Meaux Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Meaux) 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 ...

in the town of

Meaux Meaux () is a commune on the river Marne in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is east-northeast of the centre of Paris. Meaux is, with Provins, Torcy and Fontainebleau, ...

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 ...

. It is located in the department of

Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Marne () is a Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne (river), Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square ...

, east of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. 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 ...

is a national monument, and is the seat of the

Bishop of Meaux The Roman Catholic Diocese of Meaux (Latin: ''Dioecesis Meldensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Meaux'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the entire department of Seine-et-Marne. It was suff ...

History

Construction of the cathedral began about 1170, when a structure in Romanesque style was started, on the site of a previous Church of Saint Stephen. Around 1269, a complete reconstruction was undertaken by Bishop Jean de Poincy. Defects in the original design and construction had to be corrected in the 13th century, in which the architect Gautier de Vainfroy was much involved. He had to remove the previous cathedral almost totally and start a new structure in Gothic style. It's chief patroness was Queen

Joan I of Navarre Joan I (14 January 1273 – 31 March/2 April 1305) ( eu, Joana) was Queen of Navarre and Countess of Champagne from 1274 until 1305; she was also Queen of France by marriage to King Philip IV. She founded the College of Navarre in Paris in 1305. ...

. In the later 13th century work was often interrupted due to lack of funds, a problem removed by the generosity of Charles IV in the early 14th century. Further progress was interrupted by the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

and occupation by the English. Unfortunately, soft stone was used and parts of the exterior have eroded.O'Reilly, Elizabeth Boyle. ''How France Built Her Cathedrals'', Harper & Brothers, 1921, p. 165 et seq
/ref> Carvings throughout the church were mutilated by the Huguenots in 1562, and from that date no further work was done on the building. One tower remains stunted. A tall spire over the transept fell into ruin and was removed in 1610. The archives of the diocese were destroyed in 1793 – 1794, thus deleting much knowledge about the early history of the church. The composer

Pierre Moulu Pierre Moulu (1484?c. 1550) was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance who was active in France, probably in Paris. Life Little is known of his life, but internal evidence in his compositions indicates he was probably at the French royal cha ...

worked at the cathedral in the early 16th century. Because of its construction period, the design of the cathedral encompasses several periods of

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It e ...

. The cathedral rises to a height of 48 meters; inside, the vaults at the choir rise to 33 meters. The interior ornamentation is noted for its smoothness, and the space for its overall luminosity. The cathedral contains a famous organ, built in the 17th century. In September 1916, on the second anniversary of the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...

a service of thanksgiving was held. celebrating the French victory.''The Illustrated War News'', Volume 2, Illustrated London News and Sketch, 1916, p. 25
/ref>

Burials

Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet Jacques-Bénigne Lignel Bossuet (; 27 September 1627 – 12 April 1704) was a French bishop and theologian, renowned for his sermons and other addresses. He has been considered by many to be one of the most brilliant orators of all time and a m ...

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Louis Pierre Joseph Cornet (31 October 1923 - 11 September 2006) *

Marie of France, Countess of Champagne Marie of France (1145 – 11 March 1198) was a French princess who became Countess of Champagne by marriage to Henry I, Count of Champagne. She was regent of the county of Champagne three times: during the absence of her spouse between 1179 and 1 ...

Saint Fiacre Saint Fiacre ( ga, Fiachra, la, Fiacrius) is the name of three different Irish saints, the most famous of which is Saint Fiacre of Breuil (c. AD 600 – 18 August 670), the Catholic priest, abbot, hermit, and gardener of the seventh century w ...

File:Meaux (77), cathédrale Saint-Étienne, monument commémoratif de Bossuet (1820) 2.jpg, monument commémoratif de Bossuet (1820) File:Meaux (77), cathédrale Saint-Étienne, groupe sculpté - la Visitation 4.jpg, la Visitation File:Tombe de Bossuet Cathédrale de Meaux 140708.jpg, Tomb of Bossuet File:Meaux Vitrail 1869 Ste Cécile.jpg, Ste Cécile, 1869

References

Sources

* ''Dictionnaire des églises de France, Belgique, Luxembourg, Suisse'' (Tome IV-D). pp. 104–106. Robert Laffont: Paris. * Esquieu, Yves, 1994: ''Quartier cathédral''. Rempart / Desclée de Brouwer: Paris. {{Authority control Roman Catholic cathedrals in France Churches in Seine-et-Marne Basilica churches in France

History

Burials

See also

References

Sources