St-Théodorit (Uzès)
The parish church of Saint-Théodorit in Uzès in the French department of Gard is a former cathedral built in the 17th century on the site of a previous Romanesque building , which is consecrated to the holy priest and martyr Theodoros of Euchaita . It served as the seat of the Bishop of Uzès until 1792. The bell tower has been recognized as a monument historique since 1862 ; the actual church building followed in 1963.
history
The first Christian church building to be built on this former site of a Gallo-Roman temple was erected in 1090. Whether, as assumed, the feudal lords of Uzès, who took part in the 1st Crusade (1095-1099), brought relics of the holy priest and martyr Theodoros of Euchaita back to their homeland is not documented.
The design of this Romanesque building was influenced by Cluny , as was the cathedral of Nîmes , the abbey church of Saint-Gilles and the collegiate church of Beaucaire . It was partially destroyed during the Albigensian Wars in 1177, but was then renewed. At the beginning of the Huguenot Wars , the cathedral was completely destroyed on May 13, 1563 - with the exception of the lower floors of the Tour Fenestrelle bell tower.
The reconstruction of the cathedral and the bishopric was decided by royal decree on November 28, 1637. £ 20,000 were earmarked for the house of worship and £ 10,000 for the bishopric. The £ 20,000 needed for the cathedral was to come from an eight-year tax of two groschen per pound of meat. The original three-year construction work ultimately lasted twenty years (1642–1663) and cost £ 62,000. The reconstruction of the bishopric did not begin until 1671.
After the abolition of the bishopric and the cathedral chapter by the Concordat of 1801 , the interior of the church had to be changed and adapted to the new requirements. The choir, which was originally intended for episcopal worship, was greatly reduced in size.
Architecture and furniture
tower
The Tour Fenestrelle , partially reconstructed in the Lombard style in the 17th century, is the landmark of today's church and the entire village with its height of approx. 42 meters. It is the only cylindrical bell tower in France and could have been inspired by the much smaller round tower of the Ravenna church of Sant'Apollinare in Classe .
facade
In 1873 the front from the 17th century was shown a neo-Romanesque facade, in whose tympanum a Mother of God accompanied by the hll. Firmin and Ferréol, two bishops from the early Middle Ages, appear. Statues of the apostles Peter and Paul stand in the side niches . Above the portal there is an arcade structure composed of columns with three windows and two lateral blind arches ; the area above is occupied by a large blind arch that covers two arched windows. The gable field and the side fields are decorated with large decorative ornaments.
Interior
The interior of the three-aisled gallery basilica, including its transept, has a classicist austerity, which, however, is somewhat softened by the outdated ribbed vault . The lower church galleries in the choir area were withdrawn after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) to accommodate the "new converts". In the opinion of Bishop Poncet de la Rivière (1677–1728), the cathedral was "the most beautiful in southern France". In the apse behind the main altar is the painting of the Descent from the Cross, made by Louis XVIII. was donated.
The altar on the left after the baptismal font dates from the 19th century and is dedicated to St. Firmin, one of the fathers of the Church of Uzès, who was bishop here from 533 to 553. Opposite to the right is the tomb of Mgr. Bonaventure Baüyn , a great bishop of Uzès in the 18th century (1737–1779). In the wall near the Sankt Firmin altar you can see the place where a door used to connect the cathedral with the bishopric.
Main organ
The organ , built from 1660, is considered to be one of the most beautiful in France. The ash-gray, partially gold-plated and finely carved organ case is framed by shops. Once the shutters were closed during Lent, because the organ was not allowed to be played during the liturgical year .
The organ, registered as Monument historique , has 45 registers and 2,722 organ pipes . It was restored in 1964 by the Alfred Kern & fils organ workshop . The disposition is as follows:
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
literature
- Jean-Marie Pérouse de Montclos: Le Guide du Patrimoine. Languedoc, Roussillon. Ministère de la Culture, Hachette, Paris 1996, ISBN 2-01-242333-7 , 1996, pp. 547-549.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ancienne cathédrale Saint-Théodorit, Uzès in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- ↑ Alongside their leader Raymond de Saint-Gilles, Hélias de Blauzac, Hugues de Pouzilhac, Milon de Serviers, Adalbert de Lussan and Guillaume de Sabran moved to the promised land as crusaders
- ↑ Information on the main organ
Web links
Coordinates: 44 ° 0 ′ 44 ″ N , 4 ° 25 ′ 20 ″ E