Albi Cathedral

Cathedral of Saint Cecilia of Albi
Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile d'Albi

View of Albi Cathedral
Basic information
Location Place Sainte-Cécile, Albi, France France
Geographic coordinates 43°55′43″N 2°08′35″E / 43.928492°N 2.142945°E / 43.928492; 2.142945Coordinates: 43°55′43″N 2°08′35″E / 43.928492°N 2.142945°E / 43.928492; 2.142945
Affiliation Roman Catholic Church
Province Archdiocese of Albi
Region Midi-Pyrénées
Country France
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Cathedral
Status Active
Leadership Jean Legrez
Architectural description
Architectural type church
Architectural style French Gothic
Groundbreaking 1282
Completed 1480
Specifications
Length 113,5 m (372,4 ft)
Width 35 m (114,8 ft)
Height (max) 78 m (255,9 ft)
Materials red brick

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Cecilia (French: Basilique Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile d'Albi), also known as Albi Cathedral, is the most important Catholic building in Albi, France and is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Albi. First built as a fortress in the aftermath of the Albigensian Crusade; begun in 1282 and under construction for 200 years, it is claimed to be the largest brick building in the world.[1]

In 2010 the cathedral was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History

Cathars being burnt at the stake in an auto-de-fé presided over by Saint Dominic, oil on panel by Pedro Berruguete.

The present cathedral was preceded by other buildings. The first dated from the fourth century and in 666 was destroyed by fire. The second is recorded in 920 by the name of Saint Cecilia, the present-day patroness of musicians. It was replaced in the thirteenth century by a Romanesque cathedral in stone.[2]

The Brick Gothic cathedral was constructed in brick between 1287 and 1480 in the wake of the Cathar Church, a Christian non-trinitarian dualist movement with an episcopal see at Albi around 1165 AD. Pope Innocent III initiated a brutal crusade ("Cathar Crusade", 1209–1229) to extinguish Catharism in southern France, with great loss of life to area residents.[3] In the aftermath of the bloodshed, the cathedral's dominant presence and fortress-like exterior were intended to convey the power and authority of the trinitarian Roman Catholic Church. The instigator of the cathedral's construction was Bernard de Castanet, Roman Catholic Bishop of Albi and Inquisitor of Languedoc. Work on the nave was completed about 1330.[4]

Features

The cathedral is built in the Southern Gothic Style. As suitable building stone is not found locally, the structure is built almost entirely of brick. Notable architectural features include the bell-tower (added in 1492), which stands 78 metres (256 ft) tall, and the doorway by Dominique de Florence (added circa 1392). The nave is the widest Gothic example in France at 60 feet (18 m). The interior lacks aisles which are replaced by rows of small chapels between brick internal buttresses, making Albi a hall church. Compared with regular Gothic, the buttreses are almost entirely submerged in the mass of the church. The principal entry is on the south side through an elaborate porch entered by a fortified stair, rather than through the west front, as is traditional in France.[5]

The side chapels in the nave received overhead galleries in the 15th century, diminishing their impact.[4]

The elaborate interior stands in stark contrast to the cathedral's military exterior. The central chœur, reserved for members of the religious order, is surrounded by a roodscreen with detailed filigree stone work and a group of polychrome statues. Below the organ, a fresco of the Last Judgement, attributed to unknown Flemish painters, originally covered nearly 200 m² (the central area was later removed). The frescoes on the enormous vaulted ceiling comprise the largest and oldest ensemble of Italian Renaissance painting in France.

The cathedral organ, the work of Christophe Moucherel, dates from the 18th century.

Plan

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Holly Haynes, "Albi Cathedral", Sacred Destinations
  2. ↑ The municipal park in Rochegude has some remains of its cloister arcade.
  3. ↑ Weber, Nicholas. "Albigenses." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 14 Oct. 2013
  4. 1 2 Kurmann, Peter (2010). "Late Gothic Architecture in France and the Netherlands". In Toman, Rolf. Gothic Architecture, Sculpture, Painting. Potsdam: H.F. Ullmann. pp. 162–163. ISBN 978-3-8331-1038-2.
  5. ↑ Cruickshank, Dan, ed. (1996). Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of Architecture (20th ed.). Architectural Press. pp. 432, 443. ISBN 0-7506-2267-9.
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