General Information
| Name in local language: | Cathédrale Saint Maurice de Vienne |
|---|---|
| Beginning of works: | 11th century |
| Completion: | 16th century |
| Status: | in use |
Project Type
| Structure: |
Rib vault |
|---|---|
| Function / usage: |
Cathedral |
| Material: |
Masonry structure |
| Architectural style: |
Romanesque Gothic |
Awards and Distinctions
| 1840 |
for registered users |
|---|
Location
| Location: |
Vienne, Isère (38), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: | 45° 31' 27" N 4° 52' 24" E |
Technical Information
Dimensions
| width | 33 m | |
| interior length | 90 m | |
| nave | height of vaults of main aisle | 25 m |
Chronology
| End of the 4th century | Construction of the episcopal group. |
|---|---|
| 887 | The King of Bourgogne and Provence, Boson, is buried in the cathedral. |
| 11th century | The cathedral is reconstructed by the archbishop Léger (1030-1070). |
| 1130 — 1160 | New reconstruction campaign in the Romanesque style. |
| 13th century | Bishop Jean de Bernin (1218-1266) continues the works. |
| 20 April 1251 | Pope Innocent IV consecrates the cathedral which is dedicated to Saint Maurice. |
| 13th century | Construction progresses: Triforium, upper clerestory, vaults over the central aisle of the nave, portals of the western façade, lateral chapels. |
| 16th century | The nave and the western façade are completed. |
| 20 March 1561 | Protestants destroy the statues on the western façade. |
|
March 1562
— June 1562 |
Protestants shoot at the cathedral. |
| 17 October 1567 | Renewed damage by protestants. |
| 1869 | A fire damages the northern tower. |
Excerpt from Wikipedia
Vienne Cathedral (French:Cathédrale Saint-Maurice de Vienne) is a medieval Roman Catholic church in the city of Vienne, France. Dedicated to Saint Maurice, it was the epicopal see of the primate of the ancient Septem Provinciae and of the Archdiocese of Vienne until ist abolition confirmed by the Concordat of 1801. It today serves as co-cathedral of the Diocese of Grenoble-Vienne. The present-day building, erected from 1130 onwards, was classified a French national heritage site (monument historique) in the list of historic monuments of 1840.
Construction history
Mentioned as the burial place of the Burgundian king Boso of Provence in 887, no traces are left from the former church buildings at the site. Construction works at Vienne Cathedral are documented under the tenure of Archbishop Léger from 1030 to 1070; on 9 February 1119, Archbishop Guy of Burgundy was crowned Pope here (as Callixtus II).
The construction of the preserved church was begun in a Late Romanesque style about 1130. Built over a long period, Gothic modifications and extensions were carried out until ist consecration by Pope Innocent IV on 20 April 1251. From 16 October 1311, Pope Clement V convened the Council of Vienne, where the clergy resolved upon the dissolution of the Knights Templar. The facade was added in the 16th century, with the capstone ceremony held in 1529.
The present-day building is a basilica, with three aisles and an apse, but no ambulatory or transepts, 315 feet in length, 118 feet wide and 89 feet in height. The most striking portion is the west front, which rises majestically from a terrace overhanging the Rhône. However, the sculptural decoration was badly damaged by plundering Huguenot forces under Baron François de Beaumont in 1562, during the French Wars of Religion.
In the wake of the French Revolution, the Vienne archdiocese was dissolved and the former cathedral became a plain parish church, while the surrounding premises temporarily served as barns or barracks and eventually were demolished. The episcopal territory was transferred mostly to the Diocese of Grenoble, while the title was added first to that of the Archbishops of Lyon, known between 1822 and 2006 as the Archbishops of Lyon-Vienne, and then from 2006 to that of the Bishops of Grenoble, now known as the Bishops of Grenoble-Vienne.
Text imported from Wikipedia article "Vienne Cathedral" and modified on July 23, 2019 according to the CC-BY-SA 4.0 International license.
Participants
Currently there is no information available about persons or companies having participated in this project.
Relevant Web Sites
Relevant Publications
- (1972): L'ancienne cathédrale Saint-Maurice de Vienne. Presented at: Session. Congrès archéologique de France vol. 130 (1972), pp. 508-553.
- : Dauphiné roman. Editions Zodiaque, Saint-Léger-Vauban (France).
- (1997): Les plus belles cathédrales de France. Sélection du Readers Digest, Paris (France), pp. 128-131.
- About this
data sheet - Structure-ID
20005250 - Published on:
21/09/2002 - Last updated on:
25/08/2022
