Ancient Diocese of Bazas
The Diocese of Bazas, centred on Bazas in Aquitaine, covered the Bazadais region, known under the Romans as the Vasatensis pagus after the ancient occupants, the Vasates. In the 2nd century it was part of the Novempopulania, one of the seventeen provinces of Gaul. The diocese must have been created between the first and the third centuries, but because of the large numbers of invaders that passed through this region - Arians, Saracens, Normans - the list of bishops is much reduced during the first millennium. The first bishop of this diocese is mentioned, without a name, by Gregory of Tours in his De gloria martyrum.
The diocese of Bazas, the seat of which was Bazas Cathedral, was bordered on the north by the diocese of Périgueux, on the east by the diocese of Agen and the diocese of Condom, on the south by the diocese of Aire and the diocese of Dax, and on the west by the archdiocese of Bordeaux. It was divided into three archdeaconries.
It was suppressed in the French Revolution and by the Concordat of 1801 and its territory was unequally divided between the dioceses of Aire, Agen and Bordeaux, now known as the Archdiocese of Bordeaux-Bazas.
Bishops of Bazas
- after 406: bishop, name unknown, mentioned by Gregory of Tours
- 506 and 511: Sextilius
- 585: Orestes
- 614: Gudualdus
- 673-675: Gundulfus
- 977-980: Gombaud, bishop of Gascony
- c. 980-1000: Arsius Raca, as administrator during the minority of Hugues I
- 1000- c. 1012: Hugues I
- c. 1012- c. 1025 or 1029: Arsius Raca
- c. 1025- c. 1059: Raimond I the Elder
- 1059-1084: Raimond II the Younger
- 1084 - c. 1103: Étienne de Sentes
- 1104-1126: Bertrand de Baslade
- 1126 - c. 1134: Geoffroy or Godefroy
- 1134-1143 or 1144: Fortis Guarini de Pellegrue
- 1144-1146: Raimond III
- 1146- c. 1165: Guillaume I Arnaud de Tontoulon
- c. 1165-1186: Garsias de Benquet
- 1186-1213 or 1214: Gaillard I de La Mothe
- 1214-1219: Guillaume II
- 1219-1242: Arnaud I de Pins
- 1242-1265: Raimond IV de Castillon
- 1265-1277: Guillaume III de Pins
- 1277-1294 or 1296: Hugues II de Rochefort
- 1294 ou 1296-1299: Guillaume IV Geoffroy
- 1299-1302: Arnaud Falquet, Fouquet, Foucaud or Foulques
- 1302-1313 and 1319: Guillaume V Arnaud de La Mothe, transferred to Saintes by Clement V in 1313, sent back to Bazas par John XXII in 1319, the year of his death
- 1313-1319: Thibaut or Théobald de Castillon. He exchanged his see with that of his uncle Guillaume-Arnaud and died at Saintes in 1328
- 1319-1325: Guillaume VI, transferred to Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges
- 1325-1334: Pictavin or Poitevin de Montesquiou, transferred to Maguelonne, then to Albi (1339); Cardinal (1340-1355)
- 1334-1348: Gaillard II de Fargues or de la Trave or de Préchac
- 1348-1357: Raimond V Arnaud de la Mothe
- 1358-1360: Géraud or Gérald du Puy or du Puch (de Podio)
- 1360: Pierre I
- 1361-1368: Guillaume VII
- 1368-1369: Raimond VI
- 1370: Guillaume VIII
- 1371-1375: Guillaume IX de Montlaur
- Allegiance to Avignon
- 1374-1394: Jean I de Caseton
- 1395-1397: Guillaume X d'Ortholan, transferred to bishop of Rodez
- 1397-1417: Pierre II Saupin
- Allegiance to Rome
- 1392: Maurice Usk, transferred from Aire
- 1396- c. 1411 or 1412: Jean II de Herenco
- 1421- c. 1430: Bernard I d'Yvon
- 1433-1446: Henri I François de Cavier
- 1447-1450: Bernard II Yvest de Roserge, Rousergue or du Rosier, transferred to bishop of Montauban
- 1448-1457: Raimond VII du Treuil or de Tulli
- 1457-1485: Raimond VIII du Treuil
- 1486-1504: Jean III de Bonald, Bonal, Bonneau or Bonaldy
- 1504-1520: Amanieu I d'Albret, cardinal
- 1521-1528: Symphorien Bullioud, exchanged his see with Foucauld de Bonneval, bishop of Soissons
- 1528-1531: Foucauld de Bonnevald, exchanged with Jean IV de Plats or Plas, bishop of Périgueux
- 1531-1544: Jean IV de Plats or Plas, resigned in favour of his brother
- 1544-1554: Annet de Plas
- 1555-1558 or 1561: Jean Baptiste I Alamanni, exchanged with Amanieu II de Foix, bishop of Mâcon
- 1558-1559: Amanieu II de Foix, died before taking possession of his bishopric
- 1563-1564: Jean V de Balaguier, transferred to bishop of Cahors
- 1564-1572: François de Balaguier
- 1572-1605: Arnaud II de Pontac
- 1605-1630: Jean VI Jaubert de Barrault de Blaignac, transferred to archbishop of Arles
- 1631-1633: Nicolas de Grillié, Grillet or Grilles, transferred to bishop of Uzès
- 1633-1645: Henri II Listolfi Maroni
- 1646-1667: Samuel Martineau de Turé
- 1668-1684: Guillaume XI de Boissonade d'Orty
- 1685-1724: Jacques-Joseph de Gourgue
- 1724-1746: Edme Mongin, occupied Seat 26 of the Académie française (1707-1746)
- 1746-1792: Jean Baptiste II Amédée de Grégoire de Saint-Sauveur