The beginnings of Christianity in Verdun is associated with the name Sanctinus.
Contradictions in Sanctius legends
One legend, recorded by Bertarius of Verdun (early 10th century), states that Saint Denis (mid-3rd cent.) sent Sanctinus, Bishop of Meaux, and the priest Antoninus to Rome to Pope Clement (c. 91–c. 101) with a report on their sufferings, and that their journey passed trhough Verdun, both going and returning, where they preached Christianity.[1] This legend, like many similar ones referring to a diocese's earliest connection with the Apostle Peter or one of his disciples, hardly needs refutation.[2]
Bertarius also reports that he read in a "Life of Saint Servatius the bishop" that Sanctinus, Clavorum episcopus was present at the Council of Cologne (Colonia Agrippinensis[3]), summoned to depose its archbishop. It has been argued that there was no such council.[4]
In another tradition, the city was first evangelized around 332 by St Sanctinus, Bishop of Meaux, who became the first bishop.[5] Sanctinus erected the first Christian oratory dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul.[6][7]
The first bishop known to history is Polychronius (Pulchrone) who lived in the fifth century and was a relative and disciple of St. Lupus de Troyes.[9] "Other noteworthy bishops are: Vitonus (Vanne) (502–529); St. Agericus (Airy) (554–591), friend of St. Gregory of Tours and of Fortunatus; Paulus of Verdun (630–648), formerly Abbot of the Benedictine Monastery of Tholey in the Diocese of Trier; and Madalvaeus (Mauve) (753–776)."[10]
In 916 or 917, the 37th year of Bishop Dado, the cathedral suffered a major fire, and nearly all the ancient records of the church were destroyed, according to the chronicler Bertarius of Verdun.[11]
Cathedral and Chapter
Bishop Polychronius is credited with the establishment of the cathedral dedicated to Nôtre-Dame, after the middle of the fifth century.[12] This cathedral burned to the ground in a fire in the time of Bishop Madalveus (753–c. 775), and was rebuilt immediately, with enlargements made by Bishop Hatto (847–870) in 865. It was burned again twice, under the Normans[13] and by Duke Boso, in the episcopate of Bishop Dado (880–923). It was damaged again by the Hungarians in 923,[14] and rebuilt by Bishop Heimon (990–1024). Duke Godefroy burned it in 1047, and Bishop Theirry repaired it in 1050. Count Renaud de Bar reduced it to ruins in 1114.[15]
The new cathedral of Verdun, built by Bishop Adalbero of Chiny, was consecrated on 11 November 1147, by Pope Eugenius III.[16]
The cathedral was served and administered by a coorporation called the Chapter. Until the 10th century, the canons of the Chapter lived in common with the bishop at his expense. Bishop Dado (880–923) divided the diocesan income into two portions, one of which was given to the canons.[17] The Chapter consisted of ten dignities (the Princerie, the Dean, the Archdeacon of Argonne, the Archdeacon of the Woëvre, the Archdeacon of la Rivière, the Cellerer, the Treasurer, the Cantor, the Scholasticus and the Chancellor) and forty-two prebends.[18] The office of Princerie was abolished by a bull of Pope Clement VII on 9 February 1385.[19] Until 1695, the deans were elected by the Chapter; thereafter, the kings of France made the appointment. The last dean, Claude-Elizabeth de la Corbière, was arrested in October 1792, taken to Paris, tried by a revolutionary tribunal, and executed on 25 April 1794.[20]
When Pope Leo IX visited Verdun in the second week of October 1049, he consecrated the collegiate church of La Madeleine, which had just been rebuilt by the Archdeacon of Woëvre, Canon Ermenfroy; at the archdeacon's request, the pope united the archdeaconate and the provostship of the church of La Madeleine in perpetuity. An addition to the provost, there was a dean and a cantor According to local tradition, the church had been founded by Saint Rémi of Reims in the 6th century.[21]
The collegiate church of Sainte-Croix of Verdun was founded by the Princier Amicus at the beginning of the 11th century, with a Chapter composed of twelve canons. Within a century, the church was in ruins. Bishop Henri reorganized the establishment in 1126, with six canons, and annexed it to the abbey of Benedictine nuns of Saint-Maur, where the canons, headed by a Treasurer, served as chaplains. The abbess had the right to appoint to vacancies. The collegiate church was destroyed in 1552, at the time of the French invasion under King Henri II. The canons were transferred to the chapel of S. Laurence, near the cathedral. In 1777, Pope Pius VI suppressed the entire establishment.[22]
Bishop Henri d'Aspremont (1312–1350) established the collegiate church of Saint-Maur in Hattonchâtel in 1328, providing that the title of Provost be united to the title of the archdeacon de la Rivière, with a prebendal canonicate, and that the incumbent need not be resident. There was also a Dean and six canons. The right of nomination belonged to the bishops of Verdun until 1530, when it was transferred to the Duke of Lorraine.[23]
