Le Puy-en-Velay Cathedral

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Notre Dame by Le Puy-en-Velay
The facade
View through the nave
The cloister
Overall complex

The Notre Dame Cathedral of Le Puy-en-Velay is located on Mont Anis ( Rocher Corneille ), the remnant of a mighty volcanic cone. It is the seat of the bishopric of the diocese of Le Puy-en-Velay, mentioned in the 4th century, and has been a minor basilica since 1856 . Six years later it was recognized as a monument historique .

History and architecture

The oldest parts of the choir date from the second half of the 11th century. The building stands out not only because of its lofty location, but also because of its magnificent facade. Work has been going on on the three-aisled Romanesque nave since the 12th century.

At that time, a new building was created according to a plan that was outdated for the time, with a four - bay, barrel - vaulted nave with a huge transept , which also received vaults and galleries on the front side, and an elongated inside semicircular, outside angular sheathed choir. Probably out of respect for the sanctity of the place, the choir shape of the previous building was retained. In the course of the 12th century the barrels were replaced by domes .

The increase in the number of pilgrims in the second half of the 12th century made it necessary to enlarge the church. The sacred character of the apse forbade expansion to the east where there was no lack of space. Therefore, the new building was extended to the west by two additional bays.

The important cathedral with its early Christian décor, some of which was probably derived from Islamic sources, was the victim of a radical and catastrophic reconstruction in the 19th century.

In a process in which each step inevitably led to the next, the architect Mallay reconstructed the crossing dome and crossing tower , the two last domes of the nave, the southern arm of the transept and the upper part of the northern one, from 1884 onwards , finally the two western bays and the facade. From 1865 to 1866 the choir was demolished and arbitrarily reconstructed.

Between 1844 and 1888 it was the turn of the tower built in the 12th century east of the choir. Its restoration meant rebuilding from the second floor. Ultimately, only the third and fourth nave yoke escaped the serious intervention. They have been restored but not reconstructed.

Also noteworthy is the cross passage (cloître) with a number of original received capitals.

  • Exterior view

  • View of the entire complex

  • Chapel entrance

  • Cedar portal

  • dome

  • Look into the vault

  • Look into the vault

  • Wall grave

Furnishing

The rich furnishings of the cathedral (see note 1) include, among other things

  • Statue of the Notre-Dame du Puy (Black Virgin)
  • Statue of St. Jacob
  • Painting of the Holy Family by Barthélemy d'Eyck
  • Church treasure in the sacristy
  • Saint-Jean Baptistery
  • Byzantine style fresco paintings

See also

organ

organ

The large organ on the west gallery was built in the years 1689–1695 by the organ builder Eustache. The instrument has been restored and changed several times over the years. a. by the organ builders Callinet , Merklin and Puget . The last renovation in 1994 was carried out by the organ builder Boisseau-Cattiaux. Today the instrument has 43 registers on four manuals and a pedal . The playing and stop actions are mechanical.

I Positif de Dos C – f 3
1. Bourdon 8th'
2. Montre 4 ′
3. Flute 4 ′
4th Nasard 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
5. Duplicate 2 ′
6th Tierce 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
7th Larigot 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
8th. Plein-Jeu V
9. Cornet III
10. Voix humaine 8th'
11. Cromorne 8th'
II Grand Orgue C – f 3
12. Bourdon 16 ′
13. Montre 8th'
14th Bourdon 8th'
15th Flute 8th'
16. Prestant 4 ′
17th Flute 4 ′
18th Big Tierce 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
19th Nasard 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
20th Duplicate 2 ′
21st Fourth 2 ′
22nd Tierce 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
23. Fittings IV
24. Cymbals IV
25th Cornet V
26th 1st trumpet 8th'
27. 2nd trumpet 8th'
28. Clairon 4 ′
III Récit expressif C – f 3
29 Cornet V
30th Trumpets 8th'
31. Hautbois 8th'


IV echo C – f 3
32. Bourdon 8th'
33. Prestant 4 ′
34. Duplicate 2 ′
35. Cornet II
36. Plein-Jeu II
37. Voix humaine 8th'
Pedale C – f 1
38. Soubasse 16 ′
39. Flute 8th'
40. Flute 4 ′
41. Bombard 16 ′
42. Trumpets 8th'
43. Clairon 4 ′

literature

  • Marcel Durliat : Romanesque Art . Freiburg-Basel-Vienna 1983, p. 487, fig. 400, 401
  • Viviane Minne-Sève : Romanesque cathedrals and art treasures in France . Eltville 1991, pp. 105, 107, 108/109, 111
  • Ulrich Rosenbaum : Auvergne and Massif Central . Cologne [1981] 1989, p. 175, fig. 81–87, color table 32–34
  • Michael Ruetz : France . Munich 1990, p. 98
  • Ingeborg Tetzlaff : Romanesque capitals in France . Cologne [1976] 3rd edition 1979, Figs. 17-23
  • Ingeborg Tetzlaff: Romanesque portals in France . Cologne 1977, fig. 62

Web links

Commons : Cathedral of Le Puy-en-Velay  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Cathedral of Le Puy

Coordinates: 45 ° 2 ′ 44 ″  N , 3 ° 53 ′ 5 ″  E