St-Etienne (Toul)
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Saint-Étienne de Toul was the cathedral of the Diocese of Toul in the city of Toul in Lorraine . Today it is the co- cathedral of the Nancy-Toul diocese . The current building in the Gothic style was built between the 13th and 15th centuries. The church is considered an outstanding example of the flamboyant style . Two chapels in the Renaissance style are also important . The sacred building is consecrated to St. Stephen . The cathedral's patronage day is December 26th .
history
A first church was built in the 4th century at the time of the first bishop Mansuetus outside the city at that time. Later the cathedral was moved to the city. In the first half of the 9th century, Bishop Frothar had the church rebuilt after a fire. After various precursors was in the 10th century at the time of Bishop I. Toul Gerhard a Romanesque started construction. In 1221, at the time of Bishop Eudes II. De Sorcy, the construction of a Gothic cathedral began on the foundations of the previous building. Construction began with the construction of the choir . The transept and the east side of the cloister followed. In the 14th century, part of the nave was built and the cloister was completed.
The disputes between Burgundy and Lorraine delayed further construction. The construction of the nave was not finished until the 15th century. With the completion of the west facade designed by Tristan von Hattonchatel, the construction was largely completed in 1496.
Although the construction of the cathedral took several centuries, the individual components show a remarkable stylistic harmony.
The first restorations began in the 19th century. During the Second World War , the building was badly damaged by fires triggered by bombs. The entire roof was destroyed. A false ceiling protected the vaults for over forty years. In 1978 there was a risk of collapse. A new roof structure was finished by 1995. The interior restorations continued in 2008. The cathedral is the only one in France owned by a commune. This made it difficult to finance the construction work.
Building description
The building is characterized by a main facade framed by two towers. The apse is flanked by two smaller towers. A choir is missing. The large transept is remarkable.
The main facade in late Gothic style with the two towers is 37 m wide. The west facade is richly decorated. The entrance area has three large doors. Above there are niches in which there were portraits. You can see, among other things, a large figure of Christ with Mary Magdalene at his feet. The group is framed by an eyelash . There is a large rose window above .
Most of the 120 figures on the west facade were destroyed during the French Revolution. Only eleven remained. You can also see a pelican with a monkey on a buttress of the left tower.
The towers are 65 m high. They were built in the 16th century. In the lower area the floor plan is square. In the upper area it is octagonal. The construction of the spiers was abandoned in 1561. A small turret with the first signs of the Renaissance rises above the middle of the west facade . In the turret there is a bell from the 16th century.
The entire structure is 98 m long. The vault height of the two-story building with rib vaults is 32 m. Seen from the portal on the third pillar, the transition between the construction phase of the 14th and 15th century can still be recognized by the design of the windows.
The transept is 56 m long and 17 m wide. There are no aisles in the transverse building. On the left of the transept there is a window from 1503 showing the coronation of the Virgin Mary . A window can be seen in the south transept which shows Saint Stephen on a magnificent bed. Furthermore, four bishops are depicted: St. Mansuy, St. Evre , St. Gerhard I and the later Pope St. Leo IX. In the crossing there is a grave from the 19th century with the remains of St. Bishop Gerhard.
In the side aisles of the nave there are chapels and side altars mostly from the 16th and 17th centuries. The chapel of Jean Forget was built in the Renaissance style in 1532. This is dedicated to all saints and is covered by a dome. The bishop's chapel was also added at this time.
The choir is flanked by two apse towers with 13th-century windows. The choir windows date from the 19th century and show scenes from the Old and New Testaments. The main altar dates from 1837. On the altar there is an image of the Virgin Mary from the 14th century. In the choir is the bishop's chair (St. Gerard's chair) from the 13th century. The choir is separated from the rest of the church by an 18th century grid.
A cloister is attached to the church. With a length of 54 m and a width of 42 m, it is one of the largest cloisters from the Gothic period.
inner space
Much of the interior was destroyed during the French Revolution . These included the canons' choir stalls and the cathedral treasury.
Inside the church there are numerous tombs of the bishops, other clergymen and other personalities. Some of the pillars have frescos from the 14th to 16th centuries.
organ
After previous instruments in other parts of the cathedral, there was an organ with 40 registers by Nicolas Dupont in the gallery above the main entrance from 1751 , which was destroyed in the fire of the building on June 20, 1940.
Today's organ in neoclassical style was built in 1963 by Curt Schwenkedel and renovated in 2002 by Jean-Baptiste Gaupillat. The instrument has 64 registers (approx. 4,800 pipes ) on four manuals and a pedal . The Spieltrakturen are mechanically, the Registertrakturen electrically.
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- Coupling I / II, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P, IV / P
Individual evidence
Web links
- Brief description of the cathedral (to download)
- Entry on frenchmoments.com
Coordinates: 48 ° 40 ′ 31.1 ″ N , 5 ° 53 ′ 40.5 ″ E