On 30 September 1389, King Charles VI of France and Bishop Liébauld de Cousans concluded a treaty, in which the bishops of Verdun acquired dominium and jurisdiction in high, middle and low justice over the city of Verdun. The treaty was confirmed by Pope Clement VII on 13 February 1390.[24]
French diocese
The three bishoprics (Metz, Toul, and Verdun) had been under control of the French since 1552,[25] but the dioceses resisted, and it was not until the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 that their acquisition was formally recognized. In the reign of King Louis XIV, in 1664, the kings of France were granted the right to nominate the bishop when a vacancy occurred. This concession did not immediately extend to any other benefice in the dioceses, as it had in the concordat of 1516 with King Francis I. It was not until 1668 that Clement IX removed the limitation.[26]
In 1565, Bishop Nicolas Psaume (1548–1575) invited the Jesuits to establish themselves in the diocese of Verdun, with episcopal authority. He provided them with the hospital of Saint-Nicolas as their church, their residence, and their school (collège). Later papal approval was obtained. The Jesuit house in Verdun became the novitiate for most of France.[27]
From 1624 to 1636, a large bastioned citadel was constructed. following the plans of Jean Errard of Bar-le-Duc, on the site of the Abbey of Saint Vanne. The Church of Saint-Vanne was destroyed in 1832 and its cloister, which had been converted into barracks, was burned in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War.[28][9]
Seminary
Bishop Armand de Monchy d'Hocquincourt (1668–1679) took the first steps toward the erection of a seminary in the diocese of Verdun. In November 1678 he obtained letters patent from King Louis XIV, granting permission for the establishment. The bishop committed 1,000 livres per year to the project, and imposed on the clergy a tax amounting to 1,500 livres. The seminary opened in December 1678, in the episcopal palace, but soon moved to larger quarters, since, by 1 November 1682, there were twenty students. Bishop Hippolyte de Béthune (1681–1720) brought the Canons Regular from the abbey of Saint-Nicolas-des-Prés to form the staff. But within 50 years, the buildings were nothing but a mass of ruins. Through royal generosity, Bishop Charles-François D'Hallencourt (1721–1754) was granted the income of the abbey of Saint-Airy fir eight years, and from 1741 to 1749 built a proper seminary and chapel. When Pope Clement XI published the bull Unigenitus against Jansenism in 1713, the bishop and clergy of the seminary joined the opposition; but under Bishop d'Hallencourt, in 1737, the canons regular were forced to leave the seminary, and secular priests filled the posts. The seminary was closed in January 1791 by the French National Assembly.[29]
French Revolution
Even before it directed its attention to the Church directly, the National Constituent Assembly attacked the institution of monasticism. On 13 February 1790. it issued a decree which stated that the government would no longer recognize solemn religious vows taken by either men or women. In consequence, Orders and Congregations which lived under a Rule were suppressed in France. Members of either sex were free to leave their monasteries or convents if they wished, and could claim an appropriate pension by applying to the local municipal authority.[30]
The Assembly ordered the replacement of political subdivisions of the ancien régime with subdivisions called "departments", to be characterized by a single administrative city in the center of a compact area. The decree was passed on 22 December 1789, the boundaries fixed on 26 February 1790, with the institution to be effective on 4 March 1790.[31] A new department was created called "Meuse," which comprised the three bishoprics and the district of Bar-le-Duc (Barrois), and Verdun was fixed as its administrative center. The National Constituent Assembly then, on 6 February 1790, instructed its ecclesiastical committee to prepare a plan for the reorganization of the clergy. At the end of May, its work was presented as a draft Civil Constitution of the Clergy, which, after vigorous debate, was approved on 12 July 1790. There was to be one diocese in each department,[32] requiring the suppression of approximately fifty dioceses.[33] The former diocese of Verdun was assigned to the "Metropole du Nord-Est", with its metropolitan seated in Reims, by decree of 12 July 1790.[34]
In the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, the National Constituent Assembly also abolished cathedral chapters, canonicates, prebends, chapters and dignities of collegiate churches, chapters of both secular and regular clergy of both sexes, and abbeys and priories whether existing under a Rule or in commendam.[35]
On 13 January 1791, the municipal officials of Verdun presented Bishop Henri-Louis Rene Desnos a copy of the decree of 27 November 1790, demanding an oath of allegiance to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. The bishop submitted his formal refusal on 21 January, and left the city. On 5 February, he issued a pastoral letter, signed at Trier.[36] The episcopal chair of Verdun was declared vacant, and on 21 February 1791, the electors of the department of Meuse met to elect a Constitutional Bishop.
