Le Mans (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]

Bishop(s)

Jean-Pierre Vuillemin, Bishop

General Information

Type of Jurisdiction: Diocese
Erected: 5th Century
Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Rennes (-Dol-Saint-Malo)
Rite: Latin (or Roman)
Country: France
Square Kilometers: 6,206 (2,397 Square Miles)
Conference Region: Ouest
Official Web Site: http://www.sarthe.catholique.fr/
Mailing Address: Maison Saint Julien, 26 rue Albert Maignar, 72000 Le Mans, France
Telephone: 2.43.81.71.80

Past and Present Ordinaries

Gervais de Château-du-Loir † (19 Dec 1036 Ordained Bishop - 15 Oct 1055 Appointed, Archbishop of Reims)
Noel † ( 1082 Appointed - 28 Jul 1096 Died)
Hamelin † (1 Dec 1190 Appointed - 1214 Resigned)
Nicolas † (27 May 1214 Appointed - 27 Feb 1216 Died)
Maurice † ( 1216 Appointed - 1231 Appointed, Archbishop of Rouen)
Geoffroi de Laval † (12 Aug 1231 Appointed - 10 Aug 1234 Died)
St. Goffredo di Loudon † (17 Oct 1234 Appointed - 3 Aug 1255 Died)
Guillaume Roland † (8 Sep 1255 Appointed - 4 Aug 1258 Died)
Geoffroi Freslon † ( 1258 Appointed - 15 Nov 1269 Died)
Geoffroi d’Assé † ( 1270 Appointed - 7 Jul 1277 Died)
Jean de Toulay † (3 Oct 1279 Appointed - 1291 Died)
Pierre Le Royer † (26 Jan 1293 Appointed - 22 Dec 1295 Died)
Denis Benoit † (4 Feb 1296 Appointed - 3 Mar 1298 Died)
Robert de Clinchamp † (Apr 1298 Appointed - 29 Sep 1309 Died)
Pierre de Longeuil † (8 May 1312 Appointed - 13 Mar 1326 Appointed, Bishop of Le Puy-en-Velay)
Guy de Laval † (13 Mar 1326 Appointed - 7 Apr 1338 Died)
Geoffroi de La Chapelle † (16 May 1338 Appointed - 20 Jul 1347 Died)
Jean de Craon † (24 Oct 1347 Appointed - 31 Jul 1355 Appointed, Archbishop of Reims)
Michel de Briche † (31 Jul 1355 Appointed - 10 Jun 1366 Died)
Gonthier de Bagneaux † (25 Oct 1367 Appointed - 8 Feb 1385 Appointed, Archbishop of Sens)
Pierre de Savoisy † (8 Feb 1385 Appointed - 16 Jan 1398 Appointed, Bishop of Beauvais)
Adam Chatelain † (17 Jun 1398 Appointed - 1438 Died)
Jean d’Ansières † (5 Jun 1439 Appointed - 1449 Died)
Martin Berruyer † (7 Apr 1449 Appointed - 1465 Resigned)
Thibauld de Luxembourg, O. Cist. † (11 May 1465 Appointed - 4 Nov 1476 Resigned)
Philippe de Luxembourg † (4 Nov 1476 Appointed - 27 Jan 1507 Resigned)
François de Luxembourg † (27 Jan 1507 Appointed - 9 Sep 1509 Died)
Philippe de Luxembourg † (9 Sep 1509 Appointed - 2 Jun 1519 Died)
Louis de Bourbon de Vendôme (II) † (8 Aug 1519 Appointed - 13 Aug 1535 Appointed, Administrator of Sens)
René du Bellay de Langey † (13 Aug 1535 Appointed - 1 Nov 1542 Resigned)
Jean du Bellay † (1 Nov 1542 Appointed - 27 Jul 1556 Resigned)
Charles d’Angennes † (27 Jul 1556 Appointed - 23 Mar 1587 Died)
Claude d’Angennes † (28 Sep 1587 Appointed - 15 May 1601 Died)
Charles de Beaumanoir de Lavardin † (18 Aug 1610 Appointed - 17 Nov 1637 Died)
Emmeric-Marc de La Ferté † (28 Feb 1639 Confirmed - 30 Apr 1648 Died)
Philibert-Emmanuel de Beaumanoir de Lavardin † (1 Mar 1649 Confirmed - 27 Jul 1671 Died)
Louis de La Vergne-Montenard de Tressan † (21 Mar 1672 Confirmed - 27 Jan 1712 Died)
Pierre Rogier du Crévy † (11 Jul 1712 Appointed - 2 Aug 1723 Died)
Charles-Louis de Froullay de Tessé † (12 Jan 1724 Confirmed - 31 Jan 1767 Died)
Louis-André de Grimaldi † (15 Jun 1767 Confirmed - 12 Dec 1777 Resigned)
François-Gaspard de Jouffroy de Gonssans † (1 Jun 1778 Confirmed - 23 Jan 1799 Died)
Johann Michael Josef von Pidoll de Quitenbach † (25 May 1802 Confirmed - 23 Nov 1819 Died)
Claude-Madeleine de La Myre-Mory † (21 Feb 1820 Confirmed - 25 Aug 1829 Resigned)
Philippe-Marie-Thérèse-Guy Carron † (28 Sep 1829 Confirmed - 27 Aug 1833 Died)
Jean-Baptiste Bouvier † (20 Jan 1834 Confirmed - 29 Dec 1854 Died)
Jean-Jacques Nanquette † (28 Sep 1855 Confirmed - 19 Nov 1861 Died)
Charles-Jean Fillion † (7 Apr 1862 Confirmed - 28 Jul 1874 Died)
Hector-Albert Chaulet d’Outremont † (21 Dec 1874 Confirmed - 14 Sep 1884 Died)
Guillaume-Marie-Joseph Labouré † (27 Mar 1885 Confirmed - 15 Jun 1893 Confirmed, Archbishop of Rennes (-Dol-Saint-Malo))
Charles-Joseph-Louis-Abel Gilbert † (18 May 1894 Confirmed - 24 Mar 1898 Resigned)
Marie-Prosper-Adolphe de Bonfils † (24 Mar 1898 Confirmed - 2 Jun 1912 Died)
Raymond-Marie-Turiaf de La Porte † (12 Aug 1912 Appointed - 30 Nov 1917 Resigned)
Georges-François-Xavier-Marie Grente † (30 Jan 1918 Appointed - 4 May 1959 Died)
Paul-Léon-Jean Chevalier † (4 May 1959 Succeeded - 28 Oct 1971 Retired)
Bernard-Pierre-Edmond Alix † (28 Oct 1971 Succeeded - 13 Aug 1981 Resigned)
Georges Edmond Robert Gilson (13 Aug 1981 Appointed - 2 Aug 1996 Appointed, Archbishop of Sens (-Auxerre))
Jacques Maurice Faivre † (29 Jul 1997 Appointed - 3 Jul 2008 Resigned)
Yves Le Saux, Comm. l'Emm. (21 Nov 2008 Appointed - 27 Jun 2022 Appointed, Bishop of Annecy)
Jean-Pierre Vuillemin (3 Apr 2023 Appointed - )

