Rodez Cathedral

Rodez Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rodez) is a Roman Catholic church located in town of Rodez, in the department of Aveyron in the Occitanie region of Southern France. The cathedral is a national monument and is the seat of the Bishopric of Rodez. The west front, of a military appearance and without a portal, formerly was part of the city wall of Rodez. Notable elements include a Flamboyant Gothic and Renaissance tower (17th century), and a Renaissance rood screen and choir stalls (17th century). The cathedral is said to have influenced the construction of other major European Gothic cathedrals, most notably St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. History Rodez was Christianized in the 4th–5th century AD, and the first mention of a simple basilica-like church on the grounds of the current structure dates from the Merovingian period around the 4th century, constructed on the site of a Roman Pagan temple. Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the church was later destroyed by Visigothic invaders before being rebuilt and reconsecrated around 506 by Sidonius Apollinaris with the translation of Amans' relics. In 516, Bishop Saint Dalmatius began constructing a cathedral on the site of the current one, dedicating it to Notre-Dame even as the site endured further invasions, including pillaging by Saracens in 725. In need of an expansion to accommodate the growing town, the cathedral was completely rebuilt as a Romanesque basilica in 1000. On 16 February 1276, the bell tower and choir roof of the early church collapsed due to multiple structural failures and the structure was deemed a total loss. Reconstruction of the current building began on May 25, 1277, with the project led by architect Jean Deschamps who had previously worked on Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral. The cathedral's design was constructed in a Rayonnant Gothic style, influenced by Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral and Limoges Cathedral, visible in features such as the blind arcades of the triforium and the strong sense of verticality. The first four-part rib vaults of the choir were quickly installed, giving it a height of thirty meters, and the first chapel on the north side was finished in 1338. Between 1366 and 1386 a new tower was also constructed at the northeast corner of the cathedral, crowned with a spire of wood covered with lead. However, the timbers of the tower burned and destroyed the upper levels and remained unfinished for more than a century. By the early 14th century, progress advanced to the transept and the nave, although work slowed significantly due to outbreaks of Black Death in 1348 and 1460 and the disruptions of the Hundred Years' War. In the 16th century, thanks to the efforts of Bishops Francois D'Estaing and Georges d'Armagnac who raised funds for further construction, work resumed. The vaults of the nave were finally finished, and a new tower was constructed upon the two levels of the earlier tower. The new tower, the work of the master mason Antoine Salvanh, was built between 1501 and 1529. The upper portions of the completed tower incorporated both Flamboyant Gothic features and elements of French Renaissance and Baroque architecture. Following the French Revolution, the cathedral was closed and was used as a storage depot for gunpowder, before it was returned to the Church in the early 19th century. Between 1792–98, Pierre Méchain and Jean-Baptiste Delambre used Rodez Cathedral as the central surveying point for their calculation of the circumference of the earth, which was a major contribution to the definition of the metre. Unlike other heavily targeted structures in northern and eastern France such as Reims, Rodez remained completely untouched from aerial bombing and artillery fire during World War I and World War II. In 2003, Swiss artist Stéphane Belzère was commissioned to create a set of stained glass panels. Plans Exterior The construction of the church began in about 1277, and commenced with the chevet, at the east end, flanked by an imposing square tower on the north side, which was built up only two levels. Construction of the unfinished work resumed in the 16th century when Francois d'Estaing completed the north tower with a Flamboyant bell tower 87 meters high. The west front, with its own flamboyant decoration, was completed by Georges d'Armagnac between 1500 and 1562. West Front The lower portion of the west front at Rodez, the traditional entrance to Gothic cathedrals, is flat and plain, with narrow slit windows for defense and no large portal. It originally extended outside the city wall, and large doors or windows were avoided to prevent access by the attackers to the city. The lower are made of reddish sandstone, in the Gothic style of northern France. The upper levels of the west front were constructed between 1500 and 1562 by Bishop Georges d'Armagnac. The upper central vessel of the nave has a large rose window, while the two unfinished towers on either side are decorated with engaged columns. Above the rose window is a fronton in the new Renaissance style, the work of Jean Salvanh. Tower The highly flamboyant north bell tower, 87 meters high, is placed on the north side of the tower. It was commissioned by Bishop Francois D'Estaing and completed in `1526 by master builder Antoine Salvanh. The tower is topped by a lantern which in turn is crowned by a statue of the Virgin Mary surrounded by four angels. Bells Rodez Cathedral has 12 bells in total in the tower. 