They elected Jean-Baptiste Aubry, former teacher of humanities and philosophy at the Collège de Bar, and parish priest of Véel. He was consecrated a bishop in Paris at the Oratory church by Jean-Pierre Saurine, assisted by Robert-Thomas Lindet and François-Xavier Laurent, in a ceremony that was both blasphemous and schismatic. He returned to Verdun on 19 March. In 1792, Verdun was occupied by a Prussian army on 2 September 1792, and the constitutional clergy were compelled to withdraw, though they returned when the Prussians withdrew after six weeks. Bishop Aubry celebrated a Te Deum in the cathedral on 23 October 1792. Under the Terror, religion was abolished, the Constitutional Church dispersed, and Aubry returned to his birthplace, Saint-Aubin, where he worked in a mill and was mayor of the commune. He returned to his cathedral in 1797.[37]
Restoration
Until 1801 Verdun was, in the eyes of the Papacy, part of the ecclesiastical province of the Archbishop of Trier.[38] On 29 November 1801, implementing the terms of the concordat of 1801 between the French Consulate, headed by First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte, and Pope Pius VII, the bishopric of Verdun (Meuse) and all the other dioceses were suppressed. This removed all the contaminations and novelties introduced by the Constitutiona Church.[39] The pope then recreated the French ecclesiastical order, with the bull "Qui Christi Domini," respecting in most ways the changes introduced during the Revolution, including the reduction in the number of archdioceses and dioceses, and the re-drawing of dioceesan boundaries. Verdun, however, was not restored, though other dioceses in the area became suffragans of the archdiocese of Besancon; the diocese of Trier lost its metropolitan status.[40] The territory of the former diocese of Verdun was added to the Diocese of Nancy. The seminarians from the former diocese of Verdun attended the Major Seminary in Nancy.[41]
In implementation of the concordat of 27 July 1817, between King Louis XVIII and Pope Pius VII, the diocese of Verdun should have been restored by the bull "Commissa divinitus",[42] but the French Parliament refused to ratify the agreement. It was not until 6 October 1822 that a revised version of the papal bull, "Paternae Charitatis" ,[43] fortified by an ordonnance of Louis XVIII of 13 January 1823, received the acceptance of all parties. The diocese of Verdun became a suffragan of the archdiocese of Besancon.[44]
On 31 August 1823, the Chapter of canons in the cathedral was restored. In accordance with the terms of the Concordat of 1802, there were eight canons prebendial, each nominated by the bishop, with the approval of the head-of-state. The dignities were: the vicars-general of the diocese, the dean, the canon-theological (preacher), the grand-penitentiary, the grand-cantor, and the master-of-ceremonies.[45]
On 21 November 1823, the diocesan seminary of Verdun was reopened.[46]
In the 1820s, documents began to circulate in the diocese, and appeared in newspapers, purporting to be "Prophecies of Orval," or "The Previsions of a Solitary," a divine revelation of the first half of the 15th century. They attracted increasing attention after the revolution of 1830 and the revolution of 1848. The bishop of Verdun, Louis Rossat (1844–1866), was compelled to conduct an investigation, and, in a letter to his fellow bishops of 6 February 1849, he pronounced them to be a forgery, the work of a "Brother Aubertin," otherwise a Canon Regular and still alive in 1837, who admitted to the bishop that he was the author of the prophecies. The cause of authenticity was immediately taken up by enthusiasts and monarchists supporting "King Henry V" of France, and a pamphlet war raged for some years.[47]
World War I
During World War I, 1n February 1916, the German offensive, directed by General Erich von Falkenhayn, surrounded and occcupied Verdun.[48] More than 200 parishes fell under occupation by the German army and communication with the Bishop of Verdun practically cut off.[49] When the city came under bombardment the diocesan administration relocated to Bar-le-Duc, and did not return to the heavily damage Verdun until 1921. The administration of the parishes was confided to Thomas Louis Heylen, Bishop of Namur, who had been appointed vicar apostolic to French territory under German occupation.[50]
In 1917, the French recovered the city.[51] One hundred and fifty-three churches were destroyed and 166 damaged, including the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Verdun, whose towers have never been rebuilt. Of 186 priests who enlisted, 13 were killed, 20 seriously wounded, and 50 taken prisoner. One hundred and sixty citations and diplomas of honor and 120 decorations were awarded to priests of the diocese.[49]
^Gaston Rasneur, "Le concile de Cologne de 346," in: Bulletins de la Commission royale d'histoire de Belgique Vol. 72 (1903), p. 27-59, at p. 27, points out that Ammianus Marcellinus (History XV. 5.31) that in 355 Christians in Cologne constituted only a "conventiculum."
