He was ordained on 23 December 1865 in Angers. After his ordination he served as the vicar in the parish of Saint-Lambert, Angers and was chaplain of the church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome from 1873 until 1875. He was then moved to pastoral work in the diocese of Angers from 1875 until 1887.
In 1914, during his episcopate, the Cathedral of Reims was destroyed when struck by 288 shells in the first three months of World War I.[1][2]
He was created Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria Nuova by Pope Pius X in the consistory of 16 December 1907. As a cardinal elector, he participated in the conclaves of 1914 that elected Pope Benedict XV and of 1922 that elected Pope Pius XI. During World War I he symbolised the victims of the German attack when, in spite of the destruction of his cathedral, he remained in Reims until April 1918. He died in 1930.
References
^Yann Harlaut, « L'incendie de la cathédrale de Reims, 19 septembre 1914. Fait imagé… Fait imaginé… », in Ouvrage collectif, Mythes et réalités de la cathédrale de Reims de 1825 à 1975, 2001, Somogy, p. 70-79.
