Our-Lady-and-Saint-Privat Cathedral of Mende

See also: Notre-Dame

The Notre-Dame cathedral of Mende has a exceptional Cloche by its size, the " Not Pareille". It is the episcopal see of the Diocèse of Mende.

One can admire also there tapestries of Aubusson of the beginning of the 18th century, woodworks of the 17th century, a black virgin of the 12th century and organ of.

Construction

Urbain V is at the origin of construction starting from 1368.

The bell-towers are built at the beginning of the 16th century.

Part of the cathedral is destroyed during the wars of religion.

The Cathedral will be rebuilt with identical but " without ways nor ornements".

History

In 1508, François of Rovère, bishop of Mende and nephew of the pope Jules II (Julien of Rovère) decides to equip the cathedral with Mende of a bell-tower to replace the bell-tower out of wooden and the campanological tower. He decides to build a bell-tower with " its hauteur" and with its own expenses. The canons approve this project and also decide them to build a bell-tower but more modest what explains than the cathedral does not have two equal bell-towers. Work is completed in 1512, the bell-tower of François of Rovère measures 84 m in height and that of the canons 65 m.
François of Rovère made place in the large bell-tower two bumblebees of which one was called François known under the name of Marie-Therese the NonSimilar which weighed 500 quintals and the other Jean approximately 400 quintaux.
The Francois, bumblebee theSimilar one, the campano of Mende, the Marie-Therese bell, a bell object of all the attentions carrying of multiple names and leaving with each one the choice of its proportions. However many are those which remember these worms: “I am called Marie-Therese, 500 quintals I weigh, who will not want to believe it, weighs me and reweighs me and that it gives me to my ease”.
Metal necessary to manufacture the bell is brought by asses, the bell will be run within the cathedral in the Notre Dame vault of the Rosary Thus Mende sees being born a beautiful bell from 25 tons, 2,75 m height, 33 cm thickness and which is made hear to 4 places (16 km) with the ronde.
However that the history of Not-Similar started badly, its leaf should be specified indeed (this leaf is today at the bottom of the cathedral) was transported by a white mule which died of exhaustion on its arrival with Mende, disastrous predicts was thus announced. This fabulous bell was destroyed at the time of the wars of religion in 1580 by the captain huguenot Matthieu Merle who dissolved it to make guns and destroyed in same time the cathedral, savers however both clochers.
If it is established that there was always a church with the top of the tomb of Saint Privat (see photo on the left), the birth of the cathedral in the Gothic style can be allotted to the pope Urbain V about 1369. After its destruction by the huguenots, the cathedral was rebuilt on the initiative of the king Henri IV.
Throughout the centuries she knew various work and embellishments, in particular to be struck by the lightning on several occasions. It is this history which explains its sober character and without ornaments but which gives all its beauty to the stone of Bahours.
The stamp which occupies in the bell-tower the Similar place of Non sounds all the half hours. It carries on its circumference the weapons of the town of Mende (below).
At the time of the commemorative ceremonies, a reproduction of the NonSimilar life size on the square of the cathedral (photo opposite). On the other hand the statue of the pope Urbain V recently moved Built as from 1368 on an initiative of the pope of Avignon Urbain V, the cathedral was devoted in 1521, just as the monumental bell of the northern tower, baptized the " nonsimilar of all Christendom ". Destroyed mainly during the wars of religion, the building was restored in two stages: each time, one sought to join again with the Gothic style. This principle governed the rapid rebuilding which intervened at the beginning of the 17th century - what is an exceptional fact -, but also the important work started of 1868 to 1906, where the architects…
It is at the beginning of the Guerre One hundred Year old (in 1368) that the Pope Urbain V, of origin gévaudannaise, decides construction of the cathédrale.
At the 16th century, François of Rovère makes raise the large bell-tower (84 m) in a remarkable blazing style. it, thereafter, will be enriched by tapestries of Aubusson, going back to 1706 and representing scenes of New Testament. The crypt of Privat saint would be one of oldest known in France (3rd century).

See too

External bonds

  • Card on the site of the Ministry for the culture
  • Card on the site Monum
  • Card on the site Structurae.de

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