^Duchesne, p. 67. Waitz, p. 40: "Legitur vero in vita sancti Servatii episcopi, ubi de Agripinensis aecclesiae archiepiscopi depositione res agitur, quod interfuisset Sanctinus urbis Clavorum episcopus." The acts and subscriptions of the "Council of Cologne", and therefore the evidence for Sanctinus, were declared forgeries as early as 1679, by Noël Alexandre, Selecta historiae ecclesiasticae capita, (in Latin), Volume 7 (Paris: Antonius Dezallier, 1679). pp. 288-291. More recently, the objections have been amplified by Louis Duchesne, "Le faux concile de Cologne (346)," (in French), in: Revue d'histoire ecclésiastique, Volume 3 (Louvain: Université catholique de Louvain 1902), pp. 16-29. In favor of the authenticity of the council: G. Monchamp, "Pour l'authenticité des actes du concile de Cologne de 346," (in French), in: Bulletin de la classe des Lettres et des Sciences morales et politiques et de la classe des Beaux-Arts (Bruxelles 1902), pp. 245-288; however, at p. 277 he does not know what do do about Sanctinus: "La désignation de Sanctinus ( Sanctino Articlavorum ou Articlavo ) est une énigme; mais il nous semble qu'il faut assimiler le thème articlavorum à angusticlavorum."
^Louis Duchesne, "Le faux concile de Cologne (346)," in: Revue d'histoire ecclésiastique Vol. 3 (Louvain 1902) 16-29, at pp. 25, 28.
^Berthold Zeller, Henri II, l'occupation des trois-evêches (1547-1552), (in French), (Paris: Hachette, 1890, pp. 183-184.
^Joseph Bergin, Church, Society and Religious Change in France, 1580–1730, (New Haven: Yale 2009), p. 24. Joseph Bergin,, Crown, Church, and Episcopate Under Louis XIV, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004), p. 27.
^Longnon & Carrière, p. 360. Lynn Martin, The Jesuit Mind: The Mentality of an Elite in Early Modern France (Ithaca NY: Cornell University Press 2019), p. 20. The other Jesuit novitiate was at Avignon.
^Alexandre Martin, Le frays Barrois: géographic et histoire,(in French), (Bar-le-Duc: Contant-Lagnerre, 1912), pp 170-171.
^J. B. Duvergier, Collection complète des lois, décrets, ordonnances, règlemens avis du Conseil d'état,(in French), Volume 1 (Paris: A. Guyot et Scribe, 1834), p. 118: "La loi constitutionnelle du royaume ne reconnaitra plus de voeux monastiques solennels des personnes de l'un ni de l'autre sexe: en conséquence, les ordres et congrégations réguliers dans lesquels on fait de pareils voeux sont et demeureront supprimés en France, sans qu'il puisse en être établi de semblables à l'avenir." Michael Burleigh, Earthly Powers: The Clash of Religion and Politics in Europe, from the French Revolution to the Great War (New York: Harper Collins 2006), p. 54.
^"Civil Constitution," Title I, "Article 1. Chaque département formera un seul diocèse, et chaque diocèse aura la même étendue et les mêmes limites que le département."
^Ludovic Sciout, Histoire de la constitution civile du clergé (1790-1801): L'église et l'Assemblée constituante,(in French and Latin) ., Vol. 1 (Paris: Firmin Didot 1872), p. 182: Art. 2 "...Tous les autres évêchés existant dans les quatre-vingt-trois départements du royaume, et qui ne sont pas nommément compris au présent article, sont et demeurent supprimés."
^J. B. Duvergier, Collection complète des lois, décrets, ordonnances, règlemens avis du Conseil d'état,(in French), Volume 1 (Paris: A. Guyot et Scribe, 1834), p. 244: "20. Tous titres et offices , autres que ceux mentionnés en la présente constitution , les dignités , canonicats, prébendes, demi-prébendes, chapelles, chapellenies, tant des églises cathédrales que des églises collégiales, et tous chapitres réguliers et séculiers de l'un et de l'autre sexe, les abbayes et prieurés en règle ou en commende, aussi de l'un et de l'autre sexe, et tous autres bénéfices et prestimonies généralement quelconques , de quelque nature et sous quelque dénomination que ce soit, sont, à compter du jour de la publication du présent décret, éteints et supprimés, sans qu'il puisse jamais en être établi de semblables."
