Dax Cathedral
The Notre-Dame de Sainte-Marie in Dax is a Roman Catholic Church and since 1933, the cathedral of the Diocese of Aire and Dax . Before that, until the abolition of the Dax diocese in 1801, it was its cathedral. She wears a Marian patronage .
history
Presumably there was a small chapel here until the beginning of the 11th century. One of the oldest episcopal see in France was founded near Dax in the middle of the third century. The first bishop became Saint-Vincent-de-Xaintes, who died a martyr . When it was decided to move the bishopric to the interior of Dax, the chapel was demolished and replaced by a Romanesque cathedral. Not much is known about this church, even when it was demolished is unknown. Some parts of the church are now in the Borda Museum in Dax.
The second cathedral was built in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. It collapsed between 1638 and 1646. Little is known about her either. The little that has been preserved, e.g. B. the gate of the apostles and the approximately 80 prayer chairs behind the main altar, at the altar of the Virgin Mary and in the northern ambulatory, suggests that it must have been a very beautiful church.
The planning of today's church began in 1647, but construction did not begin until 1694 due to lack of money. The church was consecrated in 1755, the facade and the two towers were not yet finished. With the abolition of the Diocese of Dax, the cathedral lost its function as an episcopal church. On March 31, 1933, the seat of the diocese Aire and Dax by Pope Pius XI. Relocated from Aire-sur-l'Adour to Dax with the Apostolic Constitution Ad rectum et utile . The old cathedral of Dax has since been the main church of the diocese again, the cathedral of Aire co- cathedral .
architecture
General
Although the cathedral was built during the Baroque , it was built in the Renaissance style . As a result, the arches in wall openings and arcades are semicircular. The capitals of pillars and columns are based on the ancient Greek ( Doric , Ionic and Corinthian ). Other features of this architectural style are the achromatic high windows, so that more light could penetrate into the interior of the church. Colored windows came into the cathedral in the middle of the 19th century. The uncovered domes visible from below are also typical of the Renaissance.
Layout
The cathedral is shaped like a Latin cross , the transept divides the nave in a ratio of 1: 2. The church is 72 m long and 39 m wide at the transept.
Longitudinal aisles
If you stand at the entrance to the church in the north-west, you have an overview of the entire nave to the choir . The side aisles are separated from the 18.8 m high central nave by square pillars. The pilasters of the columns (Fig. 1) support the corridor's supporting ribs. The vaulted ceiling (except for the dome) and the frames on the supporting arches are unadorned. The pillars are load-bearing elements for the brick vaults, the keystones of which are decorated with sculptures (Fig. 2). The balconies of the galleries with their flat arched openings and high, wide openings are also supported by the pillars. The main and transepts each contain eight pillars, the choir at the end of the main nave contains nine, so a total of twenty-five.
The pilaster friezes are adorned with angel heads (Fig. 2) and correspond to the friezes above the galleries, which are decorated with scenes from the Old and New Testaments and with plants.
Main altar
The baroque main altar in the choir (Fig. 6) is the work of the Mazetti brothers from Ticino and dates from 1751.
Transepts
South side
The south transept contains a baroque altar in the Marienkapelle (picture 5) with a monumental frame from 1791, which also comes from the Mazetti brothers. The painting behind it shows the Assumption of Mary and is from 1765.
The Lady Chapel contains two other paintings of art historical importance: the Adoration of the Shepherds on the right. This painting has recently been assumed to be a copy of a no longer existing work by the German painter Hans von Aachen (1552–1615). The second painting of Jesus with two disciples is attributed to a Flemish master from the 17th century, a pupil of Gerrit van Honthorst . This painting is considered the most beautiful in the cathedral.
The grating in front of the communion room comes from the blacksmith Jean Saubot from Bayonne from 1766.
North side
The north transept impresses with the portal of the apostles (Fig. 7). It was the (western) main portal of the previous church and has remained in place despite the collapse of this church. It remained in place until the end of the 19th century, when the facade and the two towers began to be built, then it was dismantled and rebuilt inside the church. The gate shows stylistic elements of the northern French Gothic from the second half of the 13th century. It is therefore assumed that it came from a workshop in that area. The motif depicted in the tympanum (gable triangle) is the Last Judgment , as can also be found in the cathedrals of Paris , Chartres and Amiens . Only the statue of Jesus, the divine judge, is missing. You can see from top to bottom
- two kneeling angels
- two kneeling angels, holding the crescent moon and the sun in their hands
- two standing angels; one wears a crown of thorns, a lance and a reed, the other three nails and a cross. They are framed by the kneeling Johannes and Maria. They lament the suffering of Christ.
