Maillezais Cathedral

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maillezais Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Maillezais) was once a Roman Catholic cathedral, now ruined, in the commune of Maillezais in the Vendée, France.

[edit] History

The Benedictine Maillezais Abbey, founded in c. 989 on an island in the marshes, was raised to the status of a bishopric in 1317, one of a number of new bishoprics created in the aftermath of the suppression of the Albigensians, and the abbot elevated to the rank of Bishop of Maillezais. The cathedral was destroyed in 1562 in the course of the Reformation and subsequent Wars of Religion, but the monastic community continued on the site until 1666. The bishopric was re-established in 1648 in La Rochelle, and La Rochelle Cathedral succeeded that of Maillezais.

[edit] Sources

• Catholic Encyclopedia: Luçon, incl Diocese of Maillezais
• Glastonbury Abbey website: brief history of Maillezais Abbey

[edit] External links

• Photos of Maillezais Cathedral ruins:[1],[2]