Notre-Dame d'Alençon basilica

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Exterior view
Central nave of the basilica

The Basilique Notre-Dame d'Alençon is a Roman Catholic church in the center of Alençon , capital of the French department of Orne in Normandy . The parish church of the diocese of Séez has the patronage of the Assumption and bears the title of a minor basilica . The architectural history of the Monument historique spans the period from the 14th to the 19th century. The Gothic building is of particular importance as the baptistery of Therese von Lisieux .

history

In the 12th century a priory church was built here, which was later expanded to be used as a parish church. The construction of today's church was started before the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). Around 1470, construction work was resumed with the purchase of the property for the construction of today's aisles. In 1500, at the time of the Duchess Margaret of Lorraine , Jean Lemoine, the new builder in the west, created the triple portal and erected a star rib vault over the main nave. The side aisles were added in the 15th century, the side chapels between the supporting pillars in the 16th.

The decoration of the portal was defaced during the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598). In August 1744, lightning struck the wooden bell tower and the resulting fire destroyed the choir and transepts. The engineer Jean-Rodolphe Perronet rebuilt these parts of the church between 1745 and 1762 and added a crossing tower . Further damage was done during the French Revolution, so that it threatened to collapse in the middle of the 19th century. Extensive restorations prevented this. Pope Benedict XVI On August 10, 2009, the church raised its importance as a pilgrimage destination to the Basilica minor.

architecture

The church was built in flamboyant - Gothic style of the early 16th century as a three-aisled basilica on the ground plan of a Latin cross erected. The high central nave with five bays is roofed with a star vault with richly decorated ribs, which are supported from the outside by two rows of buttresses. The middle level of the height of the nave is a blind triforium with a lower balustrade; the wide windows are decorated with extravagant.

The chancel in the transept and apse is the result of a reconstruction from the 18th century. Particularly noteworthy is the three-sided western veranda, which dates from the beginning of the 16th century and was executed in the extravagant Gothic style.

Furnishing

Leaded glass window of the baptism of Therese von Lisieux

The high altar is covered by a ciborium that was installed to replace the choir stalls during the 18th century, at the same time that the baptismal font was installed in the northern chapel. Above the altar, a monumental sculpture depicts the Assumption, replacing a pietà that was destroyed during the revolution. The stained glass with eleven picture windows from the Renaissance shows scenes from the Old Testament on the north side of the basilica and scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary on the south side. Although the glass has undergone many restorations, it was not affected by the violence of World War II. During the restoration of the church in the 19th century, stained glass windows were created for the chapels to match the historical windows of the nave. These windows, installed in 1884, were damaged by bombing in 1944 and were replaced by stained glass by Simone Flandrin and Mr. Courageous for the Sacred Heart Chapel between 1986 and 1996.

Martin family

Zélie and Louis Martin , parents of St. Therese of Lisieux, were married on July 13, 1858 in the Basilica of Our Lady of Alençon. St. Therese of Lisieux was baptized here on January 4th, 1873. The christening robe is on display in the church. A modern stained glass window depicting the ceremony can also be seen. Zélie Martin's funeral was celebrated there in 1877. After the beatification of the Martin couple on October 19, 2008 in Lisieux, an increasing number of pilgrims made their way to church. Zélie and Louis Martin were canonized by Pope Francis on October 18, 2015 .

Web links

Commons : Notre-Dame d'Alençon Basilica  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Eglise Notre-Dame in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Basilique Notre Dame d'Alençon on orne.catholique.fr (French)
  3. ↑ Basilique Notre-Dame d'Alençon on gcatholic.org (English)
  4. ↑ a b Sanctuaire Louis et Zélie d'Alençon (French)
  5. ↑ Zélie Martin on theresienwerk.de

Coordinates: 48 ° 25 ′ 47.6 ″  N , 0 ° 5 ′ 19.4 ″  E