Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Aix

Archdiocese of Aix-en-Provence and Arles

Archidioecesis Aquensis in Gallia et Arelatensis

  • Archidiocèse d'Aix-en-Provence et Arles
  • Archidiocèsi de z-Ais e Arle
  • Archidioucèsi de z'Ais e Arle
Location
CountryFrance
Ecclesiastical provinceMarseille
MetropolitanArchdiocese of Marseille
Statistics
Area4,580 km2 (1,770 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2022)
957,291 Increase (est.)
677,000 Decrease (est.)
Parishes118
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Establishedby 5th Century
CathedralAix Cathedral
Patron saintSaint Maximinus of Aix
Secular priests113 Decrease (diocesan)
15 Decrease (Religious Orders)
29 Increase Permanent Deacons
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
ArchbishopChristian Delarbre
Metropolitan ArchbishopJean-Marc Aveline
Bishops emeritusChristophe Dufour
Map
Website
catho-aixarles.fr

The Archdiocese of Aix-en-Provence and Arles (Latin: Archidioecesis Aquensis in Gallia et Arelatensis; French: Archidiocèse d'Aix-en-Provence et Arles; Occitan Provençal: Archidiocèsi de Ais de Provença e Arle or Archidioucèsi de z'Ais e Arle) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archepiscopal see is located in the city of Aix-en-Provence. The diocese comprises the department of Bouches-du-Rhône (minus the arrondissement of Marseilles), in the Region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It is currently a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Marseilles and consequently the archbishop no longer wears the pallium.

After the Concordat, the archdiocese gained the titles of Arles and Embrun (1822), becoming the Archdiocese of Aix (–Arles–Embrun) (Latin: Archidioecesis Aquensis in Gallia (–Arelatensis–Ebrodunensis); French: Archidiocèse d'Aix (–Arles–Embrun); Occitan Provençal: Archidiocèsi de Ais (–Arle–Ambrun) or Archidioucèsi de z'Ais (–Arle–Ambrun)). The dioceses of Fréjus and Toulon had been suppressed and parts of Toulon and Riez were attributed to Aix. But in the Concordat of 1817, Arles was reestablished as a metropolitanate (which lasted only until 1822, when it became suffragan to Aix), and the metropolitanate of Aix was assigned the suffragan dioceses of Fréjus (including Toulon, where its bishop now resides), Digne, and Gap. From 1838 to 1867 the diocese of Algiers was also suffragan (subordinate) to the archbishop of Aix.[1]

In 2007, the name of the diocese was changed again to the Archdiocese of Aix (–Arles) (Latin: Archidioecesis Aquensis in Gallia (–Arelatensis); French: Archidiocèse d'Aix (–Arles); Occitan Provençal: Archidiocèsi de Ais (–Arle) or Archidioucèsi de z'Ais (–Arle)). In 2008, the title of Embrun was reattached to the Diocese of Gap by decision of Pope Benedict XVI.[2]

The current archbishop is Christian Delarbre.

  1. ^ Fisquet, p. 7.
  2. ^ d'Embrun, Diocèse de Gap et. "Le diocèse de Gap et... d'Embrun : l'histoire au service de la pastorale". diocesedegap (in French). Retrieved 2020-03-27.