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Diocese of Saint-Maurice d’Agaune

S. Mauritii Agaunen(sis)

Territorial abbey of canons regular at Saint-Maurice in the canton of Valais, Switzerland, founded in 515 and immediately subject to the Holy See. The 40th abbot, Alexandre Ineichen, was confirmed by Pope Leo XIV and installed on 19 March 2025.

The see

Rank
Territorial abbey immediately subject to the Holy See
Tradition
Latin Church
Erected
515
Latin
S. Mauritii Agaunen(sis)
Patron
Saint Maurice
Annuario code
001000302

The see in figures

Catholics
5,400
Priests
31
Catholics per priest
174
Extent
96 km²
Catholics per km²
56

Figures as recorded in the register, from the Annuario Pontificio and the see's own published statements. Shares and ratios are computed from the two figures shown beside them.

The bishop

Abbot
Jean Scarcella

A see whose chair stands empty is recorded as vacant rather than filled with a guess. On what a bishop is, see the bishop.

The cathedral

Basilica of Saint Maurice of Agaunum stands in Saint-Maurice d’Agaune, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.

On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.

History

Set against a cliff along the road between Geneva and the Simplon Pass toward northern Italy, the Abbey of Saint Maurice, Agaunum (French: Abbaye de Saint-Maurice d'Agaune or Saint-Maurice-en-Valais) is a Swiss house of canons regular in Saint-Maurice, Canton of Valais, with origins in the 6th century. Canonically it is a territorial abbacy, belonging to no diocese. The abbey's renown rests on its link to the martyrdom of the Theban Legion, its early practice of perpetual psalmody, and a notable collection of art and antiquity. It is recognized as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

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Sources

The see's own website · Wikipedia

Compiled from the published statements of the see and the references of the Holy See, among them the Annuario Pontificio. Corrections: hello@catholicintelligence.com.