Toulouse Cathedral
The Saint-Etienne Cathedral in Toulouse is the Roman Catholic cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Toulouse . Mainly Romanesque and Gothic components determine their appearance. The building has been recognized as a Monument historique since 1862 .
location
The cathedral is located about 500 m east of the Garonne in the historic center of Toulouse, in the Haute-Garonne department at an altitude of about 150 m . It borders on the former bishop's palace, which is now used by the prefecture .
history
Today's cathedral was built on the foundations of a chapel after the previous building was destroyed in 1071 . This chapel was built by Saint Saturninus , first bishop of Toulouse . It was destroyed 150 years later and rebuilt by St. Exuperius . The building history of today's church has been characterized from the beginning by constant changes in the planning during the ongoing construction work. The cathedral chapter has existed since 1259.
During the French Revolution in 1794, the largest bell, the Cardailhac , which weighed twelve or thirteen tons , was thrown out of the bell tower, penetrating deep into the ground and breaking.
In 1938 the state completed the previously incomplete facade of the north transept after neighboring buildings had been demolished and this part of the building became visible.
architecture
The entire building is made of bricks , some of which are clad in sandstone on the outside but completely on the inside . The main features are two very different components: a Romanesque nave and a Gothic three-nave choir , which was planned for a Gothic nave that is twice as wide as the current Romanesque nave. The south wall of the Romanesque nave was intended to be used for the new Gothic nave, so that the axis of the Gothic choir was offset from the Romanesque nave. A new Gothic nave was never built, so that the "kink" in the axis of the building still exists today. Construction of the Gothic choir began in 1272 under the patronage of Bishop Bertrand-de-L'Isle. The two parts were connected in the 16th century by the future Cardinal Jean d'Orléans-Longueville . Both main parts have numerous chapels.
Romanesque ship
Until the 13th century, the plans for the Romanesque church were constantly changed. A change compared to the originally planned height of the building can be seen because the windows were cut on the south wall, while the north wall, which was built later, does not show this anomaly.
In the west wall there is a rose window directly inspired by the rose window of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral . In the early 2000s, the masonry of the gable in front of the rose window was renewed. The air pollution in the city and car tires burned during demonstrations in front of the neighboring prefecture have already blackened the restored stone.
- Chapels
- Chapel for the agony of Christ
- Chapel of Saint Anthony of Padua .
- Baptistery with a baptismal font dated 1305 by an inscription .
Gothic choir
The Gothic choir dates from the 13th century and has a gallery. It was not until 1609, after a fire in the roof, that the architect Pierre Levesville was supposed to vault the choir. It initially envisaged a vault with a maximum height of 40 meters. The plan was changed and a vault of 28 meters was built. Originally a rood screen separated the choir and nave , but this was removed. At the top of the choir is a crypt where the archbishops of Toulouse are buried.
The baroque altarpiece was made by the architect Pierre Mercier and the sculptor Gervais Drouet. It was built between 1667 and 1670. In its center it depicts the stoning of Saint Stephen and the symbols of the four evangelists . The Gothic choir is surrounded by 15 chapels with a five- eighth end that were vaulted in the last years of the 13th century.
Chapels on the south side
- Chapel of the second altar of the cathedral. The altar and the marble tabernacle are in Louis-quinze style. The original was stolen in 2006 and returned in 2012.
- The Chapel of the Virgin and Angels was built under the episcopate of Jean d'Orléans de Longueville at the beginning of the 16th century.
- Chapel of St. Lawrence .
- The Chapel of Vincent de Paul was completed in the first half of the 14th century and St. was initially Dominic consecrated . After the Concordat of 1801 , it was dedicated to Saint Vincent de Paul in memory of his stay in Toulouse, who studied theology at the University of Toulouse from 1597 to 1604 . In the chapel is Joan of Toulouse (1220-1271), the last Countess of Toulouse , buried.
- Chapel of St. Augustine of Hippo . Originally the chapel was consecrated to St. Catherine , whose image can be seen on the keystone . She can also be seen under the Annunciation scene on the stained glass window with the palm of her victory of her martyrdom and the image of the wheel, her symbol.
- Chapel of Saint Germaine . Originally consecrated to St. Nicholas , who is depicted on the keystone of the chapel, it was consecrated to St. Francis de Paola in the 18th century , whose life is depicted in the stained glass windows. Finally, in 1876, it was consecrated to Saint Germaine of Pibrac. The two inquisitors who were killed in Avignonet by Cathars from Montségur in 1242 were buried in the chapel .
- Chapel of the Holy Cross .
- Reliquary Chapel .
- Chapel of Saint Joseph .
Chapel in the choir axis
- Chapel of the Sacred Heart
Chapels on the north side
- Chapel of St. Francis .
- Chapel at the passage to the sacristy . This chapel, completed around 1279, was originally dedicated to the body of Christ . Archbishop Jean d'Orléans de Longueville added a sacristy to the cathedral in the 16th century, which is accessed from here.
