Sainte-Marie cathedral of Bayonne

The cathedral Sainte Marie is the Gothic Cathédrale of Bayonne (Yrénées-Atlantiques), built at the 13th century and 14th century. It is also named Notre-Dame cathedral of Bayonne. It is an ogival cathedral, started in 1213 surmounted by two Clocher 85 height meters S. It contains the Châsse Saint Leon. A Cloister, going back to 1240, is contiguous for him. It was registered with the world heritage of Humanity in 1998 within the framework of the Ways of Saint-Jacques-of-Compostelle (Voie of Soulac).

Description

The cathedral Sainte Marie is located in full heart of the town of Bayonne in the historical quarters. It is located on a hillock which dominates the Adour and the Nive. It belongs to the radiant Gothic style with a Champagne influence especially in the Abside and the Déambulatoire. It measures approximately 80 m length, 33 m of width and the ceiling of the Nef is located at 26 m height. The arrows have height a 70 m giving to the cathedral a total height of 80 Mr. In the south, a rectangular Cloître is contiguous to the cathedral. The western face, which is vis-a-vis the public library, in the past the palate of the bishops, consists of a large gate and two arrows surrounding this entry. It is most recent of the cathedral. The face is, which is side of the Nive, is the bedside of the cathedral. The plan of the cathedral is traditional with the shape of cross, a nave and two collateral. Around the chorus, the déambulatoire opens on seven radiating chapels. The oldest part is the apse and dates from the 13th century. Work of the Transept, the nave and the sides proceeded during the 14th century.

The nave consists of seven Travée S with intersecting ribs and rises on three levels with large arcades triforium and high windows. The keystones are armoriées and evoke the history of the town of Bayonne under Al English domination. Thus, the flower of lily symbolizing the French capacity côtoient the leopard symbolizing the English capacity. Most beautiful are in the southern transept. The armorial bearings present carry celebrates it Bayonne nave and symbolize the naval power of the medieval city.

The stained glasses of the cathedral date from the Renaissance at the beginning of the 16th century. One finds there various representations of parts of the Bible like creation of Adam and Eve or of the scenes of the life of the Christ. The Saint-Jerome vault shelters the most beautiful stained glasses going back to 1531 and representing Christ driving out the demon of the body of the girl of Cananéenne.

The cloister is one of largest of France. It is of Gothic style blazing and dates from the 14th century. With the Middle Ages, it was a meeting room and of conversation for the assemblies of districts or corporations. Its northern gallery along the cathedral disappeared at the time of the restoration of the cathedral at the 19th century by a pupil of Eugene Purple-the-Duke. The galleries of the cloister preserved tombs and tombstones dating from 14th at the 18th siècle.
It conceals many objects, tables, furnace bridges, classified under objects in the inventory of the ministry for the Culture.

History

On the site of the current cathedral was held a primitive Romance cathedral which was destroyed by two successive fires in 1258 and 1310. The Sainte-Marie cathedral replaced the primitive cathedral as from the 13th century. Its construction is completed at the beginning of the 16th century. It accommodated the pilgrims of Saint-Jacob de Compostelle come to collect itself there. The construction of the two arrows finishes only at the 19th century. the cathedral knew many restorations and rehandlings, in particular those of Emile Boeswillwald which was architect of the buildings of France and raises Eugene Purple-the-Duke at the 19th century.

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