Le Havre Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame du Havre) is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

was previously a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, and is the oldest of the very few buildings in central Le Havre to have survived the devastation of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It became a cathedral and the seat of the

Bishop of Le Havre The Roman Catholic Diocese of Le Havre (Latin: ''Dioecesis Portus Gratiae''; French: ''Diocèse du Havre'') is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected in 1974, the episcopal see is Le Havre Cathedral in the city of Le Havre. T ...

in 1974, when the diocese of Le Havre was created. The belltower dates from around 1520 and the main façade is

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

. The building was kept unusually low because of the difficulties posed by the unstable ground. The fine church organs were the gift of the

Cardinal de Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...

in 1637, when he was governor of the town. Image:Notre Dame du Havre, Interior View.jpg, Le Havre Cathedral interior Image:LeHavreCathedrale3.JPG, Le Havre Cathedral

Sources

Catholic Hierarchy: Diocese of Le Havre
Churches in Seine-Maritime Buildings and structures in Le Havre Roman Catholic cathedrals in France Baroque church buildings in France {{France-RC-cathedral-stub