List of bishops of Sion explained

List of bishops of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sion:

Late Antiquity

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fl. 380sTheodore
fl. 440Salvius/Silvius
fl. 490Prothais
516(?)Theodore II(?)
517Constantinus
549Rufus
565Agricola

Early Middle Ages

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585Heliodorus
613614Leudemond
647653Prothais
673690Saint Aimé
762765Willicar
786/8796/8Altheus
fl. 805Theodore III(?)According to 12th-century legend, secular power was granted to the bishops of Sion by Charlemagne
fl. 824Adalongus
825857Heyminus
877899/900Waltherius
932Asmundus
fl. 940Manfredus (?)
983984/5Amizo

Prince-bishops of Sion

Middle Ages

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993/41018/20HuguesFirst prince-bishop, granted secular power by Rudolph III of Burgundy in c. 999
10341053/4Aymon of SavoySucceeded his brother Buchardus as Abbot of St Maurice in 1049 or 1050
10541087-1090Ermenfroi
fl. 1092Gausbertus
11071116Vilencus
11351138Boson
11381150Saint Guérin
11501162(?)Louis
11621168 (?)Amédée of La Tour
11761177Guillaume of Blonay
11791181 or 1184Conon
1184(?)1196Guillaume of Candie
11961203Nantelme of Écublens
12031205Guillaume of Saillon
12061237Landry of Mont
12371243Boson II of Granges
12431271Henri of Rarogne
12711273Rodolphe of Valpelline
12731287Pierre of Oron
February 128715 December 1289vacant
12891308Boniface of Challant
13081323Aymon of Châtillon
13231338Aymon of La Tour
13381342Philippe of Chamberlhac
13421375Guichard TavelliMurdered by defenestration
13751386Édouard of Savoy

Western Schism

loyal to Avignon
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13861386Guillaume of La Baume-Saint-Amourb
13871387Robert Chambrier
13881392Humbert de Billens
13981404Aymon Séchala
14041417Jacques (Antoine?) de Challant
loyal to Rome
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13871388Gerardus (Girard Tavel?)
13921393Henri de Blanchis
13941402Guillaume IV ("the Good") of Rarogne
14021418Guillaume V of Rarognesee Raron affair

Renaissance to early modern

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14181437André dei Benzi of Gualdo Archbishop of Kolocza (in Hungary); administrator from 1418, bishop from 1431. Valais witch trials.
14371451Guillaume VI of Rarogne
14511457Henri Asperlin
14571482Burgundian War
14821496Jost of Silenen (d. 1498) Member of Lucerne nobility (uncle of Kaspar von Silenen) and diplomat for the Swiss Confederacy, bishop of Grenoble 1477 - 1467, Jost ruled as a "Renaissance prince" but after failed campaigns against Milan was forced to abdicate and went into exile in Lyon, retaining only the title of titular bishop of Hierapolis.
14961499Nicolas Schiner
14991522Mathieu SchinerCardinal; nephew of Nicolas Schiner
15221528Philippe am Hengart (not recognised by the Pope)
Philippe de Platea (not recognised locally)
15291545Adrien I of Riedmatten Valais becomes an eternal associate of the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1529.
15481565Jean Jordan
15651604Hildebrand I of Riedmatten Banned protestantism in 1604[1]
16041613Adrien II of Riedmatten
16131638Hildebrand II Jost In 1628, the Valais becomes a republic, but remains under the nominal rule of the prince-bishops.
16381640
16401646Adrien III of Riedmatten
16461672Adrien IV of Riedmatten
16721701Adrien V of Riedmatten
17011734
17341752Jean-Joseph-Arnold Blatter
17521760Jean-Hildebrand Roten
17601780François-Joseph-Frédéric Ambuel
17801790François-Melchior-Joseph Zen-Ruffinen
17901807Last prince-bishop, loss of secular power with the French invasion of 1798.

Modern history

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18071817Joseph-François-Xavier de Preux
18171829Auguste-Sulpice Zen-Ruffinen
18301843Maurice-Fabien Roten
18431875Pierre-Joseph de Preux
18751901Adrien VI Jardinier
190111 July 1918Jules-Maurice Abbet Born 11 September 1845
191919 March 1952Victor Bieler Born 16 March 1881
19521975François-Nestor Adam Born 7 February 1903; died 8 February 1990
19751995Henri SchweryBorn 14 June 1932
19952014Norbert BrunnerBorn 21 June 1942
2014Jean-Marie LoveyBorn 2 August 1950

Notes and References

  1. Encyclopedia: Historical Dictionary of Switzerland. Zenhäusern, Gregor. Sion (diocèse). fr. 12 February 2021. Laurent Auberson.