ABSTRACT
On 9 March 1570, in the Church of Sainte Geneviève des Ardens, Pierre de Gondi was consecrated Bishop of Paris. Among those present to witness the solemn ceremony was a host of friends, supporters and, especially, family. Chief among them would have been Pierre’s brother, Albert, future Duke of Retz, counsellor to two kings and the trusted adviser of the queen mother, Catherine de’ Medici. Pierre de Gondi would end his life as bishop and cardinal. The Episcopal See would pass to Henri de Gondi, his nephew, the second of an unbroken succession of Gondi family members to hold this key position in the French Church over more than 100 years.
