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Tours Cathedral
Tours Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Saint-Gatien de Tours) is a Roman Catholic church located in Tours, Indre-et-Loire, France. It is the seat of the Archbishops of Tours, the metropolitan cathedral of the Tours ecclesiastical province and is dedicated to Saint Gatianus. Built between 1170 and 1547, the church has been a classified monument historique since 1862 and has been owned by the French State, with the Catholic Church having the exclusive rights of use.
Three earlier cathedrals existed on the same site. The first cathedral, dedicated to Saint Maurice, was built by Bishop Lidorius from 337 to 371 and located at the south end of the bridge over the river Loire, on the road from Paris to the southwestern regions of the country. It burned down in 558, and was rebuilt by the Bishop Gregory of Tours and rededicated in 590. Its location, at the south-west angle of the castrum, or old Roman walls, resulted in the cathedral entrance being part of the old Roman city wall. Beginning in about 1160, another structure built in the Angevin style was begun; it was badly damaged by fire and never finished.
Work recommenced with the choir in about 1220 after receiving financial assistance from Louis IX. The choir and transept were rebuilt between 1240 and the beginning of the 14th century, using portions of the lower walls of the Romanesque structure. At the end of the 14th century, the transept was completed, and the cathedral was re-dedicated in 1356 to Saint Gatianus.
Further work and the construction of the towers were interrupted by the Hundred Years War. The nave was only finished during the 15th century by architects Jean de Dammartin, Jean Papin and Jean Durand, with financial assistance from Charles VII and the Duke of Brittany Jean V. In 1484 the lower portals were completed, and the two new towers were erected just outside the old city walls. The first tower was finished in 1534 and the second in 1547, with French Renaissance features in their crowns.
The very slow construction of the cathedral led to a local saying: "... not until the cathedral is finished", to mean something particularly long and difficult to achieve. It also meant that the building presents a complex pattern of French religious types of architecture from the 13th century to the 16th.
In 1787, responding to Vatican doctrines calling for making interiors of churches more open and welcoming, the jubé, or choir screen, which separated the choir from the nave, was removed. In 1793, during the French Revolution, the church was heavily damaged by Jacobins, who smashed the statues on the church portal. However, unlike other churches in France, the cathedral was spared from complete destruction and functioned as a Temple of Reason until the reign of Napoleon I. In 1848, a small restoration project was done, with portions of the cathedral, including the portal sculpture, restored.
A major restoration of the cathedral began in 1993, beginning with the upper windows. The organ restoration was completed in 1996, followed with the north transept and its rose window in 2010 and 2013. In addition to restoration, two hundred square meters of new windows, dedicated to Saint Martin, were added to cathedral and a new main altar was dedicated in 2018.
The west front of the cathedral displays three different styles of architecture. The lower walls of the towers and the central block of the facade up to the triangular fronton date were built in Romanesque style, and the rest of the front, along with the buttresses, were covered with much more ornate Flamboyant decoration.
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Tours Cathedral
Tours Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Saint-Gatien de Tours) is a Roman Catholic church located in Tours, Indre-et-Loire, France. It is the seat of the Archbishops of Tours, the metropolitan cathedral of the Tours ecclesiastical province and is dedicated to Saint Gatianus. Built between 1170 and 1547, the church has been a classified monument historique since 1862 and has been owned by the French State, with the Catholic Church having the exclusive rights of use.
Three earlier cathedrals existed on the same site. The first cathedral, dedicated to Saint Maurice, was built by Bishop Lidorius from 337 to 371 and located at the south end of the bridge over the river Loire, on the road from Paris to the southwestern regions of the country. It burned down in 558, and was rebuilt by the Bishop Gregory of Tours and rededicated in 590. Its location, at the south-west angle of the castrum, or old Roman walls, resulted in the cathedral entrance being part of the old Roman city wall. Beginning in about 1160, another structure built in the Angevin style was begun; it was badly damaged by fire and never finished.
Work recommenced with the choir in about 1220 after receiving financial assistance from Louis IX. The choir and transept were rebuilt between 1240 and the beginning of the 14th century, using portions of the lower walls of the Romanesque structure. At the end of the 14th century, the transept was completed, and the cathedral was re-dedicated in 1356 to Saint Gatianus.
Further work and the construction of the towers were interrupted by the Hundred Years War. The nave was only finished during the 15th century by architects Jean de Dammartin, Jean Papin and Jean Durand, with financial assistance from Charles VII and the Duke of Brittany Jean V. In 1484 the lower portals were completed, and the two new towers were erected just outside the old city walls. The first tower was finished in 1534 and the second in 1547, with French Renaissance features in their crowns.
The very slow construction of the cathedral led to a local saying: "... not until the cathedral is finished", to mean something particularly long and difficult to achieve. It also meant that the building presents a complex pattern of French religious types of architecture from the 13th century to the 16th.
In 1787, responding to Vatican doctrines calling for making interiors of churches more open and welcoming, the jubé, or choir screen, which separated the choir from the nave, was removed. In 1793, during the French Revolution, the church was heavily damaged by Jacobins, who smashed the statues on the church portal. However, unlike other churches in France, the cathedral was spared from complete destruction and functioned as a Temple of Reason until the reign of Napoleon I. In 1848, a small restoration project was done, with portions of the cathedral, including the portal sculpture, restored.
A major restoration of the cathedral began in 1993, beginning with the upper windows. The organ restoration was completed in 1996, followed with the north transept and its rose window in 2010 and 2013. In addition to restoration, two hundred square meters of new windows, dedicated to Saint Martin, were added to cathedral and a new main altar was dedicated in 2018.
The west front of the cathedral displays three different styles of architecture. The lower walls of the towers and the central block of the facade up to the triangular fronton date were built in Romanesque style, and the rest of the front, along with the buttresses, were covered with much more ornate Flamboyant decoration.
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