Old the Saint-Fulcran cathedral of Lodève is a typical building of the Gothic southernmost. The town of Lodève in the Herault, city ancient of Celtic origin, is located a little at the variation of the Mediterranean coast, with the foot of the mountains in the area Languedoc-Roussillon, to approximately 54 km in the North-West of Montpellier. Old the diocese of Lodève, probably founded towards the end of the 4th century, was removed during the French revolution; its territory was then attached to the diocese of Montpellier. Then the head office of Lodève was restored in 1877 in the person of the bishop of Montpellier (Liste of évêchés and French archbishop's palaces). The cathedral is classified Historic building since 1839.

Owners

Originally the cathedral was dedicated to the saint Martyr Geniez (Geniuses, Genoa), Greffier of the town of Arles at the 3rd century, victim of the persecution of Dioclétien, decapitated in 303 (its martyrdom is represented on the keystone of the apse). Since 1410 the cathedral is placed under the term of saint Fulcran, bishop renovating of the diocese at the 10th century.

First cathedrals

Some vestiges of several previous buildings are preserved in the crypt. The first cathedral of the time of the foundation of évêché towards the end of the 4th century remains unknown. Capitals of the Life-VIIe century, preserved at the Fleury Museum, let suppose a building site at times of the kingdom of the Visigoths. The walls external of the crypt seem to come from this period. At the 10th century the bishop Fulcran (949 - 1006) made rebuild or increase the cathedral that it devoted in 975. The unfolding of the walls of the crypt towards outside and its vault belong to this building.

The architecture of the Gothic cathedral

A chorus with single nave, very broad, with a polygonal Apse with nine sides, lit by nine windows, is prolonged towards the west by a nave basilicale with three vessels. The principal gate, richly profiled, is in the middle of the northern side, under a Porche. Opposite a bell-tower of more than 57 m height rises. The nave is surrounded by side chapels. The Western frontage, without turns, is decorated of a beautiful pink and a covered way. The Cloître is in the south of the chorus. The cathedral is a typical building of the southernmost, majestic and austere Gothic, and reflects a stylistic influence of the architecture of the orders beggars.

History of construction

The written sources of the time of the construction of the cathedral Gothic, very few, which were transmitted by the bishops Bernard GUI (1324-1331) and Guillaume Briçonnet (1489-1519, also bishop of Meaux and spiritual director of Marguerite de Navarre), give only indirect indices on construction; it is necessary to resort to a comparative stylistic dating (according to Curtius).

The Gothic building was started with the apse towards 1265/1270. The second phase at the years 1270 includes/understands the chorus with single nave and the vault of the Sacred Heart (in the past Saint-Andrew) which skirts the northern wall of the chorus.

In the third phase of construction towards the end of the year 1270 and beginning of the year 1280 one builds the two Eastern spans of the northern side with the adjacent vault (Saint-Fulcran) and the gate with his porch. The chorus was arched and closed temporarily to be able to be used for the worship.

In a fourth phase towards 1295/1300 one finished the northern side with his vault Saint-Roch (anc. Saint Martin's day) and began the southern side with the vaults Notre-Dame and Saint-Michel. With the top of the latter one set up a bell-tower of more than 57 m height, which will be finished about 1320. It was also used as turn of guet.

At the time of the bishop Bernard GUI (1324 - 1331), Large in the past inquisitor, construction did not advance any more for reason of problems of financing. Only towards 1345 the sides were finished and arched and the lower half of the western frontage was set up. Several epidemics of the Black Death and the Guerre One hundred Year old stopped work again. It is only between 1413 and 1430 that the frontage is finished, strengthened with a and covered way watch tower S and that the principal nave is arched. Towards the end of the 15th century the Saint-Fulcran vault was increased and a baptistry was added to south-west.

Destruction and restorations

During the Wars of religion, the cathedral was plundered and damaged seriously. The Protestant troops made jump the four large pillars of the nave to make collapse the arcades, the walls of the open-type screen and the vaults of the nave. Only remained intact the chorus, the walls external of the nave and all the vaults. It is the bishop Jean VI of Plantavit of the Pause (1625 - 1648) which made restore with identical the destroyed parts. Under the Revolution, the cathedral was profaned and was used as warehouse. With XIXe and XXe century, a series of restorations were carried out (reinforcement of the buttresses, removal of the original coatings, reopening of sealed windows). Finally, one added a stone roof to the bell-tower.

Sculptures

The bell-tower is decorated of four large statues in high relief, which represent saints venerated with the diocese: saint Michel (archangel), saint Obstructed (first owner of the cathedral), holy Flour (first legendary bishop of Lodève and apostle of Auvergne) or Saint Mercies (bishop of Rodez) and holy Fulcran (bishop of Lodève to Xe S. and current owner of the cathedral). The building is decorated of a number of bases, capitals and carved Gargouille S. The tympanum of the gate is neogothic.

Furniture

Because of devastations of the wars, nothing the original equipment remained. In the Saint-Michel vault is the monument of the Plantavit bishop of the Pause (about 1650). The walls of the chorus are decorated by eight monumental fabrics with XVIIe and XVIIIe centuries, by Sebastien Bourdon, J. Coustou and Etienne Loys. The stained glasses of the apse of 1854 are of the Mauvernay artist. The wood pulpit with four telamones (Caïn, Holopherne, Hérode, Judas) date of 1867.

External bonds

• Card on the site Structurae.de
• Religious architecture in Occident

Literature

• Perugia de Montclos, Jean-Marie the guide of the Inheritance: Languedoc, Roussillon, Ministry for the Culture, Hatchet, Paris (France), ISBN 2-01-24333-7, 1996; pp. 274-276.
• Andreas Curtius, Die Kathedrale von Lodève und die Entstehung DER languedokischen Gotik, Hildesheim: Olms, 2002, ISBN 3-487-11486-0, 617 p., 588 Ill., 2 boards, annexes sources, bibliography.

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