Geneva was first recorded as a border town of the Allobroges, fortified against the
Helvetii (Celto-Germanic people). In 120 BC, Geneva was conquered by the
Romans. In 443 AD, Geneva became part of the
Kingdom of Burgundy. In 534 AD, it fell to the
Franks. In 888 AD, Geneva was returned to the
Kingdom of Burgundy. In 1033, it was taken into the
Kingdom of Germany. The position of the first Bishop of Geneva is ascribed to multiple individuals. A legend holds that
Nazarius (Saint Lazarus), the follower of Simon Peter and
Pope Linus, was the first Bishop of Geneva.
Gregorio Leti (1630 1701) and Besson, wrote of the legend that Geneva was christianised by
Dionysius the Areopagite and Paracodus, two of the
seventy-two disciples of Jesus Christ, in the time of
Domitian (81 91 AD), and that Paracodus became the first Bishop of Geneva. However, this is explained as based on an error, arising from the similarity of the Latin names '
(Geneva in Switzerland) and ' (
Genoa in Italy). It is also claimed that Diogenes was the first bishop, sent out as a missionary by
Pope Sixtus I ( 116–125). The
Catalogue de St. Pierre, a list of the bishops of Geneva found on a page, now missing, in a bible belonging to the cathedral of Saint Pierre in Geneva, once the property of Bishop Frederick, which records that Diogenes was the first Bishop of Geneva, is untrustworthy.
Eucherius of Lyon, in his prologue to the "Passion of the Saints of Agaune," indicates that Isaac of Monteluco (c. 400 AD) was Bishop of Geneva.
Authentic early bishops A letter of
Salvian in 440 AD indicates that
Salonius was Bishop of Geneva. Salonius was the son of Eucherius of Lyon. Eucherius dedicated his "Instructions" to Salonius. Salonius took part in the
Council of Orange (441 AD) and in the Councils of
Vaison (442 AD) and
Arles (c. 455 AD). Salonius (called Bishop Salonius of Vienne) may have authored two small commentaries,
In Parabolas Salomonis and
On Ecclesiastics. Little is known about the bishops who followed Salonius. Theoplastus (c. 475 AD) was the recipient of a letter from
St. Sidonius Apollinaris. When Dormitianus (before 500 AD) was bishop, Princess Sedeleuba van Bourgondië, a sister of Queen
Clotilde, had the remains of the martyr,
Victor of Solothurn moved to Geneva. Sedeleuba built a
basilica in the martyr's honour. Maximus of Geneva (c. 512 541 AD), corresponded with
Avitus, Archbishop of Vienne and
Cyprian of Toulon. In 541 AD, Bishop Pappulus sent Thoribiusas, a priest, to represent him at the
Fourth Council of Orléans. Bishop Salonius II is only known from his signatures at the Synod of Lyons (570 AD) and the Synod of Paris (573 AD). In 584 AD, Cariatto was made Bishop of Geneva by King
Guntram. In 585 AD, Bishop Cariatto attended Council of Valence in 584, and the Council of Macon in 585. The Bishopric (office of bishop) of Geneva was a
suffragan (subordinate) of the
Archbishopric of Vienne. Bishop Hilary of Arles, in the second quarter of the 5th century, attempted to claim it as a suffragan of Arles, but
Pope Leo I ruled against him.
The Holy Roman Empire In September 1032, with the death of King Rudolf III, the dynasty of the kings of Burgundy, which had ruled since 888, came to an end. Sovereignty passed to the
Emperor Conrad II (1027–1039), who was crowned king of Burgundy on 2 February 1033. In 1034, he entered Burgundy with his army, and received the submission of its cities, including Geneva, where he was again elected king. On 17 January 1154, the Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa received Bishop Ardicius at his court at Speyer, and appointed and invested him as the
Prince Bishop of Geneva. However, their independence was limited by the ecclesiastical overseers appointed by the archbishop (
advocati), the
Counts of Geneva and later, the
Counts of Savoy.
