The diocese dates back to the 4th century. Traditionally the city was first evangelized around 332 by St Sanctinus, Bishop of Meaux, who became the first bishop. Sanctinus erected the first Christian oratory dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul.[1][2]: pp.22–23
The first bishop known to history is St. Polychronius (Pulchrone) who lived in the fifth century and was a relative and disciple of St. Lupus de Troyes.[3] "Other bishops worthy of mention are: St. Possessor (470–486); St. Firminus (486–502); St. Vitonus (Vanne) (502–529); St. Désiré (Desideratus) (529–554), St. Agericus (Airy) (554–591), friend of St. Gregory of Tours and of Fortunatus; St. Paul (630–648), formerly Abbot of the Benedictine Monastery of Tholey in the Diocese of Trier; and St. Madalvaeus (Mauve) (753–776)."[4]
From 1624 to 1636, a large bastioned citadel was constructed 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.[3]
During World War I over 200 parishes fell under occupation by the German army and communication with the Bishop of Verdun practically cut off.[5] 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.[6]
When the city came under bombardment the diocesan administration relocated to Bar-le-Duc and did not return until 1921. 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.[5]
1548–1575: Nicolas Psaume. The Bishopric was annexed to France in 1552. This was not formally recognised in the Empire until the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.
1610–1622: Charles de Lorraine,[14] nephew of predecessor
Bishops under French ruleedit
1623–1661: François de Lorraine (1599 † 1672), brother of predecessor
1667–1679: Armand de Monchy d'Hocquincourt
1681–1720: Hippolyte de Béthune
1721–1754: Charles-François D'Hallencourt
1754–1769: Aymar-Fr.-Chrétien-Mi. de Nicolai
1770–1793: Henri-Louis Rene Desnos
Until 1801 Verdun was part of the ecclesiastical province of the Archbishop of Trier. On November 29, 1801 it was suppressed and added to the Diocese of Nancy. On October 6, 1822 the diocese was re-established.
^"Les grands sites religieux du diocèse de Verdun au Moyen-Âge". Diocèse de Verdun.
^Healy, Patrick (2006). The Chronicle of Hugh of Flavigny: Reform and the Investiture Contest in the Late Eleventh Century. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7546-5526-8.
^ abcGoyau, Georges. "Diocese of Verdun." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 21 January 2023 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^"Diocese of Verdun". CatholiCity. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
^[Simon, A., "Heylen (Thomas-Louis)", Biographie Nationale de Belgique, vol. 32 (Brussels, 1964), 295-299.
^Smith, William; Wace, Henry (1887). A Dictionary of Christian Biography, Literature, Sects and Doctrines, vol 4. Little, Brown & Company. p. 436.
^Gerzaguet, Jean-Pierre. "Dado of Verdun". Encyclopedia of the Medieval Chronicle, (Graeme Dunphy, ed.) Brill Online, 2016. Reference. 09 March 2016 (Wayback Machine 17 october 2016)
^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.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Diocese of Verdun". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Booksedit
Société bibliographique (France) (1907). L'épiscopat français depuis le Concordat jusqu'à la Séparation (1802-1905). Paris: Librairie des Saints-Pères.