List of Catholic dioceses in France
The Catholic Church in France mainly comprises a Metropolitan Latin Church hierarchy, joint in a national episcopal conference, consisting of
- fifteen ecclesiastical provinces, each under a Metropolitan Archdioceses
- * with a total of 80 suffragans: seven non-Metropolitan Archdioceses, 72 bishoprics and a Territorial Prelature
- two exempt non-Metropolitan Archdioceses
- the Military Ordinariate.
The French overseas departments and territories, although administratively and constitutionally part of the French republic, are not part of the French church under canon law but exempt and/or part of an episcopal conference in their respective continent.
There is also an Apostolic Nunciature to France in the national capital Paris. the country also hosts three multilateral Holy See Representations: to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to the Council of Europe in Strasburg and to the International Commission on Civil Status.
The following contains the list of the French Catholic Roman Catholic dioceses of France as since 2002.'' See also the List of Ancien Régime dioceses of France and the List of French dioceses in the 19th and 20th century for information prior to 2002.
Pope John Paul II completely redrew the map of French ecclesiastical provinces in December 2002, in order to coincide more closely with the map of French administrative regions, but losing in several instances remaining boundaries surviving from late Roman times. This meant the creation of a few new Metropolitan archbishoprics and ecclesiastical provinces. This also entailed, for several archbishoprics, the loss of their metropolitan status : their bishops nevertheless retained the title of archbishop.
As a result of history, many former episcopal sees were united, mainly as a consequence of the French Revolution; hence many dioceses bear the names of several cities, in which case, only the first one is the cathedral see where the bishop still actually resides.
In France, most dioceses coincide with a department, but there are a few exceptions, where some arrondissements are attached to a diocese outside the department, or form a separate diocese within the department. Along with the list of the new ecclesiastical provinces and their suffragan dioceses, this list also gives the equivalent of the diocesan jurisdiction in departmental terms.
Current European French Dioceses
Exempt, i.e. directly subject to the Holy See
Exempt Latin
- Military Ordinariate of France
- Archdiocese of Strasbourg
- Diocese of Metz
Eastern Catholic (exempt) jurisdictions
- ''Ordinariate for Eastern Catholics in France, vested in the Metropolitan Archbishop of capital Paris
- Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Sainte-Croix-de-Paris, with cathedral see in Paris, in and for France, immediately subject to the Patriarch of Cilicia, but not part of his province
- Maronite Eparchy of Notre-Dame du Liban de Paris, with cathedral see Cathédrale Notre-Dame du Liban, Paris, immediately subject to the Patriarch of Cilicia, but not part of his province; also Apostolic Visitor in Western and Northern Europe of the Maronites
- Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Vladimir the Great of Paris, with cathedral see in Paris, directly subject to the Major Archbishop, for France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Episcopal Conference of ('Metropolitan', European) France
Ecclesiastical Province of Besançon
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Besançon
- *Diocese of Belfort–Montbéliard
- *Diocese of Nancy and Toul
- *Diocese of Saint-Claude
- *Diocese of Saint-Dié
- *Diocese of Verdun
Ecclesiastical Province of Bordeaux
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bordeaux
- *Diocese of Agen
- *Diocese of Aire and Dax
- *Diocese of Bayonne, Lescar, and Oloron
- *Diocese of Périgueux and Sarlat
Ecclesiastical Province of Clermont
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Clermont
- *Diocese of Le Puy-en-Velay
- *Diocese of Moulins
- *Diocese of Saint-Flour
Ecclesiastical Province of Dijon
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dijon
- *Archdiocese of Sens and Auxerre
- *Diocese of Autun
- *Diocese of Nevers
- *Territorial Prelature of the Mission de France at Pontigny
Ecclesiastical Province of Lille
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lille
- *Archdiocese of Cambrai
- *Diocese of Arras
Ecclesiastical Province of Lyon
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lyon
