HUGONIN (Pierre-Marie). - Lot 147

HUGONIN (Pierre-Marie). Paris, 1799 – Bayeux, 1884 French prelate, Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux beginning in 1849, a prominent figure in the Norman episcopate during the 19th century, attentive to clerical discipline and the pastoral life of his diocese. Autograph letter signed “+ Pierre” to “Monsieur le curé” Bayeux, June 15, 1856 1 page in-4, on letterhead printed “Évêché de Bayeux,” folded, with old annotations at the top. A letter of ecclesiastical guidance in which the bishop, apologizing for a delay caused by “a most painful day,” responds to his correspondent regarding a priest (“your poor abbot”) whose conduct is causing concern. The tone is both paternal and firm: Hugonin states that he is issuing “yet another serious and paternal warning,” but warns that, if the “deplorable fault” persists, he will be compelled to “take strict measures against him.” He concludes by calling for vigilance and prayer: “I beg him to watch over himself… I pray to God for his poor soul.” This document reveals the bishop’s disciplinary role in managing the parish clergy, blending pastoral concern with hierarchical authority. Folds; minor, marginal imperfections that do not affect the text; generally in good condition.