Saint-Etienne cathedral of Cahors

The Romance Cathedral of Cahors, built 1080 with 1135, is one of the first and the vastest French buildings with Coupole S on pendentive.

Description

True architectural jewel, it was built in XIe century by the bishop Géraud of Cardaillac, on the site of the old church built in VIIe century by Didier saint. It was built and built thanks to liberalities of Dagobert, by the bishop Géraud III about 1090. It was devoted by the pope Calixte II on September 10th, 1119, and was completed about 1135. It is a church fortress of austere, military pace. Moreover weren't the bishops also counts and barons de Cahors?

The frontage added between 1316 and 1324 per Guillaume de Labroue, cousin of Jean XXII, still reinforces this impression: door, resembling the wall of a castle, the surmounted narthex of a framed belfry of two turns, hardly it is aired by six narrow bays, a gate with triple curve overcome by a gallery and a pink.

The interior strikes by the absence of transept.

It belongs to the style with cupola of south-west. With a Romance strengthened frontage, of which the Romance gate, carried out between 1140 and 1150, form a fore-part on the northern frontage.

The nave

Quite enlightened, it develops on 20 m broad and forty-four meters length. Two powerful cupolas on pendentive, of Byzantine style, culminating with 32 meters, rest on six strong pillars. Seule Holy-Sophie of Constantinople exceeds the amplitude of this nave.

One of the cupolas is decorated with Fresque S of the 14th century, representing the lapidation of Etienne saint and eight prophets assembled each one on an animal with the manner of the Greek or Hindu gods. In addition to the Fresco, many elements of medieval painting were put at the day on the walls of the building.

The apse

With Gothic style on Romance bottom, in which one can see eight columns with carved capitals, is equipped with three absidioles decorated with sculptures. The unit forms a beautiful harmony of colors where the whiteness of the nave contrasts with the coloring of paintings and the stained glasses of the chorus.

The church comprises several lying of which that of happy Alain de Solminihac and, in the vault of the bedside, an invaluable relic, the Holy Cap which wrapped the head of Christ and which would have been brought back by Géraud de Cardaillac, bishop of Cahors, with his return of a Holy Land voyage about 1113.

The gate

Carved in 1135, it was transferred to the 13th century on the northern frontage. This gate with curves is surmounted by remarkable a tympanum whose sculptures, pointing out those of Moissac, are of a transitory style between the novel and the Gothic. The topic is the triumphal rise of Christ. Jesus, upright, the right hand raised as a sign of blessing and goodbye, a bible in the left hand, is surrounded by an oval glory (or mandorle) which underlines the upward movement. On each side of Christ, two angels seem to explain the miracle with the apostles, who, under their trefoil blind arcades, surround the Virgin.

On the left, a character isolated of which the attitude and clothing different from those from the apostles, probably represent the sculptor who signs his work thus.

On both sides of the angels, is told the history of saint Etienne, owner of the cathedral, such as it appears in the Acts of the Apostles. Above the mandorle, four cherubs accompany Christ in her rise.

The archivolt is decorated very thin, very long characters and facing. They illustrate scenes of hunting, the combat of the defects and virtues.

To also notice, carved curves and corbels of the cornice.

The cloister

A door, on the right of the chorus, gives access the Gothic cloister blazing which was built in 1504 by the bishop Antoine de Luzech. The profane sculptures representing of the coquillards, the drinkers, of the musicians, an architect with work, were perhaps copied from those of Cadouin.

One can see on a square stone disputing two pilgrims, one holding a shell.

In the North-West, the small Virgin under her platform of shells, is one of the rare religious representations saved by the Protestants.

On the west coast, the vault Saint Gaubert , whose vault is decorated paintings of the Italian Rebirth and the walls, frescos of XVe century, representing the hell and the last Jugement, contains a museum of sacred art. Church vestments and the portraits of 93 bishops of Cahors are exposed there.

External bonds

Card on the site Structurae.de

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