- Chapel of St. Joan of Arc . The structure of the chapel dates back to 1279. It was given its present form in 1922 after the canonization of Joan of Arc in 1920. The chapel became a memorial for the parishioners who died in the First World War .
- The chapel of St. Francis Xavier was completed in 1279 and was originally dedicated to St. Martin , as the keystone still shows today. From 1843 to 1846 the chapel was redesigned and restored and then consecrated to St. Francis Xavier.
- Chapel of Saint Roch .
- The St. Peter chapel was completed in 1286 and is the seat of the 24 cathedral capitulars .
- Chapel of St. James .
Furnishing
The cathedral is the only church in Toulouse that has preserved the original 14th century windows. The interior of the cathedral dates mainly from the time after the fire of 1609 and stylistically ranges from Gothic to Historicism . There are wooden choir stalls (stalles) in the choir . Many of the cathedral's furnishings are inscribed on the French list of monuments as movable cultural monuments (see note 1). The church has two organs , both in the Gothic choir.
Organs
The church has two organs , both in the Gothic choir.
Main organ
The first organ was built in 1612. The instrument has been expanded and rebuilt over time, including a. 1852 by the organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll . The instrument was last restored in 1977 by the organ builders Alfred Kern and Jean Férignac. It is a listed building. The organ has 49 stops on four manual works and a pedal. The actions are mechanical.
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Choir organ
The choir organ was built in 1868 by the organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll and is also a listed building. The instrument has 12 stops on two manual works and a pedal; the registers of the pedals are transmissions from the manuals. The actions are mechanical.
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Peal
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In the belfry of the fortified Romanesque bell tower hang on the one hand five bells for the liturgically required peal. Some of the bells date from before the revolution.
| No. |
Surname |
Casting year |
Caster |
Mass (kg) |
Nominal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Etienne Florian | 1876 | Lévêque Amans (gendre Louison) | 3901 | a 0 |
| 2 | Marie | 1992 | Paccard | 1235 | d 1 |
| 3 | Flos Carmeli | 1764 | Jolly à Limoges | 790 | g 1 |
| 4th | 1815 | Viguier | 500 | g sharp 1 | |
| 5 | Cécile | 1992 | Paccard | 380 | a 1 |
In addition, the tower houses a carillon with 17 bells that are played with a keyboard. An older carillon was destroyed during the revolution. Today's carillon was created in stages and after several reconstructions and technical changes.
See also
- List of the bishops of Toulouse
- List of cathedrals in France
- List of Gothic brick structures in France
literature
in alphabetical order by authors / editors
- Quitterie Cazes: La cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Toulouse à l'époque romane . In: Mémoires de la Société archéologique du Midi de la France 54 (1994), pp. 71-83.
- Cazes: Le quartier canonial de la cathédrale Saint-Etienne de Toulouse . In: Archéologie du Midi médiéval, special issue 2 (1998).
- Marcel Durliat : Haut-Languedoc roman . In: Éditions Zodiaque, collection “la nuit des temps” 49. La Pierre-Qui-Vire, 1978, pp. 189-205.
- Quitterie Cazes and Olivier Testard: Saint-Étienne de Toulouse: de la cathédrale romane à la première cathédrale gothique . In: Congrès archéologique de France 154 . Session (1996): Monuments en Toulousain et Comminges . Société Française d'Archéologie, Paris, 2002, pp. 199–211.
- Christian Freilang : Imitare ecclesias nobiles. The cathedrals of Narbonne, Toulouse and Rodez and the northern French Rayonnant Gothic in Languedoc . Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft , Worms 1992. ISBN 978-3-88462-085-4
- Michèle Pradelier-Schlumberger: Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Toulouse: la cathédrale gothique . In: Congrès archéologique de France 154th session (1996): Monuments en Toulousain et Comminges . Société Française d'Archéologie, Paris, 2002, pp. 213-234.
- M. R Rey: La cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Toulouse . In: Congrès archéologique de France, 92nd session: Monuments en Toulousain et Comminges. 1929 . Société Française d'Archéologie, Paris, 1930, pp. 69–86.
- Olivier Testard: La vieille nef de la cathédrale de Toulouse et ses origines méridionales . In: Mémoires de la Société archéologique du Midi de la France 59 (1999), pp. 73-91.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Toulouse Cathedral
- ↑ Hervé Martin: La Haute-Garonne. Encyclopédie illustrée . Éditions Privat, Toulouse 2002. ISBN 2-7089-5811-9 , p. 284.
- ↑ Information on the organ (English, French)
- ↑ Information on the organ
- ↑ Video recording of the peal
- ↑ Le carillon de l'église Saint-Etienne à Toulouse .
Remarks
- ↑ Not to be confused with Bertrand de L'Isle-Jourdain , Bishop of Comminges (approx. 1050–1123).
Coordinates: 43 ° 35 '59.6 " N , 1 ° 27' 1.4" E