Coutances (-Avranches) (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]

Bishop(s)

Grégoire Marie Cador, Bishop

General Information

Type of Jurisdiction: Diocese
Name Changed: 12 July 1854
Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Rouen
Depends on: Dicastery for Bishops
Rite: Latin (or Roman)
Country: France
Square Kilometers: 5,938 (2,293 Square Miles)
Conference Region: Ouest
Official Web Site: http://www.coutances.catholique.fr/
Mailing Address: 1 rue du Cardinal Guyot, B.P. 129, 50201 Coutances CEDEX, France
Telephone: 2.33.45.18.06

Historical Details

Diocese of Coutances
- Latin Name: Constantiensis
- Erected: 5th Century
- Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Rouen
- Country: France

Past and Present Ordinaries

Geoffroy de Montbray † ( 1049 Appointed - 2 Feb 1093 Died)
Raoul † (3 Apr 1093 Appointed - 1110 Died)
Vivien (Gautier) † ( 1202 Appointed - 15 Feb 1208 Died)
Hugues de Morville † ( 1208 Appointed - 27 Oct 1238 Died)
Jean d’Essey † ( 1251 Appointed - 31 Oct 1274 Died)
Eustache Le Cordelier, O.F.M. † ( 1282 Appointed - 7 Aug 1291 Died)
Robert de Harcourt † ( 1291 Appointed - 7 Mar 1315 Died)
Guillaume de Thieuville † ( 1315 Appointed - 31 Oct 1345 Died)
Louis Herpin d’Erquery † (9 Jan 1346 Appointed - 1370 Died)
Sylvestre de La Cervelle † (24 Mar 1371 Appointed - 3 Sep 1384 Died)
Nicolas de Tholon † (5 Oct 1386 Appointed - 26 Aug 1387 Appointed, Bishop of Autun)
Guillaume de Crèvecœur † (26 Aug 1387 Appointed - 10 Apr 1408 Died)
Gilles Deschamps † (27 Sep 1408 Ordained Bishop - 5 Mar 1413 Died)
Jean de Marle † (2 Apr 1414 Appointed - 12 Jun 1418 Died)
Pandolfe de Malatesta † (7 Oct 1418 Appointed - 10 May 1424 Appointed, Archbishop of Patrae Veteres (Patras))
Philibert de Montjeu † (10 May 1424 Appointed - 20 Jun 1439 Died)
Gilles de Duremont, O. Cist. † (9 Oct 1439 Appointed - 29 Jul 1444 Died)
Giovanni Castiglione † (2 Sep 1444 Appointed - 3 Oct 1453 Appointed, Bishop of Pavia)
Richard Olivier de Longueil † (28 Sep 1453 Ordained Bishop - 19 Aug 1470 Died)
Benoit de Montferrand † ( 1476 Appointed - 15 Jul 1476 Appointed, Bishop of Lausanne)
Giuliano della Rovere † (15 Jul 1476 Appointed - 3 Dec 1477 Appointed, Bishop of Viviers (Aps))
Galeazzo della Rovere † (3 Dec 1477 Appointed - 3 Jul 1478 Appointed, Bishop of Agen)
Geoffroy Herbert † (3 Jul 1478 Appointed - 1 Feb 1510 Died)
Adrien Gouffier de Boissy † (15 Apr 1510 Appointed - 6 Jun 1519 Appointed, Administrator of Albi)
