Roman Catholic Diocese of Belley–Ars

Diocese of Belley–Ars

Dioecesis Bellicensis–Arsensis

Diocèse de Belley–Ars
Location
CountryFrance
Ecclesiastical provinceLyon
Statistics
Area5,554 km2 (2,144 sq mi)
Population
  • Total
  • Catholics
  • (as of 2022)
  • 647,634
  • 382,000 (est.)
Parishes110
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established5th Century
CathedralCathedral of St. John the Baptist in Belley
Patron saintSt. John the Baptist
Secular priests125 diocesan
10 (Religious Orders)
14 Permanent Deacons
Current leadership
PopeLeo XIV
BishopPascal Marie Roland
Metropolitan ArchbishopOlivier de Germay
Bishops emeritusGuy Claude Bagnard, Bishop Emeritus (1987–2012)
Map
Website
Website of the Diocese (in French)

The Diocese of Belley–Ars (Latin: Dioecesis Bellicensis–Arsensis; French: Diocèse de Belley–Ars) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected in the 5th century, the diocese was renamed in 1988 from the former Diocese of Belley to the Diocese of Belley–Ars. Coextensive with the civil department of Ain, in the Region of Rhône-Alpes, the diocese is a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Lyon. The cathedra of the bishop is at Belley Cathedral.

Although suppressed at the time of the Napoleonic Concordat (1801), the Diocese of Belley was re-established in 1822 and took from the Archdiocese of Lyon the arrondissements of Belley, Bourg, Nantua and Trévoux, and from the Archdiocese of Chambéry the Arrondissement of Gex.