The former French Catholic diocese of Grasse was founded in the 4th or 5th century as the diocese of Antibes. It was originally suffragan to the Archbishop of Aix, and then to the Archbishop of Embrun. The see moved from Antibes to Grasse in 1244. It remained at Grasse Cathedral until the French Revolution. The diocese was suppressed by the Concordat of 1801, its territory passing to the diocese of Nice.

History

The city of Antibes was a colony of the Greek city of Massilia (Marseille). The Romans included it in the Alpes Maritimae. In church organization, Antibes belonged to the Province of Alpes Maritimae, whose Metropolitan was the Archbishop of Aix. Its Metropolitan later, before 1056, became the Archbishop of Embrun. The first known Bishop of Antibes is Armentarius who attended the Council of Vaison in 442. Louis Duchesne considered it possible that the Remigius, who signed at the Council of Nîmes in 396 and in 417 received a letter from Pope Zosimus, may have been Bishop of Antibes before Armentarius. Ralph Matheson, however, believes that this Remigius was Remigius of Aix. On 19 July 1244, Pope Innocent IV transferred the seat of the diocese from the port city of Antibes to the interior city of Grasse, due to a depopulation of Antibes and the repeated attacks of pirates, propter insalubritatem aeris et incursus piratorum. In 1181, King Idelfonso of Aragon granted Bishop Fulco of Antibes the seigneurial rights over the city of Antibes. The cathedral of Grasse was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and was supervised by a Chapter composed of (originally) five dignities (Provost, Sacristan, Archdeacon, 'capiscolo' [Scholasticus] and Archpriest) and four Canons (one of whom was designated the Theologus). The office of Provost, however, was abolished on 30 July 1692. The office of Archdeacon of Grasse was established by Bishop Bernardo de Castronovo on 16 May 1421. The diocese of Grasse was suppressed by decree of the Legislative Assembly of France on 22 November 1790. The arrondissement of Grasse was separated from the diocese of Fréjus in 1886, and given to the bishopric of Nice which since unites the three former Dioceses of Nice, Grasse and Vence.

Bishops of Antibes

Bishops of Grasse

from 1245 to 1505

from 1505 to 1791

Reference works

Studies

Acknowledgment