Gilles Barthe

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Gilles Barthe (born June 4, 1906 in Briatexte , † July 14, 1993 in Albi ) was a French Roman Catholic clergyman and bishop.

life and career

Priest, teacher, soldier and prisoner of war

Barthe graduated from the Catholic high school in Albi, then the local seminary. After his ordination in 1930 he studied philosophy in Toulouse and became a teacher at his former grammar school. 1939–1940 he did military service (as a lieutenant) and spent 1940–1945 in German captivity.

Bishop of Monaco

In 1953 he was appointed Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Albi , and two months later he was appointed Bishop of Monaco . There he married Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly in 1956 and later baptized their children.

Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon

From 1962 to 1983 he was Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon . He took part in the Second Vatican Council . In his diocese he was committed to the integration of the Algerian-French and to the establishment of a diakonia (1982). In 1965 he consecrated his diocese to the painful and immaculate heart of the Virgin Mary . He was open to accepting new communities in La Verne , Le Thoronet , Cotignac and Lérins and built 14 churches.

Old age and death

Barthe spent his old age in the Foyer de Charité in Roquefort-les-Pins (interrupted in 1984 by nine months as administrator of the Archdiocese of Monaco). He died during a holiday in Albi at the age of 87 and was buried in the Notre-Dame-de-la-Seds cathedral in Toulon .

The admirer of St. Therese of Lisieux

From the age of 20, Bishop Barthe was connected in a special way to the so-called “Little Way” of the love of St. Therese of Lisieux . Shortly before his death, he published a selection of her texts under the title “Spiritual Childhood”.

Motto and honors

Barthe's episcopal motto was: Respice stellam (See the star !, meant: the Virgin Mary). He was an officer of the Legion of Honor , commander of the Order of Malta and commander of the Order of St. Charles .

Works

literature

  • Louis Porte: Histoire du diocèse de Fréjus-Toulon . Editions du Lau 2017, pp. 198–221.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Barthe, Gilles
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Barthe, Gilles Henri Alexis (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French Roman Catholic clergyman and bishop
DATE OF BIRTH June 4, 1906
PLACE OF BIRTH Bria texts
DATE OF DEATH July 14, 1993
Place of death Albi