Cathedral of Auch

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Facade of the Sainte-Marie Cathedral in Auch
Floor plan of the cathedral with inner choir
Central nave of the cathedral with inner choir

The Cathedral of Auch or the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady ( French Basilique-Cathédrale Sainte-Marie d'Auch ) is a Roman Catholic church in France in the city of Auch in the Occitanie region . It is the cathedral of the Archdiocese Auch , it bears the title of a minor basilica ; It is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of St. James and has been recognized as a monument historique since 1906 .

history

The diocese of Elusa or Eauze was founded in the 3rd century about 50 km northwest of Auch. After the destruction of the first cathedral by the Sarrazenen (or the Normans ), Bishop Taurin II began in 849 with the new construction on a hill that was easy to defend; he was appointed archbishop in 879 by Pope John VIII . But this building too fell victim to at least part of an attack by the Sarrazen in 920. The later canonized Archbishop Austindus began building the new cathedral in 1064, which however fell victim to a fire a good hundred years later (1171). After that, three or even four new buildings were built, but all of them disappeared again.

The current construction began in July 1489 at the instigation of Bishop Francis of Savoy on the ruins of the Romanesque cathedral of Bishop St. Austinde and was consecrated on February 12, 1548 in an unfinished state; it was only completed in 1680 after almost two centuries of construction.

architecture

The cathedral was started in the late Gothic style as a three-aisled basilica on the floor plan of a Latin cross with main and side aisles and an ambulatory with a chapel wreath; 18 side chapels adjoin to the west . The transepts located roughly in the middle of the structure do not protrude laterally from the structure; in terms of height, however, they are based on the vault of the central nave and are therefore higher than the aisles. The towers of the west facade show clear Renaissance forms . Access is possible through five portals: three in the west and one in each of the transept arms. The approximately 102 m long and 35 m wide cathedral was completed at the end of the 17th century with a Corinthian facade and a portico . Their vaults with a total of 8½ yokes rise up to 26 m, which is quite high for churches in the south of France; the bell towers without a helmet end at a height of 44 m in surrounding balustrades .

There are no capitals in the entire construction of the cathedral ; instead, all the arches - as is common in many late Gothic buildings - develop suddenly from the lateral support elements.

Furnishing

  • As with many large Spanish churches, the eastern part of the cathedral of Auch - and thus the actual mass at the main altar - is hidden from view of the churchgoers due to the installation of an internal choir ( coro ) . To compensate for this, a second altar was set up on the back wall of the inner choir, near which the baroque sermon pulpit is located.
  • The interior of the inner choir contains an extraordinarily richly designed choir stalls (stall) from the first half of the 16th century with 113 seats on two levels. Its creator was considered unknown for a long time, but a few years ago he was identified as Dominique Bertin from Toulouse.
  • Also in the choir area are 18 Renaissance glass windows (vitraux) from the years 1507–1513 by Arnaud de Moles .
  • One of the side chapels contains a group of burials (mise au tombeau) .
  • Numerous other sculptures and paintings are also of importance.
  • The crypt contains several episcopal sarcophagi.
View of the main organ

The main organ was built in 1694 by the organ builder Jean de Joyeuse . The instrument was restored in the 1950s and 1990s.

I Positif de dos Cf 3
Montre 8th'
Bourdon 8th'
Prestant 4 '
Flute 4 '
Nazard 2 2 ⁄ 3  '
Duplicate 2 '
Tierce 1 3 ⁄ 5  '
Larigot 1 1 ⁄ 3  '
Fournitures IV
Cymbals III
Cromorne 8th'
II Grand-Orgue Cf 3
Montre 16 '
Bourdon 16 '
Montre 08th'
Bourdon 08th'
Prestant 04 '
Big tierce 03 1 ⁄ 5  '
Nazard 02 2 ⁄ 3  '
Duplicate 02 '
Fourth 02 '
Tierce 01 3 ⁄ 5  '
Flageolet 01'
Cornet V
Fournitures VI
Cymbals IV
Trumpets 08th'
Voix humaine 08th'
Clairon 04 '
III Récit c 1 -f 3
Cornet V
IV echo c 0 -f 3
Bourdon 8th'
Prestant 4 '
Nazard 2 2 ⁄ 3  '
Fourth 2 '
Tierce 1 3 ⁄ 5  '
Plein-jeu V.
Voix humaine 8th'
Pedale Cf 1
Bourdon 16 '
Flute 08th'
Flute 04 '
Bombard 16 '
Trumpets 08th'
Clairon 04 '
Choir organ

The choir organ was built by the organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll .

I Grand Orgue Cf 3
Montre 8th'
Bourdon 8th'
Flûte harmonique 8th'
Viole de gambe 8th'
Flute 4 '
Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  '
Duplicate 2 '
Trompette harmonique 8th'
Clairon 4 '
II Récit expressif f 1 -f 3
Bourdon 8th'
Viol 8th'
Voix céleste 8th'
Flûte octaviante 4 '
Hautbois 8th'
Voix humaine 8th'

Cathedral museum

In 2015 the cathedral museum was inaugurated, which presents numerous objects of sacred art .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Also - Basilique-Cathédrale Sainte-Marie
  2. ↑ UNESCO website with the list of monuments on the Camino de Santiago in France on the website of the UNESCO World Heritage Center ( English and French ).
  3. ↑ Cathedral of Auch in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  4. ↑ Cathedral of Auch - choir stalls
  5. ↑ Cathedral of Auch - choir stalls in the Base Palissy of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  6. ^ Cathedral of Auch - stained glass window
  7. ↑ Cathedral of Auch - Entombment group in the Base Palissy of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  8. ^ Orgues de France: Cathédrale Sainte-Marie .
  9. ↑ Auch Cathedral - Museum

Web links

Commons : Cathedral of Auch  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 43 ° 38 ′ 47 "  N , 0 ° 35 ′ 9"  E