9 of which are placed inside the bell tower in a wooden belfry and named after a Saint. They were cast by Morel in 1851 and installed in the bell tower in 1853, forming a C major scale. The largest bell or bourdon is equipped with a system allowing to be rung by foot. A 10th bell is located at the top of the bell tower, imprisoned in a pinnacle located on the summit terrace of the bell tower, it was cast in 1523, which was the clock bell (silent brass today). An 11th bell is located almost directly above the transept at the level of the roof of the church, Marie (called "the Mandarelle") was formerly used to ring the elevation. Finally, a 12th silent bell is also located in a window of the southwest tower, installed in 1847, still equipped with its wheel and wooden yoke. The ringing is sometimes incomplete due to the haphazard handling of the ringing control box. The transept and portals Since the west front of the cathedral extended just outside the city walls, it did not have the traditional large portal on the west front. Instead, the entrances to the cathedral were on the north and south sides. In the sixteen century, A transept was constructed at the meeting point between the nave and choir, which reached out to the east and west and had very elaborate portals, topped by filled with sculpture, and further decorated with gables and pinnacles. Flamboyant rose windows were placed over the portals on the north and south transept. Much of the sculpture was smashed during the French Revolution, but other elements survived and were restored. Interior Nave and Choir The nave and choir of the church are 101.57 meters long, 36.89 meters wide at the transept, and 30 meters high in the nave. The nave and choir are constructed with three levels, following the design of Ile-de-France cathedrals; massive pillars on the ground floor; a narrow triforium or passage above; and upper walls filled with windows. Slender columns run up the walls from the arcade pillars to support the four-part rib vaults. Chapels The cathedral has a group of radiating chapels within the apse, at the east end, accessed by a semicircular passage or deambulatory. It also has a group of chapels placed alongside the nave. The Chapel of Reconciliation has Renaissance decoration preserved from other parts of the buildings. Art and Decoration Rodez Cathedral is one of the few Gothic churches that retains a jubé or rood screen, placed between the choir and the nave. Most French rood screens were removed during the Renaissance, in response to a Vatican change in church doctrine intended to make the interior of churches more open and accessible to lay parishioners. The rood screen was installed in 1478, under Bishop Bertrandt de Chalencon. In the 19th century, the choir screen lost most of its elaborate sculpture but otherwise was moved intact to its present location in the north transept. The choir stalls were also installed in 1478, and display a rich assortment of carved decorations, particularly on the misercordiae, the folding seats against which the clergy could find support when they were required to stand for long periods of time. They are decorated with carved Biblical figures and scenes. Stained glass The cathedral has a mixture of early windows, 19th-century windows, and a series of modern windows depicting, among others, the subjects, the creation of the Elements. In some windows, early glass has been combined with more modern settings. Organ The great organ is one of the famous features of the cathedral. The buffet was constructed in 1628 by Raymond Gusmond of Périgueux to house an organ built by Antoine Vernholles of Poitiers. The instrument was rebuilt in 1676 by Jean de Joyeuse, rebuilt again in 1902 by Charles Anneessens, then rebuilt once again in 1986 by Jean-Georges & Yves Koenig, who returned it to the form it had had under de Joyeuse. Both the buffet and the instrument itself are protected in the list of French historic monuments. See also Jean Salvanh Antoine Salvanh List of Gothic Cathedrals in Europe French Gothic architecture References Bibliography Le Guide du Patrimoine en France (in French). Éditions du Patrimoine, Centre des Monuments Nationaux. 2002. ISBN 978-2-85822-760-0. Lours, Mathieu (2018). Dictionnaire des Cathédrales (in French). Éditions Jean-Paul Gisserot. ISBN 978-2755-807653. External links Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rodez at Structurae. La Cathédrale Notre-Dame et l'orgue, Rodez (France) - musiqueorguequebec.ca Visite virtuelle de la cathédrale de Rodez. Visite de la Cathédrale - Paroisse Notre Dame de l'Assomption - Rodez - Aveyron (12)