BARDEL, CLAUDE. - Bishop, b. at Thiers on 23 Feb. 1851, d. at Séez on 16 Feb. 1926. Ordained priest in 1874, vicar general of the dioceses of Clermont and Bourges in 1891 and 1893, auxiliary bishop with the title of Parium in 1894, residential bishop of Séez on 14 Apr. 1897; he zealously fostered the deep religiosity of his diocesan faithful and the high cultural and spiritual level of his clergy. Subjected to harsh persecutions after the rupture of the Concordat, expelled from the episcopal residence and gravely affected by the closure of his seminary, he nevertheless succeeded, through makeshift means, in reorganizing the institutions for the formation of the clergy, also laying the foundations of flourishing institutions for the defence of religious interests, for the diffusion of Christian social ideals, and above all for the expanded development of Catholic free schools, displaying his apostolic and charitable spirit especially during the First World War.
Gabriella de Stefano