Bernardo Dovizi da Bibbiena † (9 Sep 1519 Appointed - 9 Nov 1520 Died)
Federico (de Campo) Fregóso † ( 1521 Appointed - 1525 Resigned)
René de Bresche de La Trémoille, O.S.B. † (28 Jul 1525 Appointed - 19 Nov 1529 Died)
Philippe de Cossé-Brissac, O.S.B. † (9 Mar 1530 Appointed - 24 Nov 1548 Died)
Paganus Lesueur de Esquetot † (9 Jan 1549 Appointed - 24 Dec 1551 Died)
Étienne Martel de Bacqueville † (16 Sep 1552 Appointed - 26 May 1560 Died)
Arthur de Cossé-Brissac † (2 Oct 1560 Appointed - 7 Oct 1587 Died)
John Lesley (Leslie) † (16 Dec 1592 Appointed - 31 May 1596 Died)
Nicolas de Briroy † (15 Sep 1597 Confirmed - 22 Mar 1620 Died)
Guillaume Le Blanc † (21 Jun 1621 Appointed - 1622 Died)
Nicolas Bourgoing † (10 May 1623 Appointed - 19 Apr 1625 Died)
Léonor de Goyon de Matignon (I) † (29 Mar 1632 Confirmed - 4 May 1648 Confirmed, Bishop of Lisieux)
Claude Auvry † (3 Dec 1646 Appointed - Sep 1658 Resigned)
Eustache Le Clerc de Lesseville † (13 Jan 1659 Confirmed - 8 Dec 1665 Died)
Charles-François de Loménie de Brienne † (12 Dec 1667 Confirmed - 7 Apr 1720 Died)
Léonor III de Goyon de Matignon † (1 Dec 1721 Confirmed - 29 Mar 1757 Died)
Jacques Le Févre du Quesnoy † (18 Jul 1757 Confirmed - 9 Sep 1764 Died)
Ange-François de Talaru de Chalmazel † (4 Feb 1765 Confirmed - 20 Mar 1798 Died)
Claude-Louis Rousseau † (14 Apr 1802 Confirmed - 3 Aug 1807 Confirmed, Bishop of Orléans)
Pierre Dupont de Poursat † (3 Aug 1807 Confirmed - 17 Sep 1835 Died)
Louis-Jean-Julien Robiou (de la Tréhonnais) † (1 Feb 1836 Confirmed - 7 Dec 1852 Resigned)
Jacques-Louis Daniel † (7 Mar 1853 Confirmed - 4 Jul 1862 Died)
Jean-Pierre Bravard † (25 Sep 1862 Confirmed - 27 Nov 1875 Resigned)
Abel-Anastase Germain † (28 Jan 1876 Confirmed - 12 Nov 1897 Died)
Joseph Guérard † (28 Nov 1898 Confirmed - 19 Jul 1924 Died)
Théophile-Marie Louvard † (31 Oct 1924 Appointed - 8 Apr 1950 Died)
Jean-Louis-Frédéric Guyot † (8 Apr 1950 Succeeded - 28 Apr 1966 Appointed, Archbishop of Toulouse (-Narbonne-Saint Bertrand de Comminges-Rieux))
Joseph Gustave François Wicquart † (2 Sep 1966 Appointed - 3 Nov 1988 Retired)
Jacques Louis Marie Joseph Fihey † (22 Apr 1989 Appointed - 2 Oct 2006 Retired)
Stanislas Marie Georges Jude Lalanne (4 Apr 2007 Appointed - 31 Jan 2013 Appointed, Bishop of Pontoise)
Laurent Jean Marie Le Boulc’h (5 Sep 2013 Appointed - 1 Apr 2023 Appointed, Archbishop of Lille)
Grégoire Marie Cador (5 Aug 2023 Appointed - )

