the Bishops of Geneva. Biord and his co-examiners were evidently impressed by Bigex, who was welcomed into the seminary by unanimous vote. Paris As a young seminarian Bigex continued to impress. By the end of his first year it had been determined that he deserved to receive his education "in a larger theatre", and he was sent on to the seminary attached to Saint-Sulpice, Paris in France, where he continued his studies for the priesthood. Starting during the second year of what was designed as a five year course, he combined his studies with work as a lecturer, which was followed by an appointment to a professorship first in Theology and then also in Philosophy at the little Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet seminary. He received his licence to minister after three of the five years assigned to his course, which came with a useful "pension". He also received, from the Sorbonne university, a doctorate in Theology in 1783 or 1785. By this time he was building up a personal network of influential French churchmen. He was on the receiving end of various tempting job offers, notably from Archbishop de Conzié of Tours and the scholarly Bishop of Arras. There was every indication that he was on the brink of a stellar career, but there was also every indication that his future lay in France rather than in Savoy. Vicar general That Bigex should stay in France had never been part of Mgr. Biord's plan, however. He had plans in his own diocese for his protégé. Summoned back to Annecy, François-Marie Bigex was immediately appointed to membership of the cathedral chapter. He quickly set about re-establishing his contacts, visiting Bishop Conseil at Chambéry for discussions about the future. He also travelled to Turin to pay his respects to the Princess of Piedmont, who seems to have been an enthusiastic admirer, having already arranged a second "pension" for him, possibly at the prompting of Mgr. Biord. She received him warmly. Bishop Biord's death in March 1785 did nothing to derail Bigex's career, and at around about the same time he took up an important diocesan appointment as vicar general. When the formal eulogy for Bishop Biord was proclaimed on 14 June 1785 in the cathedral at Annecy in the presence of the Assembly General of the Clergy, the sad honour of delivering it went to vicar general François-Marie Bigex. In due course, in 1787, Joseph-Marie