Luçon Cathedral
The Cathedral of Luçon (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption ) is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and is located in the center of the small town of Luçon in the Vendée department . The church building has been classified as a monument historique since 1906 ; the cloister followed in 1915.
history
A Benedictine monastery is said to have been founded here as early as the 7th century , probably as the priory of the Abbey of Saint-Philibert of Noirmoutier . The first church building was destroyed by the Normans in the 2nd half of the 9th century . A successor building was set on fire in 1068 on the orders of William VIII († 1086), Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitou , whereupon he was excommunicated by Pope Alexander II . Thereupon he felt compelled to found a new church, the construction of which, however, was only initiated by his son Wilhelm IX. , called 'the Trobador ' was started. Construction work began in 1091 under Abbot Gottfried ( Geoffroy ) and would take about 30 years until it was consecrated under Abbot Gerbert in 1121. The north transept with its Romanesque portal is still preserved from this building .
After the population of the place and its surroundings had increased significantly through land reclamation, Pope John XXII. in 1317 Luçon to the rank of diocese and the abbey church to the rank of cathedral. Parts of the diocese of Poitiers were also assigned to the new diocese.
From the 13th to the 17th century, the church building underwent several restorations and alterations. Despite the destruction during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453), the cloister on the south side of the church was preserved in memory of the former monastery; however, it was renewed in the 15th century in Gothic styles. Between 1530 and 1550 the south aisle was extended to include chapels.
A few decades later, during the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598) , the church was stormed several times by the Protestants, who also settled there permanently for some time and destroyed all images and relics. The last looting of the furniture took place in 1622, when Cardinal Richelieu was Bishop of Luçon.
In 1665 the west tower collapsed, destroying the west facade and the first bay of the nave . Reconstruction began immediately afterwards; however, the high pointed helmet is a 'beautification measure' of the 19th century.
In the 18th century, chapels were added to the north aisle, a main altar with a canopy and several side altars were built and choir stalls were installed. During the French Revolution , the diocese of Luçon was dissolved (1801), but reinstalled under Pius VII in 1822. On December 16, 2002, the Diocese of Luçon was subordinated to the Archdiocese of Rennes as a suffragan .
architecture
Layout
The three-aisled nave was laterally widened and stabilized by adding chapels in the 16th and 18th centuries. The three aisles of the original building can still be seen in the somewhat wider choir area, which, however, does not have an apsidal, but only a flat choir closure.
Exterior construction
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North portal
The Romanesque portal facade of the northern transept of the 11th century Romanesque abbey church has stood the test of time. The ground floor consists of three (blind) arcades, which form a kind of triumphal arch scheme with a higher central arch and smaller lateral blind arches. The tympanum field of the central portal shows Christ surrounded by a winged bull (left) and a winged lion (right), the symbolic figures of the evangelists Luke and Mark ; In the tympana of the side blind portals there are - already badly destroyed - sculptures of bishops and saints. The level above is designed similarly; however, sculptural jewelry is not used. The gable triangle is not decorated.
West facade
When the west tower collapsed in 1665, the former Gothic west facade was also destroyed. The reconstruction in baroque-classicist styles took place immediately - the porch porch is designed in the style of an ancient temple with four lateral columns and a triangular gable. In the two levels above, the structure is repeated on a smaller scale - but without the triangular gables. The second level shows lateral volutes . The neo-Gothic pointed helmet that was put on in the 19th century looks like a foreign body. The actual entrance portal is completely unadorned.
inner space
The approximately 34.50 meter long and 22 meter high central nave has a classic Gothic layout ( arcade zone , triforium , upper storey ) and is spanned by a ribbed vault. Chapels were added to the lower aisles. The choir area is another 25 meters long and ends in a flat choir closure with a richly designed late Gothic tracery window .
Furnishing
After the destruction and looting by the anti-image Protestants, nothing of the original furnishings has been preserved. A cupboard painted with flowers and fruit motifs and a portrait of Richelieu date from the 17th century. The apse-like framed and canopy-crowned main altar as well as several side altars and the choir stalls date from the 18th century.
All glass paintings with their different themes (baptism of Christ, saints, etc.) were made in different workshops in the 19th century. The richly carved pulpit with its raised statue of Mary is also a work of the 19th century.
organ
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The organ from the workshop of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll was made in the years 1852–1855 and installed above the west portal. The instrument has 54 stops on four manual works and a pedal. The playing and stop actions are mechanical.
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Main altar with frame (18th century)
Choir stalls - Escape to Egypt (18th century)
Lubin Baugin - Descent from the Cross (17th century)
Pulpit (19th century)
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Cloister
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The former cloister on the south side of the abbey served as a walkway for the canons of the cathedral chapter after the building was elevated to a cathedral (1317) . At the end of the 14th century, it was renewed in late Gothic style - the vault ribs no longer rest on capitals, but merge seamlessly into the supporting pillars and half-column templates.
In the 16th century, upper floors were added on all wings above the gallery; The statics were reinforced by blind segmented arches that support the outer walls of the rooms. The gothic pointed arch arcades on the ground floor form an attractive contrast with the rectangular windows above in the late Renaissance style. Since the cloister - as is customary in Gothic - was figureless, it survived the Protestant iconoclasm largely unscathed.
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ Ensemble cathédrale, Luçon in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- ↑ Information on the organ (French)
literature
- Thorsten Droste : The Poitou. Western France between Poitiers and Angoulême - the Atlantic coast from the Loire to the Gironde. DuMont, Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-7701-4456-2 , p. 125.
- Yves Blomme: La cathédrale Notre-Dame de Luçon. in: Congrès archéologique de France. 151e session. Vendée. 1993 Société Française d'Archéologie, Paris 1996, pp. 69-80.
- Michel Dillange: Vendée romane, Bas-Poitou roman . Editions Zodiaque , La Pierre-qui-Vire 1976, pp. 248-249.
- Yves Blomme: Poitou gothique. Éditions Picard, Paris 1993, ISBN 2-7084-0439-3 , pp. 183-191.
Web links
- Historical photos of Luçon Cathedral
- Photos of the west facade of Luçon Cathedral
- Organ of Luçon Cathedral - photo + info (in French)
- Luçon Cathedral, exterior - photos
- Luçon Cathedral, interior - photos
- Luçon Cathedral, furnishings - photos + brief information (in French)
Coordinates: 46 ° 27 '15.7 " N , 1 ° 10' 0.5" W.