Historical Summary

Date	Event	From	To
Diocese of Coutances
5th Century	Erected		Diocese of Coutances (erected)
29 November 1801	Territory Added	Diocese of Avranches (suppressed)	Diocese of Coutances
Diocese of Coutances (-Avranches)
12 July 1854	Name Changed	Diocese of Coutances	Diocese of Coutances (-Avranches)

Year Catholics Total Population Percent Catholic Diocesan Priests Religious Priests Total Priests Catholics Per Priest Permanent Deacons Male Religious Female Religious Parishes Source

Diocese of Coutances (-Avranches)

1950 416,000 426,238 97.6% 695 46 741 561 160 2,075 668 ap1951

1969 452,000 464,406 97.3% 534 49 583 775 94 1,280 317 ap1971

1980 439,000 456,700 96.1% 527 29 556 789 42 920 670 ap1981

1990 466,000 485,000 96.1% 380 20 400 1,165 12 35 708 670 ap1991

1999 447,000 502,000 89.0% 301 301 1,485 27 15 527 128 ap2000

2000 449,000 505,000 88.9% 300 300 1,496 26 15 534 74 ap2001

2001 400,000 479,636 83.4% 296 4 300 1,333 28 15 438 75 ap2002

2002 400,000 480,000 83.3% 324 18 342 1,169 32 34 412 74 ap2003

2003 400,000 480,000 83.3% 269 15 284 1,408 32 29 379 73 ap2004

2004 400,000 480,000 83.3% 257 4 261 1,532 31 17 351 71 ap2005

2006 405,000 486,000 83.3% 252 3 255 1,588 33 12 300 63 ap2007

2013 412,400 506,300 81.5% 172 11 183 2,253 40 25 313 61 ap2014

2016 415,739 499,920 83.2% 146 10 156 2,664 44 20 282 61 ap2017

2019 414,470 498,362 83.2% 129 4 133 3,116 47 13 223 58 ap2020

2021 408,740 491,532 83.2% 112 4 116 3,523 50 12 186 58 ap2022

2023 414,000 497,470 83.2% 102 11 113 3,663 52 21 192 58 ap2024

Year	Catholics	Total Population	Percent Catholic	Diocesan Priests	Religious Priests	Total Priests	Catholics Per Priest	Permanent Deacons	Male Religious	Female Religious	Parishes	Source
Diocese of Coutances (-Avranches)
1950	416,000	426,238	97.6%	695	46	741	561		160	2,075	668	ap1951
1969	452,000	464,406	97.3%	534	49	583	775		94	1,280	317	ap1971
1980	439,000	456,700	96.1%	527	29	556	789		42	920	670	ap1981
1990	466,000	485,000	96.1%	380	20	400	1,165	12	35	708	670	ap1991
1999	447,000	502,000	89.0%	301		301	1,485	27	15	527	128	ap2000
2000	449,000	505,000	88.9%	300		300	1,496	26	15	534	74	ap2001
2001	400,000	479,636	83.4%	296	4	300	1,333	28	15	438	75	ap2002
2002	400,000	480,000	83.3%	324	18	342	1,169	32	34	412	74	ap2003
2003	400,000	480,000	83.3%	269	15	284	1,408	32	29	379	73	ap2004
2004	400,000	480,000	83.3%	257	4	261	1,532	31	17	351	71	ap2005
2006	405,000	486,000	83.3%	252	3	255	1,588	33	12	300	63	ap2007
2013	412,400	506,300	81.5%	172	11	183	2,253	40	25	313	61	ap2014
2016	415,739	499,920	83.2%	146	10	156	2,664	44	20	282	61	ap2017
2019	414,470	498,362	83.2%	129	4	133	3,116	47	13	223	58	ap2020
2021	408,740	491,532	83.2%	112	4	116	3,523	50	12	186	58	ap2022
2023	414,000	497,470	83.2%	102	11	113	3,663	52	21	192	58	ap2024

Note: Any changes in boundaries over time are not indicated in the above table.