^Pionnier, pp. 89-91: "...Je déclare que je ne déshonorerai point ma vieillesse et que je n'attirerai point sur ma tête les foudres d'un Dieu vengeur en portant ce funeste serment. Que ma langue s'attache à mon palais si jamais je le prononce. Henri-Louis-René, évêque de Verdun."
^Duvergier (ed.), Collection complète des lois, décrets, ordonnances, réglemens et avis du Conseil d'état,, Volume 13, p. 374: "L'archevêché de Besançon , et les nouveaux évêchés d'Autun, Strasbourg, Dijon, Nanci et Metz, que nous lui assignons pour suffragans; L'archevêché de Malines , et les nouveaux évêchés de Tournai, Gand, Namur, Liége, Aix-la-Chapelle, Trèves et Mayence, que nous lui assignons pour suffragans."
^The Rambler, Volume 4 (London: James Burns 1849), pp. 73-74. Herbert Thurston, The War & the Prophets: Notes on Certain Popular Predictions Current in this Latter Age (London: Burns & Oates, 1915), pp. 10-19.
^Paul Jankowski, Verdun: The Longest Battle of the Great War (New York: OUP USA, 2014), passim.
^The earliest reference to Saint Saintin occurs in the 10th century chronicle of Bertharius. Gallia christiana XIII, pp. 1162-1163. Duchesne, p. 69 with note 3.
^Maurus: François Giry, Les petits Bollandistes vies des saints de l'ancien et du nouveau testament des martyres ...: Notice sur les congrégations et les ordres religieux, histoire des reliques, (in French), Vol. 13 (Paris: Bloud et Barral, 1888), p. 271.
^The name is found in Bertharius: Weitz, MGH, p. 40. Duchesne, p. 69, no. 3. It is also found in an episcopal list compiled after 1107. (Duchesne, p. 68). According to Gallia christiana XIII, p. 1164, Salvinus was elected six years after the death of Maurus, and he served for 31 years, dying c. 420.
^Arator is said to have served as bishop for 33 years. Gallia christiana XIII, p. 1164.
^Possessor died on 1 December 486, according to Hugh of Flavigny. Gallia christiana XIII, p. 1165. J.P. Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Latinae Cursus Completus, (in Latin), Vol. 154 (Paris 1853), p. 87, col. 1.
^Alban Butler, Paul Burns, Butler's Lives of the Saints, new full edition, Volume 11 (Tunbridge Wells, UK: A&C Black, 1997), p. 73.
^Bishop Desideratus attended the council of Auvergne in 535, and the council of Orléans in 549. Duchesne, p. 70, no. 9.
^Around 570, Bishop Agericus was the godfather of King Childebert II of Austrasia (575–592). He is mentioned by Gregory of Tours with reference to events of 584–587. He died in 588 (Duchesne), or 591 (Gams). Gallia christiana XIII, pp. 1166-1168. Duchesne, p. 70, no. 10.
^Harimeres (Charineres, Caramerus) was appointed by King Childebert II, whose referendarius he was, in 588. He was present at the Council of Paris in 614. Charles De Clercq, Concilia Galliae, A. 511 — A. 695(in Latin), (Turnholt: Brepols 1963), p. 282 ("Ex ciuitate Viredono Harimeris episcopus."). Weitz, MGH, p. 43. Gallia christiana XIII, p. 1168.
^Bishop Godo was present at the council of Clichy, held on 27 September, in 626 or 627. Charles De Clercq, Concilia Galliae, A. 511 — A. 695(in Latin), (Turnholt: Brepols 1963), pp. 290, 297 ("Ex ciuitate Viridono Godo episcopus."). Duchesne, p. 71, no. 12; Duchesne believed that Godo and Ermenfrid were the same person.
^Bishop Madalveus was present at the convention of Attigny in 762 (Mansi dates it to 765). Hugues de Flavigny mentions two charters, of 771 and 775, in which his name appears. J.D. Mansi, Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, (in Latin), Vol. 12 (Florence: A. Zatta 1766), p. 675. Duchesne, p. 72, no. 23.
^Peter was sent by Charlemagne to Rome to be consecrated a bishop by Pope Hadrian I (772–791). The chronicler Bertarius assigns him 25 years of governance. Duchesne, p. 73, no. 24.
