sentences:  Pope John XXII raised the status of Maillezais to that of diocese, with Saint-Pierre Cathedral (formerly the abbey church) becoming the seat of the new Bishop of Maillezais.The abbot of Maillezais, Geoffroy Povereau, was appointed the first bishop.The cathedral became a center of intellectual pursuits; in the early 16th century François Rabelais taught at the abbey for five years.