 : Gombaud

1000 to 1300

ca. 1017 : Arsius-Racca 1060 : Raymond le Vieux 1060–1092 : Peter I. 1092–1099 : Peter II. 1100–1115 : Wilhelm 1116–1147 : Bonhomme 1148–ca. 1176 : Vital de Saint-Hermes ca. 1176–1179 : Odon d’Arbéchan ? : Bertrand de Marsan ? : Guillaume Bernard 1211 : Vital de Beufmort 1211 : Jourdain ? : Gauthier 1224–1237 : Auger 1237–1266 : Pierre III. et Raymond de Saint-Martin 1266–1295 : Pierre IV. de Betous 1295–1307 : Martin

1300–1500

1308–January 1326 : Bernard de BatsDegert, pp. 92–103. 1326–1327 : Anesanche de ToujouseDegert, pp. 103–108. 1327–1349 : Garsias de Fau 1349 – 15 November 1354 : Dauphin de Marquefave 1354 : Bernard 1361–end May 1386 : Jean de Montaut 4 June 1386 – 1390 : Robert Waldeby, O.E.S.A. (nominated by Urban VI of the Roman Obedience)Waldeby was later Archbishop of Dublin (1390–1395), Bishop of Chichester (1395–1396), and then Archbishop of York (1397–1398): Eubel, I, pp. 187, 229, 233) 14 November 1390 – 1393 : Maurice Usk, O.P. (appointed by Boniface IX of the Roman Obedience) 1393–1418 : Arnaud-Guillaume de Lescun (appointed by Boniface IX of the Roman Obedience) 1386–1397 : Garsias-Arnaud de Navailles (appointed by Avignon Pope Clement VII) 1397–1418 : Bernard de Brun, O.P. (appointed by Benedict XIII of the Avignon Obedience) 1423–1440 : Roger de Castelbon (appointed by Martin V)On 13 January 1440, Roger de Castelbon was confirmed as Bishop of Tarbes. He died in 1461: Eubel, II, p. 246. 1440–1445 : Pierre de Gachefret 16 January 1445 to 30 July 1460 : Louis d'Albret (Administrator, 1445–1449; then Bishop)Eubel, II, p. 80, note 4. Louis d'Albret was only 21 when appointed, and too young to be consecrated a bishop. He was consecrated at the age of 26. 1460–1475 : Tristan d'Aure (Bishop of Couserans, 1444–1460)Eubel, II, p. 134. 1475–1484 : Pierre de Foix 1484–1485 : Mathieu de Nargassie 15 February 1486 – 1512 : Bernard d'Abbadie

1500 to 1800

1512–1516 : Antoine du Monastey 1516 – 22 December 1521 : Arnaud-Guillaume d’Aydie 24 April 1523 – 1530 : Charles de Gramont 9 March 1530 – 6 February 1538 : Gabriel de Saluces 1538–1560 : Jacques de Saint-Julien 1560–4 September 1570 : Christophe de Foix-Candale 1576–5 February 1594 : François de Foix-Candale (never consecrated)Cazauran, Pouillé, p. 12. François was the elder brother of Christophe de Foix-Candale, his predecessor. He never visited the diocese, and left temporal affairs in the hands of his Vicars-General, Robert Philippe, François Barbier, and Mathieu de la Tousche. Degert, p. 203. The Chapter of the Cathedral claimed and exercised the spiritualities. The Bishop of Bayonne conducted the ordinations. VacantThe Duc d'Epernon claimed the benefices of his wife's uncle, François de Foix Candale, on behalf of a future son. Henri IV acquiesced, and for a decade the See was vacant. Temporal business was conducted by Epernon's agents, and spiritual business by Vicars-General elected by the Chapter of the Cathedral. Degert, pp. 206–207. 4 December 1606 – 1621 : Philippe CospéanDegert, pp. 206–218. 1621 – 17 January 1625 : Sébastien Bouthilier 1625–1649 : Gilles Boutault 1650–1657 : Charles-François de Bourlemont 1657 – 12 October 1672 - Bernard de Sariac 12 January 1673 – 18 December 1684 : Jean-Louis de Fromentières 1693 – 29 March 1698 : Armand Bazin de Bezons 1698–1706 : Louis-Gaston Fleuriau d’Armenonville 1706 – 30 June 1710 : François-Gaspard de la Mer de Matha 1710–1723 : Joseph-Gaspard de Montmorin de Saint-Hérem 1723–1734 : Gilbert de Montmorin de Saint-Hérem 1735–1757 : François de Sarret de Gaujac 1758–1783 : Playcard (or Playcourt) de RaigecourtRaigecourt was in exile from his diocese during his episcopate (at least from 1764-1767), allegedly because of some offensive remarks made about the Royal Court and the Throne: Cazauran, p. 151. Degert, pp. 304–309. He was consecrated at Meaux, with the assistance of the Bishops of Troyes and Condom. 1783–1801 : Sébastien-Charles-Philibert de Cahuzac de CauxDegert, pp. 310–331. Cahuzac refused to take the oath required by the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. He emigrated to Spain. When Pope Pius VII called for the resignations of all of the bishops of France in 1801, thirty-eight refused, including Cahuzac, and were dismissed. Cahuzac retired to Paderborn, and then to England. He returned with the Bourbons in 1814, but still refused to submit his resignation, unless it was guaranteed that the Diocese of Aure would be restored. He died in Paris on 30 October 1817.

From 1800 — Bishops of Aire and Dax

1823–1827 : Jean-François-Marie Le Pappe de Trévern (also Archbishop of Strasbourg) 1827–1839 : Dominique-Marie Savy 1839 – 30 June 1856 : François-Adélaïde-Adolphe LannelucOn 11 July 1839 Msgr. Lanneluc, Vicar-General of Toulouse, was named titular Bishop of Agathopolis, and Coadjutor Bishop of Aire, by Pope Gregory XVI. He succeeded to the bishopric on 29 December 1839: P. Gams, Series episcoporum, p. 481. 15 December 1856 – 6 June 1859 : Prosper-Michel-Armand HiraboureHis accident, death, and obituary: 26 September 1859 – 23 July 1876 : Louis-Marie-Olivier Épivent 18 December 1876 – 7 August 1905 : Victor-Jean-Baptiste-Paulin Delannoy 21 February 1906 – 1911 : François Touzet 1911–1930 : Maurice Charles Alfred de Cormont 1930–1963 : Clément Mathieu 1963–1978 : Fernand Pierre Robert Bézac des Martinies 1978–2002 : Robert Pierre Sarrabère 2002–2012 : Philippe Breton 2012–2017 : Hervé Gaschignard (fr) 2017–present: Nicolas Jean-Marie Souchu

See also Catholic Church in France List of Catholic dioceses in France

References

Sources Reference works p. 72. (in Latin) p. 80.

Studies

Instrumenta, pp. 181–185.

External links Centre national des Archives de l'Église de France, L’Épiscopat francais depuis 1919 , retrieved: 2016-12-24. Cheney, David M., Catholic-Hierarchy: Diocese of Aire et Dax. Retrieved: 2016-08-05