House of Savoy Bishop
Guillaume de Conflans and
Count Amadeus V of Savoy were in continual conflict on many matters during the entire period of the bishop's administration, 1287 to 1295. On 30 December 1287, the bishop laid an interdict on all the lands of the count in his diocese. On 19 September 1290, they signed a treaty, by which the Counts of Savoy obtained the tight to appoint the bishop's lieutenant, or
Vidame, as a fief, and the diocese had returned rights and properties along the Rhone which had been appropriated by the Count.
François de Candie of
Chambéry-Le-Vieux was one such Vidame. In 1387, Bishop Adhémar Fabry granted Geneva its charter ensuring the city's rights and institutional continuity. Subsequent bishops were expected to affirm the charter. In 1394, the Counts of Geneva's line ended with no further issue. The
House of Savoy sought to take its place. On 19 February 1416,
King Sigismund of Germany granted the counts of Savoy the title "Duke". The counts repeatedly maneuvered to elevate their family members to the Bishop of Geneva's diocesan staff. Their most notable success came when the former
Duke Amadeus VIII, who had been elected Pope Felix V by the Council of Basel, became Administrator of the diocese of Geneva in March 1444, and held the office until his death in 1451. The City of Geneva responded to the successes of the House of Savoy by making an alliance with the
Old Swiss Confederacy, an
Eidgenossenschaft. In 1526, Geneva aligned with
Bern and
Fribourg. harassed both by the people of Geneva and by the Duke of Savoy, fled the city for some property in Burgundy. On 2 July 1533, he returned to Geneva, but on 14 July he fled again. He and the cathedral Chapter of Geneva settled in Annecy in 1535, and, despite their own efforts and encouragement from
Pope Clement VII, they were not able to persuade the Genevans to allow a return. Bishop de la Baune was named a cardinal by
Pope Paul III on 19 December 1539, and promoted to the archbishopric of Besançon on 29 December 1541. The Emperor Charles V issued a golden bull suspending all authority in Geneva except that of the emperor and the bishop. The Church imposed the interdict. During the Reformation, the City of Bern supported the
Protestant Reformers, including
William Farel (1489 1565) and
Antoine Froment (1508 1581). The City of Fribourg supported the Catholic Church and in 1531, renounced its alliance with Geneva. In 1536,
John Calvin (1509 1564) went to Geneva, but was expelled after disagreement over details of the
Easter eucharist. He returned to Geneva in 1541 and lived there until his death. Geneva became a stronghold of
Calvinism. In 1532, the Bishop of Geneva was removed from his seat. In 1535, he established his see in
Annecy and in 1536 at
Gex.
Francis de Sales (1567 1622) was Bishop of Geneva. He held the position from 1602 to 1621. Through his devotion, many in the diocese returned to Catholicism. Under the rule of the First Consul
Napoleon, the Canton of Geneva was annexed to France. Writing from exile in Turin on 21 November 1801, the bishop of Geneva, Joseph-Marie Paget, at the request of
Pope Pius VII, submitted his resignation as bishop. The pope, then, in fulfilment of earlier agreements with the French government, suppressed the Diocese of Geneva, and annexed its territory to the new Diocese of
Chambéry. On 9 June 1815, in Article LXXX of the general treaty at the
Congress of Vienna, the Canton of Geneva was extended to cover 15
Savoyard and 6 French parishes, ceded by the King of Sardinia. This included 16,000 people of the
Catholic faith. Geneva was also admitted to the
Swiss Confederation. The Congress of Vienna and the
Treaty of Turin (1816) provided protection to the Catholic religion in Geneva. In 1822, due to changes in international borders which had placed the territory of the diocese of Geneva in several nations, the area belonging to the Diocese of Geneva but beyond the borders of Switzerland became the
Diocese of Annecy. The
Cantonal Council abandoned previous agreements. In imitation of the French
Organic Articles (laws regarding public worship) the Cantonal Council requested a
placet (an acceptance by civil authorities of
canon law). Etienne Marilley (1804–1889) became the parish priest of Geneva in 1831 and was consecrated bishop of Lausanne and Geneva in 1846. The 1870s was the time of
Kulturkampf. For instance, discord arose concerning public financial support for the Protestant and Old Catholic Churches, while the Catholic Church received none. On 30 June 1907, Geneva voted for the
separation of church and state. ==Bishops of Geneva (Genf, Genève)==