^Bishop Hildinus took part in the council of Mainz in 829. He died on 13 January 847. Duchesne, p. 73-74, no. 27.
^Bishop Hatto participated in the council of Savonnières in 859, and the congress of Coblenz on 5 June 860. In 862 he was at the council of Tousey. He took part in the coronation of Charles the Bald as king of Lotharingia at Metz on 9 September 869. He died on 1 January 870, after twenty-three years of service. Duchesne, p. 74, no. 28.
^Bishop Berenhard (Bernard) participated in the council of Attigny on 25 June 870, and in September 871 at the council of Douzy. He died on 31 December 879. Duchesne, p. 74-75, no. 27.
^Henry was archdeacon of Winchester and a chaplain of Mathilde, daughter of the king of England and wife of the Emperor. Mathilde had Henry appointed bishop of Verdun, in violation of canonical procedures. After many violations of canon law, he was deposed at the Council of Chalons-sur-Marne on 2 February 1129, by the papal legate, Cardinal Matthew, bishop of Albano. Clouët, Histoire de Verdun, Volume 2, pp. 185-199.
^Ursion had been abbot of the monastery of Saint-Denis in Reims. He admitted his insufficencies as bishop, even though not yet consecrated, and, at the council of Liége in 1131, voluntarily resigned, and returned to Saint-Denis. He died there in 1149. Gallia christiana XIII, p. 11199-1200. François-Alexandre Aubert de La Chesnaye Des Bois. "Dictionnaire de la noblesse : contenant les généalogies, l'histoire et la chronologie des familles nobles de France", (Paris: Schlesinger Brothers, 1867), p. 993. Clouët, Histoire de Verdun, Volume 2, pp. 200-205.
^Adalbero (Adalbertus, Albertus, Albéron) III of Chiny: Albéron resigned at the beginning of 1156, and retired the monastery of Saint-Paul, , where he had established the Premonstratensians in place of the decadent Benedictines. Gallia christiana XIII, p. 1328. He died on 2 November 1158. Clouët, Histoire de Verdun, Volume 2, pp. 200-205.
^Henri: In 1186, Bishop Henri de Castres attended the synod held by Archbishop Folmar of Trier. Clouet, Histoire de Verdun Vol. 2, pp. 306-311. Gallia christiana XIII, p. 1207.
^Bishop Grandson died in June 1286. Clouët, III, p. p. 16.
^Révigny was consecrated in Rome by Pope Nicholas IV on 21 March 1289, and took possession of the diocese at the end of the year. Révigny died in mid-1296 (Clouët, p. 27). Clouët, III, pp. 17-35.
^Bishop Jacques de Révigny had died at the papal court at Anagni. Jean (III), who was Provost of the collegiate church of Montfaucon (diocese of Reims), was appointed bishop of Verdun by Pope Boniface VIII, exercising a reservation which he had made on the appointment, on 11 March 1297. Jacques died on 31 March 1302. Maurice Faucon, Les registres de Boniface VIII Vol. 1 (Paris: Thorin 1886), pp. 659-660, no. 1743. Eubel I, p. 530 with note 9.
^Following the death of Jean d'Aspromonte on 31 March 1302, the canons of Verdun met, and in disagreement two factions elected two candidates, Canon Thomas, the Primicerius of the cathedral, and Canon Walter de Tremoreville. The matter was referred to the pope, and during the investigation Walter resigned his claims. Pope Boniface VIII confirmed Thomas. on 8 July 1303. Thomas died in June 1305. Clouët, Histoire de Verdun Vol. 3, pp. 57-70. Georges Digard, Les registres de Boniface VIII(in Latin), Vol. 3 (Paris: Fontemoing 1907), p. 787, no. 5262.
^Nicholas (I) was elected, confirmed by the archbishop of Trier, and provided by Pope Clement V on 27 August 1310. He suffered from eye problems, and resigned in 1312. Eubel I, p. 531 with note 11. Eubel I, p. 530, with note 10.
^Henry (IV) d'Aspremont was appointed on 23 June 1312 by Pope Clement V. He took possession of the diocese in September 1312. He died on 5 January 1350, after thirty-seven years in office. Clouët, Histoire de Verdun Vol. 3, p. 242. Eubel I, p. 531. Clouet, pp. 94-242.
^Chaillot was titular bishop of Chalcedon, and protector of the Franciscans of Verdun. Clouët, Histoire de Verdun Vol. 3, pp. 210. Nicolas-Narcisse Robinet, Pouillé du Diocèse de Verdun, Volume 1 (Verdun: Laurent, 1888), p. 25.
