Arras Cathedral (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: ''Cathédrale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Vaast d'Arras'') is the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

in the city of

Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

is the seat of the

Bishops of Arras The Diocese of Arras (–Boulogne–Saint-Omer) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Atrebatensis (–Bononiena–Audomarensis)''; French: ''Diocèse d'Arras (–Boulogne–Saint-Omer)'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The episcopal s ...

History

When the diocese of Arras was renewed in 1094 with Lambert of Guines as its first bishop, the church of Notre-Dame-en-Cité became its first cathedral. The building, constructed between 1030 and 1396, was one of the most beautiful Gothic structures in northern France. The cathedral was the resting place of Louis de Bourbon, ''Légitimé de France'', a legitimated son of Louis XIV and

Louise de La Vallière Françoise-Louise de La Baume Le Blanc, Duchess of La Vallière and Vaujours (6 August 1644 – 6 June 1710) was a French nobility, French noblewoman and the Royal mistress, mistress of King Louis XIV of France from 1661 to 1667. La Vallière ...

. During the French Revolution, the building was sold on 1 January 1799 to speculators and stripped of valuable fabrics. Three years later, the shell was demolished.

Abbey Church of Saint-Vaast

The church of the former

St. Vaast's Abbey The Abbey of St Vaast () was a Benedictine monastery situated in Arras, ''département'' of Pas-de-Calais, France. History The abbey was founded in 667. Saint Vedast, or Vaast (c. 453–540) was the first Bishop of Arras and was buried in t ...

was rebuilt beginning in 1750 in neoclassical style. The design was chosen by the former abbot of St. Vaast's, the

Cardinal de Rohan Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

, and is of remarkable simplicity. It is 'a very large building, the erection of which was begun in 1755 from plans by

Pierre Contant d'Ivry Pierre Contant d'Ivry (11 May 1698 in Ivry-sur-Seine – 1 October 1777 in Paris), was a French architect and designer working in a chaste and sober Rococo style and in the ''goût grec'' phase of early Neoclassicism. Early career An ''Architecte ...

, the architect who later created designs for the Church of La Madeleine in Paris. The work was interrupted during the Revolution."Notre-Dame de l'Assomption et Saint-Vaast", Open Churches
/ref> After the Revolution, the Abbey Church was designated as to replace the destroyed cathedral in 1804. Work resumed by virtue of a municipal decree dated “Nivôse 27, Year XII”, which ran: “... to erect the edifice, abandoning everything in the original plans connected with decoration and architectural beauty, limiting the work to the requirements of solidity and decency.” The church was finished in accordance with these prescriptions, being completed in 1834. The interior was of plaster-coated brickwork, whilst the columns were of undressed stone, covered with stone-coloured mortar. The capitals were of stucco-work.'

Description

] Arras Cathedral was heavily damaged by shelling in April 1917, during the run-up to the Nivelle offensives of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and subsequently rebuilt in its previous form. A marble statue of the Virgin with Child by

Jean-Pierre Cortot Jean-Pierre Cortot (20 August 1787 – 12 August 1843) was a French neoclassical sculptor. Life Cortot was born and died in Paris. He was educated at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris, and won the Prix de Rome in 1809, residing in the ...

was donated by

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...

. Sculptor

Marcel Gaumont Marcel Gaumont was a French sculptor born on 27 January 1880 in Tours. He died in Paris on 20 November 1962. Biography Gaumont was a pupil at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris and studied under Louis-Ernest Barrias ...

did considerable work on the cathedral. The pulpit depicts Christ amongst his disciples and the four evangelists. He also provided the baptismal font which shows on one side the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, and on the other Saint Vaast blessing a group of people.

Alexandre Descatoire Alexandre Descatoire (22 August 1874 – 7 March 1949) was a French sculptor. Biography Descatoire was born in Douai and was a pupil of André-Louis-Adolphe Laoust. Educated at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Descatoi ...

did the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

. The cathedral is adjacent to the

Musée des beaux-arts d'Arras The Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Arras is located in the old Abbey of St. Vaast in Arras, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. Collection Paintings The museum's collection includes paintings of the Flemish and Dutch schools including Jehan Bell ...

, formerly the Benedictine

Abbey of Saint-Vaast The Abbey of St Vaast () was a Rule of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery situated in Arras, ''département in France, département'' of Pas-de-Calais, France. History The abbey was founded in 667. Saint Vedast, or Vaast (c. 453–540) was ...

References

Sources

* {{Authority control Roman Catholic cathedrals in France Basilica churches in France Churches in Pas-de-Calais Buildings and structures in Arras Monuments historiques of Pas-de-Calais