Pierre-Louis-Théophile-Georges Goyau

“ The Byzantine ruins at Mariana perpetuate the memory of the church built by the Pisans in the twelfth century. There is a legend to the effect that the bishops banished from Africa to Corsica in 484 by Hunneric, King of the Vandals, built with their own hands the primitive cathedral of Ajaccio. The present cathedral, dating from the end of the sixteenth century, owes its construction to the initiative of Gregory XIII, who while still Ugo Buoncompagni, spent some time at Ajaccio as papal legate. ”

“ Algiers (Icosium) , The Archdiocese of, comprises the province of Algérie in French Africa. Its suffragans are the Sees of Oran and Constantine. In 1632, several missions were established in Algeria; soon after, an apostolic-vicar was installed there, who, towards the end of the seventeenth century had under him the pro-vicar of Tunis and the prefect of Tripoli. The episcopal See of Algiers, founded in the second century at Icosium did not survive the Arabic conquest. ”

“ The ancient Benedictine abbey of Sorèze, founded in 757, was converted into a school in 1854 under the direction of the Dominican Lacordaire. The cities of Castres and Gaillac owe their origin to the Benedictine abbeys, the first of which, it is said, was founded by Charlemagne, and the second by Raimond I, Count of Toulouse, in 960. ”

“ Aire (Aturum) , Diocese of, comprises the territory of the Department of Landes. It was a suffragan of Auch under the old regime, but was not re-established until 1822, when it was again made a suffragan of the re-established Archdiocese of Auch, and was assigned the territory of the former Dioceses of Aire and Acqs (Dax) . ”

“ The cloister and the old abbey church containing the tombs of the four Plantagenets have great archaeological value. The ruins of St. Maur perpetuate the memory of the great Benedictine abbey of that name. ”

“ The city of Tarascon has for its patron, St. Martha, who, according to the legend, delivered the country of a monster called "Tarasque". The church of the "Saintes Maries de la Mer" in the Camargue contains three venerated tombs, which are objects of a pilgrimage; according to a tradition which is attached to the legends concerning the emigration of St. ”

“ Pope Hilary (461–468) , intending to confer certain privileges on the Bishopric of Arles, in 474 or 475, reassembled 30 prelates of Gaul against the predestination heresy and increased the importance of the see. With St. Cæsarius (q. v.) , Arles (502–542) reached its greatest prosperity; there the Prefect of the Prætorium of Theodoric had his seat, while St. Cæsarius represented the Pope with the episcopate of Gaul and Spain, and exercised an indefatigable activity in codifying the canon law of Merovingian Gaul. After Cæsarius the superiority of the bishops of Arles was merely nominal; St. ”