Viviers Cathedral

Choir

The St. Viviers Cathedral , consecrated to Vincent de Valencia , is the episcopal church of the Viviers diocese in France . The building has been recognized as a monument historique since 1906 .

location

The small town of Viviers , with almost 3,800 inhabitants, is located on a hill in the western Rhône Valley, almost 11 km (driving distance) south of Montélimar or almost 14 km southeast of the Roman city of Alba in what is now the Ardèche department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region at an altitude of approx. 100 m .

history

The diocese of Alba , founded in the 4th century, was moved from there to Viviers at the end of the 5th or beginning of the 6th century. Possibly the first cathedral fell victim to an attack by the Saracens in the 8th or 9th century and even when Bishop Leodegar took office in 1096, the church was in ruins. He undertook a new building, which was consecrated in 1119 by Pope Calixtus II . The late Gothic choir was built between 1516 and 1521 , but a few decades later the walls of the Romanesque nave fell victim to an attack by the Huguenots . This was in 17./18. Renovated in the 19th century, but the medieval bell tower (clocher) remained the only remnant of the Romanesque church.

architecture

The oldest component is the Romanesque bell tower from the 12th century, although an octagonal upper floor with a battlement was added to it in the 14th century . Apart from that, almost nothing has been preserved from the medieval church. The approximately 20 m high and rib vaulted late Gothic choir is supported on the outside by buttresses ; some windows are walled up to support stability. The late baroque or classicist new building of the nave remained largely unadorned.

Furnishing

Facilities include a choir (stalles) in the style of the Renaissance and the Baroque main altar. Two 17th century statues ( Our Lady and Ecce Homo ) are also worth mentioning. In the choir sometimes depends Tapestry series (tapisseries) of the 18th century with scenes from the life of Christ. In addition, the marble tomb of Bishop Joseph-Michel-Frédéric Bonnet from 1928 by Jean Magrou deserves attention.