^After the death of Bishop Henri, the cathedral Chapter elected archdeacon Henri de Germiny, but apparently on the intervention of Adhemar de Monteils, Bishop of Metz, Pope Innocent VI quashed the election, and named Adhemar's cousin, Otho de Poitiers on 12 February 1350. Otho was an Auditor of the Rota in the papal court. He was bishop for only thirteen months, when he resigned the office. A pension was arranged for him, of 1300 gold florins a year, to be paid by the new bishop. Clouët, Histoire de Verdun Vol. 3, pp. 240-241. Eubel I, p. 531.
^Hugh (III) de Bar was the younger son of Pierre de Bar and Bishop Otho's cousin Eleanor. He was confirmed by Innocent VI on 4 July 1351. He died on 13 August 1361, while on a pilgrimage to the monastery of S. Catherine in Sinai; he had been bishop for ten years and one month. Clouët, Histoire de Verdun Vol. 3, pp. 241-300. Eubel I, p. 531.
^John (IV) was named bishop of Verdun on 8 April 1362, by Pope Innocent VI. He died in 1372. Gallia christiana XIII, pp. 1225-1226. Clouët, Histoire de Verdun Vol. 3, pp. 303-335. Eubel I, p. 531.
^John V of Dampierre-St. Dizier: Jean was confirmed by Pope Gregory XI on 19 April 1372. He died on 4 May 1375. Clouët, Histoire de Verdun Vol. 3, pp. 341-342. Eubel I, p. 531 with note 13.
^Guy (III) was appointed bishop of Verdun by Pope Gregory XI on 28 May 1375. He was transferred to the diocese of Dol on 27 May 1381 by Pope Clement VII, and then to the diocese of Tours on 17 October 1382. On 8 October 1383, he became bishop of Castres, and on 4 August 1385 Archbishop of Sens. On 27 May 1390, he was named archbishop of Reims. Guy died on 8 June 1409. Eubel I, pp. 173; 225; 419; 448; 503; 531 with note 14.
^Leobald(us) of Cousance was appointed by Pope Clement VII on 5 July 1381. He was opposed, ineffectually, by Wenceslaus of Bohemia. He died on 4 May 1404. Gallia christiana XIII, pp. 1228-1229. Clouët, Histoire de Verdun Vol. 3, pp. 379-535. Eubel I, p. 531 with note 15.
^John (VI) of Saarbrücken held the degree of Doctor of Canon Law from thee University of Paris. He was a prebendary canon of the cathedral of Verdun, and archdeacon of Rivello (diocese of Toul). He was confirmed as bishop by Pope Benedict XIII on 2 July 1404. He was transferred to the diocese of Châlons-sur-Marne vy Pope Martin V, on 10 January 1420. He died on 30 November 1438. Gallia christiana XIII, pp. 1229-1230. Clouet, Histoire de Verdun Vol. 3, pp. 495-591. Eubel I, pp. 175, 531; II, p. 122, note 1.
^Louis de Bar had been appointed a cardinal by Pope Benedict XIII (Avignon Obedience) on 21 December 1397. He became suburbicarian Bihop of Porto in 1412. He received the administratorship of Verdun for the first time by Pope Martin V, on 10 January 1420, and resigned on the appointment of a bishop on 20 March 1423. Eubel I, pp. 30, no. 7; 531 with note 17.
^Raymond was a doctor of Canon Law. He was appointed by Pope Martin V to the diocese of Verdun (as Administrator? as Bishop?) on 20 March 1423. Eubel I, p. 531, with note 18. Eubel conjectures that he refused his provision.
^Montjoie was transferred from the diocese of Saint Papoul (1421–1423) to Verdun by Pope Martin V, on 25 July 1423. He was transferred to the diocese of Béziers on 14 February 1424. He died on 3 April 1451. Clouet, Histoire de Verdun Vol. 3, pp. 599-601. Eubel I, pp. 138, 390, 531; II, p. 107 note 1.
^Louis de Bar had been appointed a cardinal by Pope Benedict XIII (Avignon Obedience) on 21 December 1397. He became suburbicarian Bishop of Porto in 1412. He received the administratorship of Verdun for the second time on 14 February 1424. Louis died on 23 June 1430. Eubel I, pp. 30, no. 7; 531 with note 17.
^Eubel, Hierarchia catholica II, p. 269 with note 1.
