Limoges Cathedral

Limoges French: Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Limoges
Limoges Cathedral
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic Church
Region	Haute-Vienne
Rite	Roman
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Cathedral
Status	Active
Location
Location	Limoges, France
Geographic coordinates
Architecture
Type	church
Style	Gothic, Renaissance, Romanesque
Groundbreaking	1273
Completed	1888

Limoges Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Limoges) is a Roman Catholic church located in Limoges, France. it became part of the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, in 2016. It is a national monument and the seat of the Bishop of Limoges. The cathedral contains elements of Romanesque architecture, Gothic architecture and Renaissance architecture. It is noted for the Flamboyant facade of the transept, vestiges of Romanesque architecture, particularly in the bell tower, and the Renaissance rood screen with reliefs of the labors of Hercules, built in 1534.

History

(Portions of the text below are translated from the article in the French Wikipedia (Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Limoges))

Early Churches

The presence of a bishop and a cathedral in Limoges was recorded in 475 A.D.; Gregory of Tours mentioned a church the city, facing the chateau off the vicomte and the Abbey of Saint-Martial. In 2005, archeologists found the traces of an hexagonal baptistry dating from the 5th century under the north face of the cathedral. During the enlargement of the church in 1876, workers found subbasements of an early church of the Carolingian period, and the nave of a Romanesque church. The discoveries included fragments of Roman columns, bas-reliefs and Latin inscriptions, suggesting that the church was built on the site of a former Roman temple, palace or villa.

The early cathedral was constructed in the center of the city in the valley of the Vienne River, not far from the Abbey of Saint-Martial and the former chateau of the Viscoun of Limoges. In July 817, the Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Pious presented documents granting legal immunity to the clergy of the Cathedral. A clerical city gradually grew up along the Vienne River. Archeologists have found traces of a cloister, a baptistry, a Bishop's palace, and residences of church dignitaries.

The Romanesque Church

Sacrementaire of Saint-Etienne de Limoges (about 1100)

The Romanesque cathedral was dedicated by Hilduin or Aduin, the Bishop of Limoges, and was consecrated by Pope Urban II. who passed through Limoges on his return from the Council of Clermont, which had launched the First Crusade in 1095. in 1095. In 1074 and again 1105, the church was set on fire by mobs from the rival district of Saint Martial du Vicompte. from rival districts. After the 1105 fire, the Romanesque nave, covered with wood, was rebuilt with a vaulted stone roof. Traces of the Romanesque cathedral can be seen today in the lower three levels of the bell tower and in the crypt under the choir

The Romanesque church was enarrower and not as tall as the later Gothic cathedral. Some vestiges of this early cathedral remain, including the crypt and three lower floors of the bell tower. It was in the form of a Lain cross, and was about sixty meters long and seventeen meters wide, with a transept forty meters long, on the site of the present transept. It originally had a wooden roof, which was replaced with stone vaults after two large fires in 1074 and 1105.

The Gothic Church

Aimeric de la Terre, the Bishop of Limoges from 1246 to 1272, decided in 1273 to rebuild of the church in the new Gothic style. He launched the project with his own personal fortune. The design is sometimes attributed to architect Jean Deschamps, though without documentary evidence. Work began in 1273; the sober Romanesque architecture was gradually replaced by more exuberant Gothic forms. It was not finally completed until 1888, when the Romanesque entry porch was topped with decorative new Gothic levels. and attached to the nave.

Description

The crypt of the cathedral is the most historic portion of the cathedral. It contained the tombs of the bishop, but it is not open to the public today because it was filled with earth the during the Gothic period to support the new Gothic structure above it. However, Romanesque paintings from the same period are visible in some of the chapels. The lower portions of the bell tower were also built at this time in the Romanesque style.

Architecture

Nave and choir, respectively, looking east, through a "folding out" lens that nearly flattens out the steep Gothic arches.

The walls of Romanesque crypt have beautiful frescoes representing Christ in glory. Some medieval paintings are still visible in some chapels (including representatives of angelic musicians) but almost all are frescoes of the 19th century.

The Cathedral of Limoges has two organs: a neoclassical instrument built by Georges Danion in 1963 and a choir organ, installed in 1850. and restored 1891 by Merklin. Every summer, the association of the cathedral organizes organ concerts to highlight the major organs of this building.

Gallery

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