Belfort Cathedral
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The Cathedral of Belfort or officially Cathedral of St. Christopher ( French Cathédrale Saint-Christophe ) is a Roman Catholic church in Belfort , France . The cathedral of the Belfort-Montbéliard diocese is dedicated to St. Consecrated to Christophorus . The church from the 18th century has the status of a monument historique and bears the title of a minor basilica .
history
The church of St. Christophorus and St. Dionysius (French: Saints Christophe et Denis ) in Belfort is first mentioned in a document from 1275. Johanna von Mömpelgard, wife of Wilhelm II von Katzenelnbogen , donated a collegiate foundation for twelve canons at the church in 1342 . At the latest since then, the church has also been the parish church of the village.
In 1727 the city of Belfort decided to replace the old collegiate and parish church with a larger and more important new building. The foundation stone was laid in the same year. The monumental building was erected on the main square of the fortress city according to the plans of the engineer Jacques Mareschal. For economic reasons, the construction work lasted 23 years and the church was consecrated in 1750. The collegiate monastery was dissolved in the course of the revolution and the church was temporarily rededicated as the temple of reason .
In 1930 the church as a monument historique was under monument protection provided. 1952 was her by Pope Pius XII. awarded the title of minor basilica. With the creation of the Belfort-Montbéliard diocese, the church was elevated to a cathedral in 1979.
architecture
The church was built in the classical style from red sandstone from the nearby Offemont . It was built as a three-aisled basilica on a cross-shaped floor plan. The sanctuary closes with a round apse . The two-story portico of the facade is surmounted by a triangular gable in the style of a Greek temple, which is adorned with a beautiful wrought-iron cross. The facade is flanked by two towers, the south tower was only completed in 1845 and completed the construction of the church.
Furnishing
The church furnishings were created by regional artists. The sculptures are by Antoine Cupillard, whose wooden main altar was replaced in 1793 by the marble main altar of the Dominican church in Guebwiller . Other statues come from Massol and Neumann. Two paintings by the Belfort painter Gustave Dauphin are worth mentioning, the large picture The Entombment of Christ was donated to the city of Belfort by the state in 1843. The magnificent gilded wood pulpit to the left of the nave is surmounted by an angel statue. The windows are equipped with lead glazing.
The cathedral has two organs . The main organ was installed in 1752 by the organ builder Jean-Baptiste Valtrin, renovated several times and placed under monument protection.
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The choir organ was made by Henri Didier.
Individual proof
- ↑ Eglise Saint-Christophe in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- ^ Basilique-Cathédrale Saint-Christophe on gcatholic.org
- ↑ Monika Escher and Frank G. Hirschmann: The urban centers of the high and later Middle Ages: comparative studies of cities and urban landscapes in the west of the empire and in eastern France . Trier 2005, p. 59
- ↑ Cathédrale Saint-Christophe on belfort-tourisme.com
- ↑ La Cathédrale Saint Christophe on duvoyage.com
- ↑ Information on the organ
Web links
Coordinates: 47 ° 38 ′ 19.1 ″ N , 6 ° 51 ′ 49 ″ E