Périgueux Cathedral
| Périgueux Cathedral Cathédrale Saint-Front de Périgueux | |
|---|---|
 St. Front's Cathedral, Périgueux | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Catholic Church |
| Province | Bishop of Périgueux and Sarlat |
| Region | Dordogne |
| Rite | Latin |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Cathedral |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Périgueux, France |
| Geographic coordinates | 45°11′1″N 0°43′22″E / 45.18361°N 0.72278°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | church |
| Style | Romanesque |
| Groundbreaking | 10th century |
| Completed | 19th century |
Périgueux Cathedral is a Catholic church located in the city of Périgueux, France. A cathedral since 1669,[1] it is dedicated to Saint Front (French: Cathédrale Saint-Front de Périgueux). The cathedral's predecessor, still in operation as a church, is dedicated to Saint Stephen (French: Cathédrale Saint-Étienne-de-la-Cité de Périgueux).
The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Périgueux and Sarlat, as the diocese has been known since 1854. It is part of the World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.
Saint Front
[edit]The cathedral owes its name to Saint Front, the first bishop of Périgueux. According to the "Vie de Saint Front", he lived in the fourth century, was ordained in Rome, and came to evangelize the Perigord.[2] He was buried near his hermitage, just outside the Roman city of Vesunna.[3]
History
[edit]A chapel was first built on the site in the 4th or 5th century. In 976 the Bishop Frotaire had the Abbey of Saint-Front constructed on the site of the church. The abbey was consecrated in 1047. Its vaulted choir housed the tomb of Saint Front, which was sculpted in 1077 by Guimaunond, a monk of the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu. This tomb was decorated with numerous precious stones and sculptures, notably an angel with a halo made of pieces of glass and is now kept in the Périgord Museum.
The abbey burned in 1120. Only part of the church and part of the Romanesque cloister on the south side remain.[4]
The buildings are located in the centre of Périgueux and Saint Front Cathedral has been classed as a French Historical Monument (monument historique) since 1840. The Saint Front Cathedral was rebuilt by architect Paul Abadie from 1852 to 1895.[3] Only the bell tower and the crypts, both from the 12th century, were left from the previous structures.
The cathedral is part of the World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France since 1998.
Architecture
[edit]
The Saint Front Cathedral was designed on the model of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice. The layout of the cathedral is in the form of a Greek cross.[5] Its five domes with turrets show a direct architectural relationship with oriental religious buildings, which served as inspiration for the architects of Saint-Front Cathedral. The domes of Saint-Front Cathedral were once different in size, but were redesigned by architect Paul Abadie to have one size, and to be symmetrical. The pillars carrying the load of the superstructure are 6 meters wide. The domes are inaccessible to the public.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Périgueux Cathedral, Périgueux, France", CurateND
- ^ "Abbey of Saint-Front", The Pilgrim's Guide to Santiago de Compostela, tr. (Paula Gerson et al, translators), London, 1998, II, 49
- ^ a b :The Cathedral", Grand Périgueux Tourist Office
- ^ Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Périgueux". Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Jun. 2017
- ^ "Cathédrale St-Front", Frommer's
Sources
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. Front's Cathedral, Périgueux.
| Province of Besançon | |
|---|---|
| Province of Bordeaux | |
| Province of Clermont | |
| Province of Dijon | |
| Province of Lille | |
| Province of Lyon | |
| Province of Marseille | |
| Province of Montpellier | |
| Province of Paris | |
| Province of Poitiers | |
| Province of Reims | |
| Province of Rennes | |
| Province of Rouen | |
| Province of Toulouse | |
| Province of Tours | |
| Province of Martinique | |
| Province of Papeete | |
| Province of Noumea | |
| Directly under Holy See | |
| Ordinariate for Eastern Catholics | |
| See also | |
Basilicas of France | ||
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| France |
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| Paris Route or Via Turonensis |
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| Vézelay Route or Via Lemovicensis |
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| Le Puy Route or Via Podiensis |
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| Arles Route or Via Tolasana |
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| International | |
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