The Diocese of Coutances (–Avranches) (Latin: Dioecesis Constantiensis (–Abrincensis); French: Diocèse de Coutances (–Avranches)) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in France. Its mother church is the Cathedral of Coutance in the commune of Coutances in France. The diocese is suffragan of the Archbishop of Rouen and comprises the entire department of Manche. It was enlarged in 1802 by the addition of the former Diocese of Avranches and of two archdeaconries from the Diocese of Bayeux. Since 1854 its bishops have held the title of Bishop of Coutances (–Avranches).

The Bishop of Coutances exercised ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the Channel Islands, mostly in Alderney where the Bishop also held partial authority over the Leader of Alderney, until the Reformation, despite the secular division of Normandy in 1204. The final rupture occurred definitively in 1569 when Queen Elizabeth I demanded that the Bishops hand the island over to the Bishop of Winchester.

History of the Diocese of Coutances

In 1757 the city of Coutances had a population of about 12,000 Catholics. The Cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Its Chapter was composed of eight dignities (the Cantor, four Archdeacons, the Scholasticus, the Treasurer, and the Penitentiary) and twenty-five Canons. There were also six Choral Vicars, forty-two chaplains, fourteen choristers and six boy singers, and a body of musicians. The Cantor has existed from the 11th century. The four archdeacons were: Coutances, Baptois, Val-de-Vire and Cotentin. In the city were two parishes (Saint-Pierre and Saint-Nicolas), two houses of male religious, and two monasteries of monks. The entire diocese had some 500 parishes.

The diocese contained seven houses of Benedictine monks: Saint-Sever, Lessay, Saint-Sauveur le Vicomte, Montebourg, Hambie, Notre-Dame de Protection (Valognes, 1626, women), and Notre-Dame des Anges (Coutances, 1633, women). There was a house of Premonstratensians at Blanchelande; and two houses of Augustinians, at Saint-Lô and Notre-Dame de Voeu at Cherbourg. All were abolished by will of the Constituent Assembly in 1790, and their properties confiscated and sold. Monastic vows were dissolved and forbidden. On 12 April 1791 the priests of the seminary were expelled for refusing to take the Oath to the Constitution. On 15 January 1793 the turn came of the houses of women to be closed and confiscated, and their inhabitants forcibly ejected.

History of the Diocese of Avranches

The Cathedral of Avranches, situated in a town of some 2500 inhabitants in 1764, was dedicated to Saint Andrew on 17 September 1211. The Chapter of the Cathedral had six dignities (the Dean, the Cantor, the Treasurer, the Scholasticus and the two Archdeacons) and eighteen Canons. The archdeacons were named Archidiaconus Abricensis and Archidiaconus Vallis Moretonii. The town contained three parishes, one community of male religious and one monastery of monks. The entire diocese contained 170 parishes.

The Diocese of Avranches was abolished during the French Revolution by the Legislative Assembly, under the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790). Its territory was subsumed into the new diocese, called 'Manche', with its seat at Coutances, which was part of the Metropolitanate called the 'Côtes de la Manche' (which included eight new 'départements'), with its seat at Rouen (Seine-Inférieure). When the Concordat of 1801 was struck between Pope Pius VII and First Consul Bonaparte, the Diocese of Avranches was not revived.

List of bishops

Bishops of Coutances

to 1050

from 1050 to 1400

from 1400 to 1600

from 1600 to 1854

• Nicolas de Briroy, 1589–1620, consecrated in 1597
  • Guillaume Le Blanc, 1621, died before his consecration
  • Jacques de Carbonnel, 1621, never consecrated
• Nicolas Bourgoin, 1622–1625
• Léonor I Goyon de Matignon, 1627–1646, became bishop of Lisieux
• Claude Auvry, 1646–1658
• Eustache Le Clerc de Lesseville, 1658–1665
• Charles–François de Loménie de Brienne, 1666–1720
• Léonor II Goyon de Matignon, 1721–1757
• Jacques Le Febvre du Quesnoy, 1757–1764
• Ange–François de Talaru de Chalmazel, 1764–1798
  • François Bécherel, 1791–1801 (Constitutional Bishop of Manche)
• Claude-Louis Rousseau 14 Apr 1802 – 3 Aug 1807
• Pierre Dupont de Poursat 3 Aug 1807 – 17 Sep 1835.
• Louis-Jean-Julien Robiou de la Tréhonnais 1 Feb 1836 – 7 Dec 1852

Bishops of Avranches

Bishops of Coutances and Avranches

• Jacques-Louis Daniel, 1854–1862
• Jean-Pierre Bravard, 1862–1875
• Abel-Anastase Germain, 1876–1897
• Joseph Guérard, 1899–1924
• Théophile-Marie Louvard, 1924–1950
• Jean Guyot, 1950–1966.
• Joseph Wicquart, 1966–1988
• Jacques Fihey, 1989–2006
• Stanislas Lalanne, 2007–2012
• Laurent Le Boulc'h (2013 – 2023)
• Grégoire Cador (2023

See also

• Catholic Church in France
• List of Catholic dioceses in France