Agen Cathedral
Agen Cathedral | |
---|---|
Gothic | |
Administration | |
Diocese | Agen |
Agen Cathedral (
The cathedral was listed as an historic monument in 1863.[1] Situated on one of four pilgrims' ways toward Santiago de Compostela, Spain, its World Heritage Site status falls under the category of Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.
History
Agen Cathedral's visible structure dates to the 12th century, when it was built as a
At the onset of the French Revolution in 1789 the church lost its religious function and was used instead as a fodder store before being reopened in 1796. It was elevated to the status of the cathedral of the diocese of Agen in 1801, replacing the former cathedral dedicated to Saint Stephen (Saint Étienne), which was destroyed during the Revolution.
The cathedral appears in one of the earliest color photographs ever taken by Louis Arthur Ducos du Hauron in 1877.
In 1998 this monument along the World Heritage Site route was among the first 75 designated, with three following the year after.[2]
Organs
The main
Architecture
As with many churches in southern France, its plan is the form of a Latin cross. The nave dates from the 13th century.
Interesting architectural features include the Romanesque apse which is extended by a Gothic frame along a single nave. Replacing an old wooden bell tower, the current tower was built in 1835 at the behest of Bishop Lévézou de Vezins and has the peculiarity of being composed of three Gothic styles, curiously presented in reverse chronological order, ascending.
The paintings on the walls and ceilings represent the history of the coming of Christianity to the region. A centrepiece is given to the first
The cathedral's nave is much shorter than might be expected judging from the size of the chancel: this was the consequence of earlier political and financial difficulties.
Gallery
-
Ceiling of the crossing of the transept
-
Chancel and north transept
-
Interior
-
Main organ
-
Cul-de-lampe, north transept[5]
References
- ^ Base Mérimée: PA00084035, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
- ^ UNESCO World Heritage Site list of locations along the four routes
- ^ (in French) Catholic Church in Lot-et-Garonne: the Great Organ of the Cathedral of Agen (pdf)
- ^ Base Palissy: PM47000051, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
- ^ (in French) Dictionnaire raisonné de l'architecture française (from the 11th to the 16th century), Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
- Additional sources
- (in French) Pierre Dubourg-Noves, Guyenne romane, Éditions du Zodiaque, La Pierre-qui-Vire (France), 1969 ; pp. 254–256.
- (in French) Stéphane Thouin, La restauration de la cathédrale Saint-Caprais, Agen, Lot-et-Garonne, in Monumental, Paris, Éditions du Patrimoine, 2004, semestriel 2, Chantiers/Actualités, pp. 20–25, ISBN 2-85822-794-2.