Historical Summary

Date	Event	From	To
5th Century	Erected		Diocese of Le Mans (erected)
30 June 1855	Territory Lost	Diocese of Angers Diocese of Le Mans	Diocese of Laval (erected)
8 December 2002	Metropolitan Changed		Diocese of Le Mans (from Tours)

Year Catholics Total Population Percent Catholic Diocesan Priests Religious Priests Total Priests Catholics Per Priest Permanent Deacons Male Religious Female Religious Parishes Source

1949 375,391 412,214 91.1% 485 120 605 620 258 2,895 401 ap1951

1969 420,000 461,839 90.9% 328 93 421 997 152 1,400 160 ap1971

1980 416,000 490,385 84.8% 275 275 1,512 40 1,301 388 ap1981

1990 428,000 539,000 79.4% 234 111 345 1,240 3 151 1,100 388 ap1991

1999 375,000 536,000 70.0% 187 93 280 1,339 21 94 662 125 ap2000

2000 370,900 529,900 70.0% 182 89 271 1,368 22 90 649 125 ap2001

2001 370,900 529,900 70.0% 175 87 262 1,415 23 88 617 121 ap2002

2002 381,000 529,900 71.9% 173 85 258 1,476 23 86 502 119 ap2003

2003 370,000 529,000 69.9% 166 79 245 1,510 23 80 566 116 ap2004

2004 370,000 529,000 69.9% 163 74 237 1,561 23 75 741 113 ap2005

2013 361,900 555,000 65.2% 119 17 136 2,661 33 18 394 98 ap2014

2016 366,232 569,035 64.4% 115 19 134 2,733 31 45 361 102 ap2017

2019 364,300 567,561 64.2% 93 19 112 3,252 31 264 290 94 ap2020

2021 371,760 579,120 64.2% 79 79 4,705 30 245 290 93 ap2022

Year	Catholics	Total Population	Percent Catholic	Diocesan Priests	Religious Priests	Total Priests	Catholics Per Priest	Permanent Deacons	Male Religious	Female Religious	Parishes	Source
1949	375,391	412,214	91.1%	485	120	605	620		258	2,895	401	ap1951
1969	420,000	461,839	90.9%	328	93	421	997		152	1,400	160	ap1971
1980	416,000	490,385	84.8%	275		275	1,512		40	1,301	388	ap1981
1990	428,000	539,000	79.4%	234	111	345	1,240	3	151	1,100	388	ap1991
1999	375,000	536,000	70.0%	187	93	280	1,339	21	94	662	125	ap2000
2000	370,900	529,900	70.0%	182	89	271	1,368	22	90	649	125	ap2001
2001	370,900	529,900	70.0%	175	87	262	1,415	23	88	617	121	ap2002
2002	381,000	529,900	71.9%	173	85	258	1,476	23	86	502	119	ap2003
2003	370,000	529,000	69.9%	166	79	245	1,510	23	80	566	116	ap2004
2004	370,000	529,000	69.9%	163	74	237	1,561	23	75	741	113	ap2005
2013	361,900	555,000	65.2%	119	17	136	2,661	33	18	394	98	ap2014
2016	366,232	569,035	64.4%	115	19	134	2,733	31	45	361	102	ap2017
2019	364,300	567,561	64.2%	93	19	112	3,252	31	264	290	94	ap2020
2021	371,760	579,120	64.2%	79		79	4,705	30	245	290	93	ap2022