Coindre, Gaston

Christianity in Besançon appeared in the 3rd century, a period during which, according to tradition, the martyrs Ferrutio and Ferreolus evangelized the city and its region. However, the torture and assassination of these two figures of Franc-Comtois Christianity are today considered by some historians as an invention of late antiquity, with the former Sequania Gallo-Roman gradually converting to Christianity only from the 4th century onwards. The first mention of a bishop of the city dates back to 346, but documents mention religious figures in office in the Comtois capital as early as the mid-3rd century, when the first Franc-Comtois church was probably built on the site of the current Cathedral of Saint John. Other buildings were constructed subsequently and up to the 18th century, such as the Église Saint-Maurice de Besançon, the Église Notre-Dame de Besançon, or the Abbaye Saint-Paul de Besançon. In the 18th century, the Église de la Madeleine, the Église Saint-Pierre de Besançon, and many other chapels and churches were built. Today, the Archdiocese of Besançon comprises 67 parishes (or pastoral units), grouped into 13 deaneries representing 1,010 communes. Currently, Besançon...