PONTECORVO
229
PONTIAN
78 churches and 210 chapels, served by 102 priests (78
European and 24 native). The diocese is under the
charge of the Society of Foreign Missions, Paris. The
archbishop's residence, cathedral and diocesan semi-
naries are at Pondicherry. The Fathers are assisted
by four congregations of women, viz., of the Carmelite
Order, of the Sacred Heart of Mary, of St. Joseph, and
of St. Aloysius Gonzaga.
The districts covered by the Pondicherry Archdio- cese were originally comprised within the padroado jurisdiction of San ThomS, but mission-work did not extend beyond the north-west corner near San Thom^, and a small portion in the south which lay within the limits of th(- Machira mission. Pondicherry itself was only a vilhip' ♦ill ■■^•ime shipwrecked Frenchmen under Francis Martin settled there in 1674 and afterwards purchased it from the Raja of Vijayapur. About this time some French Capuchins arrived to take care of the Europeans in the new settlement, and a few years later (in 1690) some French Jesuits followed and began to work among the natives — both under Propaganda jurisdiction. From Pondicherry the Jesuits gradually proceeded inland and founded what was called the Carnatic mission about 1700. On the suppression of the Jesuits in 1773 the whole field was entrusted to the Paris Seminary for Foreign Missions, including the Madura districts, where the disbanded Jesuits con- tinued to work under the new regime till they grad- ually died out. In 1836 (Brief of Gregory XVI, 8 July) the mission of Pondicherry was made into the Vicariate Apostolic of (he Coromandel coast. At the same time the Jesuits (who had been restored in 1814) were placed once more in charge of the Madura mis- sion, excepting the portion north of the Cauvery River, which was retained by Pondicherry. In 1850 the Vicariate of the Coromandel coast was divided and two new vicariates erected — those of Mysore and Coimbatore. On the establishment of the hierarchy in 1886, Pondicherry was elevated into an archbishop- ric with Mysore and Coimbatore as suffragan bishop- rics as well as the Diocese of Malacca outside India. Finally in 1899 the southern portion of the archdiocese was separated and made into the (suffragan) Diocese of Kumbakonam — the whole province remaining un- der the same missionary Society.
Among its prelates were: Pierre Brigot, 1776-91 (superior with episcopal orders); Nicholas Cham- penois, 1791-1810; Louis Charles Auguste Herbert, 1811-36; Clement Bonnand, 1836-61 (first vicar Apostolic); Joseph Isidore Godelle, 1861-67; Francis Jean Laouenan, 1868-92 (became first archbishop in 1886); Joseph Adolphus Gandy, 1892-1909; Elias Jean Joseph Morel, present archbishop from 1909. Its educational institutions consist of the Theological Seminary at Pondicherry with 40 students and Petit Seminaire with H02 pupils; St. Joseph's High School, Cuddalore, founded 180S, with 819 students, iiirluding 250 boarders, with branch school at Tirupapuliyur (founded 1883), with 289 pupils; at Tindavanam, St. Joseph's Industrial School, under the Brothers of St. Gabriel, with 50 pupils. Eighty other schools, mostly elementary, in various parts. Congregation of Sisters of St. Joseph (80 European and 48 native sisters) have for girls, boarding- and day-schools, orphanages, and asylums at Pondicherry, Karikal, Mahe, Chander- nagore, Yercaud, Tindivanum, Ami, Cheyur, and AUadhy. Native Carmelite nuns have convents at Pondicherry and Karikal with 45 sisters. Native nuns of the Sacred Heart of Mary, established 1844 under the rules of the Third Order of St. Francis of Assist, with 23 professed nuns, have schools at Pondi- cherry, Cuddalore, Karikal, Salem, and eleven other places, with total of 1626 pupils. The Native Nuns of St. Louis or Aloysius Gonzaga, 40 sisters, have a school and orphanage at Pondicherry and orphan- age at Vellore. Its charitable institutions include alto- gether 20 orphanages for boys and girls with 534
orphans, besides 100 orphans in care of Christian
families; 4 asylums for Eurasians, etc. 2 hospitals
(Pondicherry and Karikal), besides homes for the
aged.
Madras Catholic Directory (1910) ; Ladnay, Histoire Generate de la Societe des Missions Etranghes; Idem, Atlas dcs Missions.
Ernest R. Hull.
Pontecorvo. See Aquino, Sora and Ponte- coRvo, Diocese of.
Pontefract Prioryi Yorkshire, England, a Clu- niac monastery dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, founded about 1090 by Robert de Lacy, as a depend- ency of the Abbey of la Charitc-sur-Loire, which sup- plied the first monks. Two charters of the founder are given in Dugdale. In a charter of Henry de Lacy, son of Robert, the church is spoken of as dedicated to St. Mary and St. John. These donations were finally con- firmed to the monastery by a Bull of Pope Celestine (whether II or III is uncertain), which also conferred certain ecclesiastical privileges on the priory. In the Visitation Records it had sixteen monks in 1262, and twenty-seven in 1279. At the latter date a prior of ex- ceptional ability was in charge of the house, and he is commended for his zeal during the twelve years of his rule, which had resulted in a reduction of the monas- tery's debts from 3200 marks to 350. A later, un- dated, visitation return gives the average number of monks at twenty. Duckett prints a letter from Ste- phen, Prior of Pontefract in 1323, to Pierre, Abbot of Cluny, explaining that he had been prevented from making a visitation of the English Cluniac houses, owing to the presence of the king and court at Ponte- fract, which prevented his leaving home. In the pre- vious year (1322) Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, had been beheaded at Pontefract, and his body buried in the priory church "on the right hand of the high al- tar". Rumour declared that miracles had been wrought at the tomb. This attempt to regard the earl as a martyr aroused the anger of Edward II, who im- pounded the offerings (Rymer, Foedera, II, ii, 726). However, not long after, a chantry dedicated to St. Thomas was built on the site of the execution and, in 1343, license was given to the prior and Convent of Pontefract "to allow Masses and other Divine Ser- vices" to be celebrated there.
In the valor ecclesiasticus of 26 Henry VIII, the yearly revenue of the priory is entered as £472 16s. lOi^d. gross, and £337 14s. 8J^^d. clear value. The last prior, James Thwayts, with seven brethren and one novice surrendered the monastery to the king, 23 November, 1540, the prior being assigned a pen- sion of fifty pounds per annum. The Church and buildings have been completely destroyed, but the site is still indicated by the name of Monk-hill.
Dugdale, Monasticon Aiiglicanum, V (London, 1846), 118-31; DncKETT. Charters and Records . . . of the Abbey of Cluni (pri- vately printed, 1888). passim, esp. II, 150-54; Idem. Record Evi- dences . . . o/ i/ie i466ej/ o/Cfuni (privately printed, 18S6); Idem, Visitations of English Cluniac Foundations (London, 1890); Boothkoyd, History of Pontefract (Pontefract. 1807) ; Fox, His- tory of Pontefract (Pontefract, 1827).
G. Roger Hudleston.
Pontian, Saint, pope, dates of birth and death un- known. The "Liber Pontificahs" (ed. Duchesne, I, 145) gives Rome as his native city and calls his father Calpurnius. With him begins the brief chronicle of the Roman bishops of the third century, of which the author of the Liberian Catalogue of the popes made use in the fourth century and which gives more exact data for the lives of the popes. According to this account Pontian was made pope 21 July, 230, and reigned until 235. The schism of Hippolytus con- tinued during his episcopate; towards the end of his pontificate there was a reconciliation between the schismatic party and its leader with the Roman bishop. After the condemnation of Origen at Alexan- dria (231-2), a synod was held at Rome, according
