St-Fulcran (Lodève)
_cath%C3%A9drale.JPG)
The parish church of Saint-Fulcran de Lodève is a former cathedral in the village of Lodève in the Hérault department in the Occitania region , which was founded in antiquity and is located a little off the coastal plain in the mountains south of the Causses . The diocese of Lodève , founded in late antiquity, was abolished during the French Revolution and, together with some neighboring dioceses, was incorporated into what is now the diocese of Montpellier (see list of former Catholic dioceses ). The former cathedral is a typical Gothic building of the regional, southern French high Gothic . It has been recognized as a monument historique since 1840 .
Patronage
Originally the building was dedicated to St. Consecrated to Genesius (Saint-Geniez) , a town clerk of Arles and a martyr under Diocletian ; Since the late Middle Ages it has also been the patron of St. Fulcran (approx. 926–1006), the bishop of Lodève, venerated as a saint and innovator of the diocese and cathedral.
Previous buildings
Remains of the several successive previous buildings have been preserved in today's crypt . What the first church looked like when the bishopric was founded, probably at the end of the 4th century AD, is unknown. Capitals from the 6th to 7th centuries (in the Musée Fleury ) suggest building activity during the Visigothic period . The outer walls of the crypt should still belong to this time. In the 10th century Bishop Fulcran had a new building or renovation carried out in connection with the reorganization of the diocese and inaugurated it in 975. The reinforcement of the crypt walls and their vaulting are part of this construction.
Building history and architecture of the Gothic cathedral
_Cath%C3%A9drale_Saint-Fulcran_Ext%C3%A9rieur_12.JPG)
The few sources on the Gothic building that were handed down by Bishops Bernard Gui (1324–1331) and Guillaume Briçonnet (1489–1519, also Bishop of Meaux and confessor of Margaret of Navarre ) only offer indirect references to the building history, see above that one is mainly dependent on style-critical dating (according to Curtius).
The new Gothic building in the east began around 1265/70. The wide, polygonal apse without a walkway, which is illuminated by nine slender Gothic tracery windows, belongs to this first construction phase . The second construction phase in the 1270s comprises the single-nave long choir and the four-bay Andrew or Herzjesu chapel leaning against its north wall. In the third construction phase (around 1280), the two eastern bays of the north aisle with the adjoining chapel and the portal porch were built. The choir was vaulted and probably temporarily closed so that it could be used. In a fourth phase around 1295/1300, the north aisle with the third yoke and the adjoining Martins and Rochus chapel was completed and the opposite south aisle with the adjoining chapels Notre-Dame and Saint-Michel began. A 57 m high, mighty bell tower was raised above the latter, which was probably completed by around 1320. It also served as a watchtower.
During the time of Bishop Bernard Gui (1324-1331), the famous former Grand Inquisitor , the construction had come to a standstill due to financial difficulties. The originally planned extension to the west beyond the adjacent city wall had to be abandoned for security reasons. It was not until around 1345 that the aisles were vaulted and the lower half of the west facade was built. Plague epidemics and the Hundred Years War led to a second, long break in construction. The west facade was finally completed between 1413 and 1430, fortified with a battlement, and the nave vaulted. In the 15th century, the Fulcranus Chapel was extended by a second yoke on the north side and a baptistery was added in the southwest corner.
A short, three-aisled nave adjoins the wide, single-nave choir with a polygonal apse (7/14 end) to the west . The richly stepped main portal lies under a vestibule in the middle of the north aisle. A tall tower rises opposite. The nave is surrounded by chapels. The towerless west facade has a beautiful rose window and a battlement . In the south there is a cloister that has been rebuilt several times . The building appears defensive and sober, a typical feature of the southern French Gothic style , which was influenced by the mendicant orders .
Destruction and restoration
During the Huguenot Wars, the cathedral was looted and badly damaged. The four strong round nave pillars were blown up, so that the nave walls of the nave and all the nave vaults (except in the chapels) collapsed. Under Bishop Jean Plantavit de La Pause (r. 1625–1648), the collapsed arcades, wall sections and vaults of the cathedral were faithfully restored. During the revolution, the building was profaned and served as a storage room. In the 19th and 20th centuries, several more or less successful restorations were carried out (e.g. reinforcement of the buttresses , removal of the old plaster). The tower was finally given a new stone roof.
Building sculpture
On the tower there are four large figures depicting saints venerated in the diocese: St. Michael (Archangel) , St. Genesius (Saint Geniez), St. Florus (Saint Flour, Apostle of Auvergne) or Amantius (Saint Amans) and St. Fulcran (Holy Bishop of Lodève). The apse keystone shows the martyrdom of Genesius, the cathedral's first patron. There are also a number of figural consoles and gargoyles and beautiful leaf capitals . The tympanum above the portal is neo-Gothic.
Furnishing
Due to the turmoil of the times, hardly any original furnishings have been preserved. The Baroque marble tomb of Bishop Plantavit de la Pause, which was built around 1650, is in the Michael's Chapel. The inner choir is lined with marble balustrades crowned by lions. Eight monumental Baroque oil paintings (17th and 18th centuries) by Sébastien Bourdon , J. Coustou and Étienne Loys hang on the choir walls . The apse window glazing from 1854 comes from Mauvernay. The wooden pulpit with four atlantic figures (Cain, Holofernes, Herod, Judas) was shown at the World Exhibition of 1867.
organ
cath%C3%A9drale_St_Fulcran_J.F.L%C3%A9pine,Th.Puget.jpg)
The organ goes back to an instrument that was built in 1752–1753 by the organ builder Jean-François L'Épine. The organ has been modified several times over the years. Today the instrument has 35 registers on three manuals and a pedal .
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
literature
- Andreas Curtius: The Cathedral of Lodève and the emergence of the Languedocic Gothic , Olms, Hildesheim 2002, ISBN 3-487-11486-0
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lodève - former Saint Fulcran Cathedral
- ↑ More information about the organ
Coordinates: 43 ° 43 ′ 55.1 ″ N , 3 ° 19 ′ 2 ″ E