Roman Catholic Diocese of Verdun


The Roman Catholic Diocese of Verdun is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Currently a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Besançon, the diocese corresponds to the department of Meuse in the Region of Lorraine. The diocese is subdivided into 577 parishes.

History

The diocese dates back to the 4th century. Traditionally the city was first evangelized around 332 by St Sanctinus, Bishop of Meaux, who became the first bishop. Sanctinus erected the first Christian oratory dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul.
"Other bishops worthy of mention are: St. Possessor ; St. Firminus ; St. Vitonus ; St. Désiré , St. Agericus , friend of St. Gregory of Tours and of Fortunatus; St. Paul, formerly Abbot of the Benedictine Monastery of Tholey in the Diocese of Trier; and St. Madalvaeus ."
Until 1801 Verdun was part of the ecclesiastical province of the Archbishop of Trier. On November 29, 1801 it was suppressed and added to the Diocese of Nancy. On October 6, 1822 the diocese was re-established.

After the Concordat