Nimes Cathedral
The Cathedral of Nîmes or Cathédrale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Castor ( German Cathedral of Our Life Woman and St. Castor ) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Nîmes in the French department of Gard in the Occitanie region . The classical building with neo-Byzantine furnishings dates from the 17th century. The cathedral of the Diocese of Nîmes with the title of a minor basilica is Mary and St. Dedicated to Castor .
history
While the location of the church of the 4th century Christian community is unclear, with the help of written sources traces of an early medieval predecessor building as a three-aisled basilica with a tower and atrium at the current location can be proven, which in turn had used foundations from Roman times. In its place, a high Romanesque cathedral was probably planned or built under Bishop Ermengaud (1080-1090), which was consecrated in 1096 by Pope Urban II , although the construction work certainly continued into the 12th century. The medieval parts, such as the gable wall, which have been preserved primarily in the west facade, date from a late Romanesque construction phase in the middle of the 12th century. During the Wars of Religion , Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Castor was badly damaged twice by the Huguenots in 1567 and 1621.
A second cathedral was built in the 17th century under the direction of Bishop Cohon in the classical style. The current building has a single, 55 meter long nave, which is provided with 20 meter high ribbed vaults and side chapels. The remarkable baroque rosary chapel in the extension of the choir dates from this period ; it dates from 1669 and is crowned by a lantern . The facade is partly interrupted by Lombard arches and a triangular pediment typical of the Provencal-Romanesque style, on the left of which there is a scene in the bas-relief of the Old Testament. A 40 meter high tower was erected, the upper floor of which is in the Gothic style . In 1822, the relatively small portal of Romanesque origin with the adjoining sculptures from the same time was demolished in order to realize the current classicist gate with a triangular gable.
Finally, between 1877 and 1882 , the architect Henri Révoil redesigned the interior of the classicist cathedral in the Roman-Byzantine style. The third chapel on the south side houses an early Christian sarcophagus slab and the grave of Cardinal Bernis . The cathedral was built in 1877 by Pope Pius IX. elevated to a minor basilica and classified as a historical monument in 1906.
organ
The organ was built from 1643 by the organ builders Gaspard and André Eustache; the case was created by the artists Christophe Noiratte (Marseille) and Michel Péru (Avignon). Over the years the instrument has been repaired and restored several times. In 1974 the organ was restored by the organ builder Alfred Kern (Strasbourg). Today the instrument has 51 stops on four manual works and a pedal.
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Individual evidence
- ^ Notre-Dame and Saint-Castor Cathedral
- ^ Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Castor on gcatholic.org
- ↑ Entry no. PA00103092 in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- ↑ Information on the organ
Web links
- Cathedral website (French)
Coordinates: 43 ° 50 ′ 18 " N , 4 ° 21 ′ 38" E