Affiliated Bishops, Deceased

Claude Auvry † (Bishop: 3 Dec 1646 to Sep 1658)
Michel-Jules-Joseph-Marie Bernard, C.S.Sp. †
Nicolas Bourgoing † (Bishop: 10 May 1623 to 19 Apr 1625)
Jean-Pierre Bravard † (Bishop: 25 Sep 1862 to 27 Nov 1875)
René de Bresche de La Trémoille, O.S.B. † (Bishop: 28 Jul 1525 to 19 Nov 1529)
Nicolas de Briroy † (Bishop: 15 Sep 1597 to 22 Mar 1620)
Antoni Léon Louis Caillot † (Deacon: 29 Jun 1931; Priest: 29 Jun 1932 to 12 Dec 1961)
Giovanni Castiglione † (Bishop: 2 Sep 1444 to 3 Oct 1453)
Jules Cléret † (Deacon: 1 Jan 1859; Priest: 2 Jun 1860 to 30 Dec 1889)
Arthur de Cossé-Brissac † (Bishop: 2 Oct 1560 to 7 Oct 1587)
Philippe de Cossé-Brissac, O.S.B. † (Bishop: 9 Mar 1530 to 24 Nov 1548)
Guillaume de Crèvecœur † (Bishop: 26 Aug 1387 to 10 Apr 1408)
Jacques-Louis Daniel † (Bishop: 7 Mar 1853 to 4 Jul 1862)
Galeazzo della Rovere † (Bishop: 3 Dec 1477 to 3 Jul 1478)
Giuliano della Rovere † (Bishop: 15 Jul 1476 to 3 Dec 1477)
Louis Herpin d’Erquery † (Bishop: 9 Jan 1346 to 1370)
Gilles Deschamps † (Bishop: 27 Sep 1408; Administrator: 6 Jun 1411 to 5 Mar 1413)
Alexandre Digard, O.F.M. †
Bernardo Dovizi da Bibbiena † (Administrator: 9 Sep 1519 to 9 Nov 1520)
Georges-Hilaire Dupont, O.M.I. †
Pierre Dupont de Poursat † (Bishop: 3 Aug 1807 to 17 Sep 1835)
Gilles de Duremont, O. Cist. † (Bishop: 9 Oct 1439 to 29 Jul 1444)
Jean d’Essey † (Bishop: 1251 to 31 Oct 1274)
André-Pierre-François Fauvel † (Deacon: 28 Mar 1925; Priest: 29 Jun 1925 to 24 Apr 1947)
Jacques Louis Marie Joseph Fihey † (Bishop: 22 Apr 1989 to 2 Oct 2006)
Federico (de Campo) Fregóso † (Archbishop (Personal Title): 1521 to 1525)
Abel-Anastase Germain † (Bishop: 28 Jan 1876 to 12 Nov 1897)
Adrien Gouffier de Boissy † (Bishop: 15 Apr 1510 to 6 Jun 1519)
Léonor de Goyon de Matignon (I) † (Bishop: 29 Mar 1632 to 4 May 1648)
Léonor III de Goyon de Matignon † (Bishop: 1 Dec 1721 to 29 Mar 1757)
Georges-François-Xavier-Marie Grente † (Deacon: 29 Jun 1894; Priest: 29 Jun 1895 to 30 Jan 1918)
Raoul Grosparmi †
Joseph Guérard † (Bishop: 28 Nov 1898 to 19 Jul 1924)
Aimé-Victor-François Guilbert † (Deacon: 2 Apr 1836; Priest: 17 Dec 1836 to 20 Sep 1867)
René-Jean-François Guilmin, C.S.Sp. † (Priest: 23 Dec 1848 to 12 Jun 1849)
Jean-Louis-Frédéric Guyot † (Coadjutor Bishop: 18 Mar 1949; Bishop: 8 Apr 1950 to 28 Apr 1966)
Robert de Harcourt † (Bishop: 1291 to 7 Mar 1315)
Geoffroy Herbert † (Bishop: 3 Jul 1478 to 1 Feb 1510)
Bernard Henri René Jacqueline † (Deacon: 30 Oct 1943; Priest: 12 Mar 1944 to 24 Apr 1982)
Félix-Jules-Xavier Jourdan de la Passardière, C.O. † (Deacon: 21 May 1864; Priest: 10 Jun 1865 to 13 Nov 1885)
Sylvestre de La Cervelle † (Bishop: 24 Mar 1371 to 3 Sep 1384)
Guillaume Le Blanc † (Bishop: 21 Jun 1621 to 1622)
