identify simply as the Kingdom of Sardinia.) Deeply conservative, there was much about the revolutionary changes of the previous quarter century that he sought to undo. For the church administration beyond the high mountains, in Savoy, this held out the prospect of more changes. By a bull dated 17 July 1817 the Diocese of Chambéry became an archdiocese, with four (and after 1825 six) Suffragan dioceses coming under its gubernatorial oversight. Both the existing vicars general of the superseded Diocèse of Chambéry found themselves nominated as future bishops. Bigex was nominated as Bishop of Aire in Gascony, in the far south-west of France. However, when the nomination was submitted to the court it was blocked because of royal determination that the "great merits" of François-Marie Bigex should not be lost to Savoy. On 1 October 1817 Bigex was confirmed in office as Bishop of Pinerolo, an hour's drive to the west of Turin. Bishop of Pinerolo During a seven year episcopal incumbency, François-Marie Bigex proved himself an activist bishop, implementing a plethora of practical and judicious reforms and addressing admonitions to his priests that were at once deeply thought through and of luminous simplicity, pointing out errors and encouraging obedience to the strictures of the true church. He re-instated the diocesan synod which had been established in 1775 but had subsequently lapsed. He established one major seminary and one small one. Through his pastoral visits he shared his ardent inner zeal for the greater progress of religion. He engaged in several major litigations in defence of the interests of the bishopric, appearing as his own (highly effective) advocate. Bigex also became known for his charitable exploits. Intriguingly, he obtained a pardon from the king on behalf of a convict from Vaud who had been sentenced to death, but had also recently converted to Catholicism. Archbishop of Chambéry Archbishop Dessolle, who had suffered from poor health for many years, announced his retirement in November 1823. The king selected François-Marie Bigex to succeed him as Archbishop of Chambéry, and although the old king had died by the time the appointment took effect, the new king followed through on the decision. The appointment took Bigex back to the north side of the Mont Blanc massif, and thereby represented a return to the region in which he had grown up. Confirmed in office on 24 May 1824, he seized his new responsibilities with his