| Type: | Bishop |
| Honorific-Prefix: | His Eminence |
| Antoine-Adolphe Dupuch | |
| Bishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Algiers | |
| Church: | Roman Catholic |
| See: | Algiers |
| Appointed: | 1838 |
| Ended: | 1845 |
| Successor: | Louis-Antoine-Augustin Pavy |
| Ordination: | 1825 |
| Birth Date: | 22 May 1800 |
| Birth Place: | Bordeaux, France |
| Death Place: | Bordeaux, France |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic |
| Nationality: | French |
Antoine-Louis-Adolphe Dupuch (1800-1856) was a French Roman Catholic priest. He served as the first-ever Bishop of Algiers from 1838 to 1845 in Algiers, French Algeria. He attempted to evangelise the local Arab population and he built nearly 60 new churches in Algeria.
Antoine-Adolphe Dupuch was born on May 22, 1800, in Bordeaux, France.[1]
Dupuch was ordained as a priest by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bordeaux in 1825.[1]
Dupuch served as the first Bishop of Algiers from 1838 to 1845.[1] He was initially appointed to cater to the French colonists who lived in Algeria and ensure they led righteous lives.[2] However, Dupuch felt called by God to restore Christianity in Algeria.[2] Indeed, he believed Arabs had been Christians before they were forced to convert to Islam.[2] He also believed Algeria could be used as a springboard to rechristianise the entire continent of Africa.[2]
Dupuch's views on evangelisation clashed with official doctrine of the French Army under Governor-General Thomas Robert Bugeaud, who feared the Arabs might feel disrespected and rebel.[2] He also clashed with Emily de Vialar and expelled her Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition from Algeria; the order focused on evangelising Tunisia instead.[3]
Meanwhile, Dupuch helped build churches across Algeria. By 1846, he had paid for the construction of 60 new churches, chapels and oratories in French Algeria, out of his own pocket.[4] However, he was forced to resign as bishop as he went into debt.[2]
Dupuch was the author of several books about Christianity in French Algeria and Africa. He wrote two books about Abdelkader El Djezairi.
Dupuch died on July 11, 1856.[1]