Albi Cathedral
The Roman Catholic Saint Cecilia Cathedral in Albi (French Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile d'Albi ) is the cathedral of the French Archdiocese of Albi and the largest brick church in the world. Saint Cecilia is the patroness of the cathedral .
prehistory
Today's cathedral had several previous buildings. The first church was built in the fourth century and was destroyed by fire in 666. 920 is reported from a successor building. This was replaced by a Romanesque cathedral in the 13th century.
construction
In 1282, the construction of a cathedral began on behalf of Bishop Bernard de Castanet . Most of it was completed in 1383. However, the construction work was not completed until 1492.
Still under the impression of the Albigensian Wars , the cathedral was built as a single-nave hall church like a fortress and looks like a fortified church . The walls are up to six meters thick.
The cathedral was built in the Gothic style, but not in natural stone like most Gothic cathedrals, but as a brick building .
The bell tower was built from 1355 to 1366. The lower, older part of the tower is square with rounded corners. The newer, octagonal upper part dates from the years 1485 to 1492. There are white stone gargoyles around the roof .
Dimensions
- Height of the church tower: 78 m
- Total length: 113.5 m
- Interior length: 100 m
- Width outside: 35 m
- Width inside: 30 m
- Height of the outer walls: 40 m
- Interior height: 30 m
Furnishing
In contrast to the fortress-like exterior of the cathedral, the interior is artistically rich.
Italian artists designed the frescoes in the interior in the style of the early Renaissance . The fresco in the vault is 97 m long and 28 m wide and is the largest work of the Italian Renaissance in France. It was designed from 1509 to 1512 by artists from Modena and Bologna .
A painting on the west wall of the nave depicts the Last Judgment . Painted by an unknown Franco-Flemish painter between 1474 and 1484, it is one of the most important works of art of the late Middle Ages.
At the end of the 15th century, Bishop Louis I. d'Amboise commissioned the rood screen in the flamboyant style and had the fortified palace demolished and made more comfortable.
organ
The organ was built by Christophe Moucherel between 1734 and 1736 with 43 registers on four manuals and today has 55 registers on 5 manuals and pedal . Its prospect is particularly well-known , with 9 round towers the largest historical prospect in the world. The instrument was rebuilt and expanded several times, in 1747 by François Lépine , in 1779 by Jean-Esprit Isnard and in 1904 by Jean-Baptiste Puget . Nevertheless, the instrument is considered to be one of the largest and most important French baroque organs. Thanks to an exemplary restoration by Bartoloméo Formentelli , its original sound character was largely restored between 1977 and 1981. Titular organist has been Mary Prat-Molinier since 1968 , co-titulaire since 1995 Pierre Jean Schoen (* 1967 in Belfort ).
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Portrait of Judith
Main altar
Frescoes on the ceiling
Rood screen
Frescoes
Gothic portal
Bishop's chair
Vault of the entrance portal
See also
Web links
- Albi Cathedral at Sacred Destination
Individual evidence
- ↑ The episcopal city of Albi. Retrieved August 23, 2020 (French).
- ↑ a b c d Holly Hayes: Albi Cathedral. In: Sacred Destinations. July 14, 2009, accessed December 28, 2009 .
- ^ Albi Cathedral in the English language Wikipedia
Coordinates: 43 ° 55 ′ 42.71 " N , 2 ° 8 ′ 33.72" E