Notre-Dame-du-Réal (Embrun)
The Catholic church Notre-Dame-du-Réal in Embrun , a commune in the Hautes-Alpes in the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur , was the cathedral of the former Archdiocese of Embrun . She was in the 12./13. It was built in the 18th century and combines Romanesque and Gothic elements. A special feature is the north portal Le Réal . In 1840 the church was included in the list of architectural monuments ( Base Mérimée ) in France as Monument historique .
history
In the 3rd century Eburodunum, the capital of the Gallic tribe of the Caturiger , became the capital of the Roman province of Alpes Maritimae . Around 360 St. Marcellin founded a diocese there, which existed until the French Revolution . In Carolingian times , Embrun became the archbishopric and seat of the Metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province of Alpes-Maritimes. After the previous buildings of the cathedral were devastated by the Lombards around 575 and by the Saracens around 916 , Archbishop Ismide rebuilt the cathedral at the beginning of the 11th century. The current church was probably started towards the end of the 12th century and largely completed before the middle of the 13th century. Written sources are not available. The construction of the mighty cathedral was made possible by donations from the Counts of Provence and by numerous privileges granted to the cathedral chapter by the kings and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire , to which Provence was then part .
In the 14th century, the cathedral became the destination of a pilgrimage to Mary , which attracted high-ranking personalities such as the English King Edward II , who gave the cathedral a precious choir cloak set with precious stones . The miracles of Mary in 1339 and 1340 are recorded in a book of miracles . During this time the Romanesque tympanum of the north portal was bricked up and painted over with a fresco depicting the adoration of the Magi . This representation gave the north portal the name le Réal , which was carried over to the whole church.
In the 15th century, Pope Sixtus IV awarded the future King Louis XI in a bull . the honorary title of canon, a dignity that should be passed on to all successors, including the French presidents.
During the wars of religion the church was badly damaged, its treasure was robbed and the fresco of the north portal was destroyed. At the beginning of the 17th century the church was restored. The conquest of the city by the Duke of Savoy , Viktor Amadeus II , brought with it new plundering.
Several restoration measures took place between 1843 and 1868. In 1932 the plaster was removed and the masonry exposed again.
architecture
The use of different colored stones, light limestone and black slate , indicate the cathedrals of Italy. The outer walls of the church are divided into buttresses . Under the roof approach a rim extending cornice with toothed section fries , including a frieze of blind arches on corbels with plants decor, animal and human heads.
Steeple
On the west facade rises above the north aisle, the 34-meter-high bell tower made of white limestone and black slate, which is rounded off by a 16-meter-high, octagonal tip decorated with finials . In 1852 a lightning strike caused the tower to collapse. It was rebuilt in its original form between 1858 and 1867. The four upper floors are broken through by twin windows. A frieze of blind arcades runs under the roof approach , which also leads around the outer walls of the aisles and the choir head .
North portal
The north portal, called “Le Réal” (King's Portal), is reminiscent of Italian models , both through its motifs such as lions and atlases and the use of different types of stone (white limestone, black slate, red and green marble). It is designed as an open vestibule, the roof of which rests on marble columns. The two front pillars are supported by lions. The lion on the left holds a small human figure in its claws, the right a sheep or a ram. The pillars on the wall side consist of four round bars each, which are shouldered by seated atlases. A small figure clings to the left between the bundles of columns. The gable is decorated with a frieze and reliefs with heads and grimaces.
In 1860 the Romanesque tympanum made of pink marble was discovered under the layer of plaster from the 14th century on which the fresco that was destroyed during the Wars of Religion was located. Christ, who has raised his right hand in blessing and is holding a book in his left hand, is surrounded by the symbols of the evangelists, the winged man, the lion, the eagle and the bull. Two angels soar to his head, one with a censer, the other with a trumpet. The remains of an inscription referring to the veneration of the Magi have been preserved on the arch.
The wrought iron fittings on the doors date back to the 14th century.
inner space
The church is laid out as a three-aisled basilica without a transept . The central nave has a ribbed vault , the side aisles are covered with barrel vaults underpinned by belt arches . The nave is divided into four bays and ends in a three-apse complex in the east , the oldest part of the church, which, like the side aisles, dates back to the Romanesque construction phase. The youngest component is the west facade with the rose window from the early 15th century , which reflects the influence of the Gothic cathedrals of the Île de France .
On the central, northern pillar of the main nave, remains of a wall painting depicting the flagellation of Christ (around 1470) can still be seen.
West rose
The outer medallions of the rosette are dedicated to the apostles . The place in the top center is taken by God the Father , surrounded by Mary (left) and the Apostle Peter (right). Angels playing music are depicted on the inner medallions, below the coats of arms of the governor of the Dauphiné , Geoffroy le Mingre, the cathedral chapter and the archbishop Michel de Perellos (1378–1427), who financed the restoration of the leaded glass windows .
Furnishing
- The marble baptismal font , the upper edge of which is surrounded by a frieze of tendrils, is dated to the 13th century.
- The church has choir stalls from the 14th / 15th centuries. Century with artfully carved cheeks and misericords , whereby the seat of the honorary choir is particularly elaborately designed.
organ
From the organ that was built in the 15th century by the French King Louis XI. was donated, the carved substructure with the royal coat of arms and the chain of the Order of the Holy Spirit is still preserved. It is decorated with motifs of the Flamboyant Gothic and small figures in the form of atlases . The organ case dates from the 18th century.
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- Pair: I / II, III / II, II / P, III / P
literature
- Thorsten Droste : Dauphiné and Haute-Provence. Discovery trips between the Rhône and the Alps, from Lyon to the Verdon Gorge . DuMont, Cologne 1992, ISBN 3-7701-2408-1 , p. 202-205 .
- Jacques Thirion: Romanesque style of the Côte d'Azur and the Maritime Alps . Echter Verlag , Würzburg 1984, ISBN 3-429-00911-1 , pp. 409-462.
Web links
- Église Notre-Dame (ancienne cathédrale) in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Église Notre-Dame (ancienne cathédrale) in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- ↑ Information on the organ (French)
Coordinates: 44 ° 33 ′ 44.5 ″ N , 6 ° 29 ′ 42 ″ E