Below is the heavily damaged representation of St. Michael (only the lower body is preserved), who cradles the souls. To his left a demon tries to push the scales towards him.
Above the lintel and further above the apostles one finds the representations of the resurrection of the dead, of paradise and hell, on the two sides of Christ are the elect and the damned.
The arches are full of statues of angels, women (the wise and foolish virgins) and the figures of the heavenly court (saints, bishops and Old Testament characters). A statue of Christ with a blessing right hand stands on a pillar, but it is no longer there. He is holding a book in his left hand. He is surrounded by the twelve apostles, some of which are easy to recognize: Peter with a key, Andrew with a piece of the cross, Paul , James with a bag full of shells, the emblem of the pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela , John because of his youth the only beardless and Thomas with a square .
pulpit
The simple pulpit (Fig. 4) dates from the beginning of the 18th century. It is "carried" by an eagle with widely spread wings.
organ
If you look from the altar in the direction of the entrance, you will see the two-part organ gallery (Fig. 8) with the console in the middle. The mechanical parts are clad in rocaille style. The cladding is from 1786, it is the work of the woodcarver Caular from Dax. The sculptures are made of linden wood , the rest of oak .
The present organ was installed in 1786 and replaced an unknown older instrument. It was restored three times: at the end of the 19th century, in 1959 and 1987. The last restoration, which took 15,000 hours, was in the hands of organ builder M. Chauvin from Dax.
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dome
The choir is spanned by a dome (Fig. 3) that was built between 1717 and 1718 and restored in 1992. The frieze with vegetable elements is partially gilded and is bordered at the top by a band of linear elements. In the niches above are the statues of the four evangelists Matthias (opposite the entrance), Johannes (opposite the main altar), Markus (opposite the Marien Altar) and Luke (opposite the apostle portal). You can also see the wall openings and twelve frieze-bearing pilasters. The ceiling is decorated with a painting of the Assumption by an artist from Bordeaux from the end of the 19th century. The dome has a pyramid roof on the outside, not an outer dome as is usual.
Choir room
The side bars in the choir were made in Dax in 1868. They are filigree masterpieces and show the initials of the Virgin Mary above the doors, the intertwined letters AM for Ave Maria, IHS , the initials of Christ and the initials of the main priest (HG), to whom these grids and the mosaic floor from 1871 are due .
Church window
The church windows represent the following:
Choir room
- The coronation of the Virgin Mary in heaven
- The Immaculate Conception
- Notre-Dame of the Seven Sorrows
Lady Chapel
- The Annunciation of the Lord , work by Oudinot from 1873
- The Visitation , work by Dagrant from Bordeaux from 1900
- Marriage of Mary to Joseph, by Oudinot
- The Holy Family, work of Dagrant
- Notre-Dame de Buglose , work by Oudinot in the rose window
South aisle
- The Guardian Angel , ( Psalm 90:11)
- The Annunciation, (Luke 1, 26-38)
- The good shepherd with the lost lamb (Luke 15: 4-7)
- St. Michael slaying the dragon (Apocalypse 12, 7-8)
Ambulatory
- The Holy Family and the Death of Joseph (in the area of the Joseph Altar)
- The Apparition of the Sacred Heart (Visions of Marguerite-Marie Alacoque in Paray-le-Monial in the 17th century)
- Another window dedicated to the Heart of Jesus
- Jesus and the children
- The tamed storm
- Saint Charles Borromeo
- Saint-Vincent-de-Paul
North aisle, baptistery, chapel in the south aisle
All six windows are from 1899, works by Felix Gaudin from Paris (1851–1930)
- Joan of Arc
- Catherine of Alexandria
- St. Elisabeth and the rose miracle
- Jesus in Bethany
- The baptism of Jesus (in the baptistery)
- Stigmatization of St. Francis (in the south side aisle)
painting
In addition to the Lady Chapel, there are other paintings in the cathedral:
In the area of the main entrance
In the ambulatory
- Saint-Vincent-de-Paul welcomes a child (Photo 9)
More pictures
- A Descent from the Cross at the Altar of the Holy Heart (Fig. 10)
- Jesus and St. Peter, Jesus walks on the water, followed by Peter
- Assumption of the Virgin, copy of a Murillo painting
photos
View from the southeast (with the flying buttresses )
literature
- Jacques Gardelles: Aquitaine gothique - pp. 92-95 - Picard - Paris 1992 - ISBN 2-7084-0421-0
- Church information sheet
Web links
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 43 ° 42 ′ 31 ″ N , 1 ° 3 ′ 11 ″ W.