Eustache Le Clerc de Lesseville † (Bishop: 13 Jan 1659 to 8 Dec 1665)
Eustache Le Cordelier, O.F.M. † (Bishop: 1282 to 7 Aug 1291)
Eugène Georges Joseph Lecrosnier † (Deacon: 24 Jun 1947; Priest: 20 Dec 1947 to 21 Apr 1969)
Jacques Le Févre du Quesnoy † (Bishop: 18 Jul 1757 to 9 Sep 1764)
François-Arsène-Jean-Marie-Eugène Lemasle, M.E.P. †
Albert-Léon-Marie Le Nordez † (Priest: 6 Jun 1868 to 25 Jun 1896)
Alexandre-Louis-Victor-Aimé Le Roy, C.S.Sp. †
John Lesley (Leslie) † (Bishop: 16 Dec 1592 to 31 May 1596)
Paganus Lesueur de Esquetot † (Bishop: 9 Jan 1549 to 24 Dec 1551)
Charles-François de Loménie de Brienne † (Bishop: 12 Dec 1667 to 7 Apr 1720)
Richard Olivier de Longueil † (Bishop: 28 Sep 1453 to 19 Aug 1470)
Théophile-Marie Louvard † (Bishop: 31 Oct 1924 to 8 Apr 1950)
Pandolfe de Malatesta † (Bishop: 7 Oct 1418 to 10 May 1424)
Jean de Marle † (Bishop: 2 Apr 1414 to 12 Jun 1418)
Étienne Martel de Bacqueville † (Bishop: 16 Sep 1552 to 26 May 1560)
Geoffroy de Montbray † (Bishop: 1049 to 2 Feb 1093)
Benoit de Montferrand † (Bishop: 1476 to 15 Jul 1476)
Philibert de Montjeu † (Bishop: 10 May 1424 to 20 Jun 1439)
Hugues de Morville † (Bishop: 1208 to 27 Oct 1238)
Octave-Louis Pasquet † (Deacon: 29 Jun 1892; Priest: 23 Dec 1893 to 21 Jun 1926)
Pierre Auguste Gratien Pican, S.D.B. †
Paul-Auguste-Marie Pichot, C.S.Sp. †
Gilles-François Pinabel, C.S.Sp. †
Pierre Pincon, O.S.B. † (Auxiliary Bishop: 17 Aug 1547 to 19 Apr 1559)
Jean Pinguis † (Auxiliary Bishop: 14 Mar 1519)
Louis-Jean-Julien Robiou (de la Tréhonnais) † (Bishop: 1 Feb 1836 to 7 Dec 1852)
Claude-Louis Rousseau † (Bishop: 14 Apr 1802 to 3 Aug 1807)
Louis de Saint-Gilles † (Auxiliary Bishop: 24 Sep 1571 to 1582)
Hippolyte Louis Jean Simon † (Deacon: 21 Mar 1970; Priest: 27 Jun 1970 to 22 Feb 1996)
Ange-François de Talaru de Chalmazel † (Bishop: 4 Feb 1765 to 20 Mar 1798)
Guillaume de Thieuville † (Bishop: 1315 to 31 Oct 1345)
Nicolas de Tholon † (Bishop: 5 Oct 1386 to 26 Aug 1387)
Henri-Albert Thomine, M.E.P. †
Philippe Troussey, O. Praem. † (Auxiliary Bishop: 6 Aug 1582 to 25 May 1590)
Henri-Marie-François Varin de la Brunelière, C.S.Sp. †
Joseph Gustave François Wicquart † (Bishop: 2 Sep 1966 to 3 Nov 1988)
Raoul † (Bishop: 3 Apr 1093 to 1110)
Vivien (Gautier) † (Bishop: 1202 to 15 Feb 1208)

Source(s)

Diocese of Coutances
- Hierarchia Catholica, Volume 1, Page 205
- Hierarchia Catholica, Volume 2, Page 134, and Page 135
- Hierarchia Catholica, Volume 3, Page 176
- Hierarchia Catholica, Volume 4, Page 161
- Hierarchia Catholica, Volume 5, Page 169
- Hierarchia Catholica, Volume 6, Page 179
- Series Episcoporum Ecclesiæ Catholicæ, Volume 1, Page 542, to Page 543

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Diocese of Coutances (-Avranches)

Dioecesis Constantiensis (-Abrincensis)