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General Information

Name in local language: Cathédrale Saint-Paul-Aurélien
Other name(s): Saint-Paul-Aurélien Church
Beginning of works: 12th century
Completion: 16th century
Status: in use

Project Type

Structure: Quadripartite rib vault
Function / usage: original use:
Cathedral
current use:
Church
Material: Masonry structure
Architectural style: Gothic

Awards and Distinctions

Location

Location: , , ,
Coordinates: 48° 41' 5.77" N    3° 59' 10.30" W
Show coordinates on a map

Technical Information

Dimensions

interior length 84 m
nave height 16 m
towers height 55 m

Excerpt from Wikipedia

Paul Aurelian Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Paul-Aurélien) was a Roman Catholic cathedral, now basilica, in Saint-Pol-de-Léon, in France . Saint-Pol-de-Léon (Breton:Kastell-Paol) is a commune in the Finistère department in Brittany in north-western France. It is noted for the 13th-century cathedral which stands on the site of the original church founded by Saint Paul Aurélien in the 6th century and the Notre-Dame du Kreisker Chapel, with its 80-metre-high spire, the highest in Brittany. It was also the scene of the a battle during the Breton War of Succession, where the Montfortists and their English allies defeated an army led by Charles of Blois.

History

It was formerly the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Pol-de-Léon, a bishopric established in the 6th century but abolished under the Concordat of 1801, when its territory was transferred to the Diocese of Quimper.

It is dedicated to its 6th-century founder, the first bishop Saint Paul Aurelian. He was originally from Wales and is considered to have been the first bishop of the Léon area. We know something of Aurélien's life thanks to a manuscript written in 884 by a Landévennec monk. Paul Aurélien was born in Wales in around 490, and educated at the Saint Iltud school. He was ordained as a priest and in 525 left Wales for the continent with a dozen companions. He landed at the Ile d'Ouessant and preached along the north Finistère coast up to the Île de Batz. According to legend, he helped free the Île de Batz from a dragon which was terrorising the local population.

The cathedral replaced an earlier romanesque basilica founded by Bishop Haman and was built in various stages. The nave, west façade and the south porch date to the 13th century and the bishopric of Bishop Desilon, whilst the choir and transept date to the early 15th century. The building was completed in the second half of the 16th century.

Built on the site of an ancient Roman church, some vestiges of which still exist. This great monument has been constructed in several stages. The present building, however, although on the same site, was built in the 13th century (with later additions). The facade with its two high towers and the remarkable nave from the 13th century made of limestone from Caen demonstrate the stylistic and economical heritage from Normandy. The western façade and the south porch date back from the 13th century whereas the chancel (choir made of granite) and the transept are from the beginning of the 15th century. The cathedral was completed in the second half of the 16th century (the ambulatory and the southern chapel). It also has an ensemble which is almost unique in Brittany.

The 50-metre spires are from the end of the 14th century. In the 16th century, side chapels gave it its definitive stature. The cathedral is 80 metres long in total, 16-metre height under the vaults and 44 metres wide with the transepts.

In the north tower, there are three bells which date from more than three centuries ago, including the oldest bourden bell in Brittany, which weights more than 2 tonnes, and was cast in 1563.

The cathedral represented the seven parishes of Minihy-Léon which in 1698 were the Crucifix de la ville, Notre-Dame de Cahel, Saint-Jean de la ville or Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Toussaints, Saint-Pierre, Crucifix des Champs and Saint-Jean l'Evangéliste or Trégondern. Amongst the many altars in the cathedral are altars dedicated to each of these parishes. In 1901 the cathedral was designated the "Basilique Mineure de l'Annonciation".

Brief overview of the cathedral's main features

Beyond its great architectural significance, the cathedral shelters a multitude of unusual artistic curiosities.

  • The great organ in the cathedral built between 1657 and 1660 by the English refugees Robert and Thomas Dallam. It is composed of 2118 pipes and is a listed monument.
  • A 16th-century oak stall.
  • Various relics including Paul Aurélien's Celtic bell, one of the oldest Carolingian bells in Brittany and, in a crystal tube, a thorn from Christ's crown.
  • 32 boxes containing skulls, a reminder of the custom in use until the 19th century, which involved exhuming skeletons from the cemetery after five years in order to make room for the new deceased. The bones were carefully laid in the charnel house and the skulls were locked in small pierced boxes. These were then handed over to the deceased's families, many of whom chose to have the boxes put on display in the cathedral.
  • The stone (tomb) of Marie-Amice Picard which contains the remains of one of the most extraordinary figures of the history of mysticism. She died in 1652, and in her day she has attracted the attention of some of the greatest European minds. She survived 17 years without taking any food and was eventually to suffer martyrdom.
  • A Roman sarcophagus which is thought to be the sepulture of Conan Mériadec, first Christian king of Brittany, who died in 421.
  • The ciborium containing the Holy Eucharist. It is located above the high altar, it has the shape of a palm tree which traditionally symbolised both eternity and the resurrection. There are three similar ciboriums in France (in Amiens, Reims and Saint-Germain).

The cathedral exterior

The cathedral façade is dominated by two polygonal unsymmetrical towers with a height nearing 50 metres. Above the central door is a terrace which enabled the bishop to address a crowd and give blessings and under the right-hand tower is a small door used in the Middle Ages as an entrance for lepers

The south portal and porch

Not as deep as the usual porch, the south porch is decorated with statues of John the Evangelist and saint Simon carved by the Yves Hernot workshop in the 19th century on one side and saint Andrew and saint Peter carved by Guy Pavec in 1980 on the other. It leads to double doors which give access to the cathedral. In the trumeau between the two doors is a statue of Christ giving a blessing ("Christ Sauveur du Monde") and in the tympanum over the doors is a statue of the Virgin Mary, Between the two doors leading into the cathedral there is also a stoup with the coat of arms of the Lomérals of Plounéventer. Beneath the statue of the Virgin Mary and on the left are the coat of arms of Monseigneur Ferron and on the right the Validire arms and their motto "Quem timebo, time deum". Monseigneur Validire was the Bishop of Léon from 1427 to 1432.

The cathedral interior

Near the south portal and inside the cathedral are two stoups. The stoup on the right bears the arms of Monseigneur Robert Cupif (1639-1646) and at the bottom has the inscription "In nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti". That on the left is decorated with carvings of frogs, lizards and eels. Also in this area is a sarcophagus thought to date back to the 11th century and believed by some historians to be the grave of Conan Meriadoc the first Christian king of Brittany. This sarcophagus is 2.34 metres in length and is decorated with many carvings including that of a tree without leaves a traditional image of death.

Text imported from Wikipedia article "Saint-Pol-de-Léon Cathedral" and modified on 23 July 2019 under the CC-BY-SA 3.0 license.

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  • About this
    data sheet
  • Structure-ID
    20026177
  • Published on:
    16/02/2007
  • Last updated on:
    13/09/2023
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