- *Archdiocese of Chambéry, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, and Tarentaise
- *Diocese of Annecy
- *Diocese of Belley–Ars
- *Diocese of Grenoble–Vienne-les-Allobroges
- *Diocese of Saint-Étienne
- *Diocese of Valence
- *Diocese of Viviers
Ecclesiastical Province of Marseille
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Marseille
- *Archdiocese of Aix-en-Provence and Arles
- *Archdiocese of Avignon
- *Diocese of Ajaccio
- *Diocese of Digne
- *Diocese of Fréjus–Toulon
- *Diocese of Gap and Embrun
- *Diocese of Nice
Ecclesiastical Province of Montpellier
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Montpellier
- *Diocese of Carcassone and Narbonne
- *Diocese of Mende
- *Diocese of Nîmes
- *Diocese of Perpignan–Elne
Ecclesiastical Province of Paris
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Paris
- *Diocese of Créteil
- *Diocese of Évry–Corbeil-Essonnes
- *Diocese of Meaux
- *Diocese of Nanterre
- *Diocese of Pontoise
- *Diocese of Saint-Denis in France
- *Diocese of Versailles
Ecclesiastical Province of Poitiers
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Poitiers
- *Diocese of Angoulême
- *Diocese of La Rochelle and Saintes, also with jurisdiction at the French overseas collectivity Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
- *Diocese of Limoges
- *Diocese of Tulle
Ecclesiastical Province of Reims
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Reims
- *Diocese of Amiens
- *Diocese of Beauvais, Noyon, and Senlis
- *Diocese of Châlons
- *Diocese of Langres
- *Diocese of Soissons, Laon, and Saint-Quentin
- *Diocese of Troyes
Ecclesiastical Province of Rennes
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo
- * Diocese of Angers
- * Diocese of Laval
- *Diocese of Le Mans
- *Diocese of Luçon
- *Diocese of Nantes
- *Diocese of Quimper and Léon
- *Diocese of Saint-Brieuc and Tréguier
- *Diocese of Vannes
Ecclesiastical Province of Rouen
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Rouen
- *Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux
- *Diocese of Coutances
- *Diocese of Évreux
- *Diocese of Le Havre
- *Diocese of Sées
Eccleasiastical Province of Toulouse
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Toulouse
- *Archdiocese of Albi
- *Archdiocese of Auch
- *Diocese of Cahors
- *Diocese of Montauban
- *Diocese of Pamiers
- *Diocese of Rodez
- *Diocese of Tarbes-et-Lourdes
Eccleasiastical Province of Tours
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tours
- *Archdiocese of Bourges
- *Diocese of Blois
- *Diocese of Chartres
- *Diocese of Orléans
Defunct jurisdictions in European France
Titular sees
- two Titular Metropolitan Sees : Arles, Embrun
- Titular Episcopal Sees : Accia, Agde, Aléria, Alès, Alet, Apt, Arisitum, Auxerre, Avranches, Bazas, Béziers, Boulogne, Briançonnet, Carpentras, Castres, Cavaillon, Châlon-sur-Saône, Condom, Couserans, Die, Dol, Entrevaux, Laon, Lavaur, Lectoure, Léon, Lescar, Lisieux, Lodève, Lombez, Mâcon, Maillezais, Mariana en Corse, Mirepoix, Nebbio, Noyon, Oloron, Orange, Rieux, Riez, Sagone, Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, Saint-Malo, Saint-Omer, Saint-Papoul, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, Saint-Pons-de-Thomières, Saint-Quentin, Saintes, Sarlat, Senez, Senlis, Sisteron, Thérouanne, Toul, Tréguier, Uzès, Vabres, Vaison
- a single Titular Abbacy : Cluny
Other defunct French sees
TO BE CHECKED
- Diocese of Aleth, Diocese of Antibes, Diocese of Bethléem à Clamecy, Diocese of Bourg-en-Bresse, Diocese of Cimiez, Diocese of Dax, Archdiocese of Eauze, Diocese of Grasse, Diocese of Javols, Diocese of Limoux, Archdiocese of Narbonne, Diocese of Rezé, Diocese of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Diocese of Sospel, Archdiocese of Tarentaise, Diocese of Toulon, Diocese of Vence, Diocese of Vernay, Archdiocese of Vienne.
Overseas French dioceses
''
Exempt, directly subject to the Holy See (Africa)
- Diocese of Saint-Denis de La Réunion
Episcopal Conference of the Antilles
Ecclesiastical Province of Martinique
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint-Pierre and Fort-de-France
- * Diocese of Basse-Terre and Pointe-à-Pitre
- * Diocese of Cayenne
Episcopal Conference of the Pacific (Oceania)
Ecclesiastical Province of Papeete
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Papeete
- * Taiohae o Tefenuaenata
Ecclesiastical Province of Noumea
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Nouméa
- * Diocese of Wallis and Futuna
- * Diocese of Port-Vila, on and for Vanuatu
Gallery of Archdioceses