^Ulrich de Blamont had been elected by the cathedral Chapter, but he was rejected. Louis had been Bishop of Toul (1437–1449), and was transferred to Verdun by Pope Nicholas V, in an exchange with Bishop Guillaume Filastre. Eubel II, pp. 258, 269 with note 2.
^The Bishopric was annexed to France in 1552. This was not formally recognised in the Empire until the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. Charles-Nicolas Gabriel, Étude sur Nicolas Psaulme, évêque et comte de Verdun, 1518-1575 (Verdun: L. Doublat, 1867), pp. 9-59.
^Charles de Lorraine-Chaligny was the nephew of Bishop Eric de Lorraine, who was also his consecrator as a bishop, on 30 October 1616. He resigned on 22 April 1622, and joined the Society of Jesus as a scholastic. Saive Numismatique, Coins of Lorraine: Bishopric of Verdun.[self-published source]. Robert Parisot, Histoire de Lorraine, (in French), Volume 2 (Paris: Picard, 1922), pp. 37-38. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 370.
^François was the brother of his predecessor, Charles de Lorraine. He died on 11 July 1661. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 370 with note 4. Ritzler & Sefrin V, p. 416, note 2.
^Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 370. note 4.
^Hocquincourt was nominated by King Louis XIV on 24 July 1665. He was approved by Pope Clement IX in the consistory of 27 February 1668. He died on 29 October 1679. Ritzler & Sefrin V, p. 416 with note 3.
^Jean, p. 414. Ritzler & Sefrin V, p. 416 with note 4.
^Jean, p. 414. Ritzler & Sefrin V, p. 416 with note 5.
^Jean, p. 414-415. Ritzler & Sefrin VI, p. 4443 with note 2.
^Desnos (or Des Nos) was appointed by Pope Clement XIV in the consistory of 12 March 1770. He died in exile at Coblenz on 2 September 1793. Jean, p. 415. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 443 with note 3.
^Villèle was appointed by Louis XVIII in 1817, and was preconised by Pope Pius VII, but, due to the problems with the Concordat of 1817, he was not consecrated or instituted. Robinet, Pouillé, p.51.
^Arbou was transferred to the diocese of Bayonne by Pope Pius VIII on 5 July 1830. Robinet, Pouillé, pp. 51-52. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, p. 103, 397.
^Villeneuve-Esclapon: Robinet, Pouillé, pp. 52-53.
^Hacquard: "Mgr. Hacquard, Évêque de Verdun," in: Revue hebdomadaire du Diocese de Lyon Vol. 8 (Lyon: Vitte et Perrussel 1884), pp. 73-75. Robinet, Pouillé, pp. 56-57.
^Maupu had been vicar-general of Orléans. He was bishop of Verdun from 9 March 2000 to September 2014. Acta Apostolicae Sedis(in Latin) Vol. 92 (Città del Vaticano, 2000), p. 373.
^Gusching had been vicar-general of Amiens. Acta Apostolicae Sedis(in Latin) Vol. 106 (Città del Vaticano, 2014), p. 591.
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Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1914). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. 2 (Tomus II) (second ed.). Munster: Libreria Regensbergiana.
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Gauchat, Patritius (Patrice) (1935). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. 4 (IV) (1592-1667). Münster: Libraria Regensbergiana. Retrieved 2016-07-06. p. 219.
Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1952). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentis aevi (in Latin). Vol. 5 (V) (1667-1730). Patavii: Messagero di S. Antonio. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
Goyau, Georges (1912). "Diocese of Verdun."The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 15 January 2023.
Jean, Armand (1891). Les évêques et les archevêques de France depuis 1682 jusqu'a 1801.(in French). Paris: A. Picard, 1891. Pp. 413-415.
Longnon; Auguste; Carrière, Victor (1915). Recueil des historiens de la France: Pouillés. (in French and Latin). Volume 5. Paris: Imprimerie nationale, 1903. [Verdun: Pouillé de 1600, pp. 349-387
Roussel, Nicolas (1745, 1863). Histoire ecclésiastique et civile de Verdun, avec le pouillé, la carte du diocèse et le plan de la ville en 1745 ... Édition revue et annotée par une Société d'ecclésiastiques et d'hommes de lettres, etc. (in French). Bar-le-Duc: Contant-Laguerre. Volume 1 (1863). Volume 2 (1864).
Sainte-Marthe, Denis de (1785). Gallia christiana, in provincias ecclesiasticas distributa (in Latin). Vol. Tomus decimus-tertius (13) (second ed.). Paris: Johannes- Baptista Coignard. pp. 150–185, Instrumenta, pp. 1162–1342, "Instrumenta, " pp. 551–584.
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