Saint-Claude

Saint-Claude grew around an ancient abbey in the Jura, founded by the monks Romanus and Lupicinus. First known for Saint Oyend, it later took the name of Saint Claude, whose tomb made it a renowned destination for medieval pilgrims. Kings and ordinary visitors came to honour the saint's relics in the mountain monastery, among them Louis XI of France.

In 1742 the Benedictine abbey was secularized and Saint-Claude became the seat of a new diocese; the old abbey church became its cathedral of Saint-Pierre. During the Revolution, the saint's revered relics were burned in 1794, though the left forearm was saved. The diocese was suppressed after the Concordat of 1801 and restored in 1822, giving the old monastic town an episcopal role once more.