Arras Cathedral (
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
: ''Cathédrale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Vaast d'Arras'') is the
Catholic church in the city of
Arras
Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...
,
France. The
cathedral is the seat of the
Bishops of Arras.
History
The original cathedral of Arras, constructed between 1030 and 1396, was one of the most beautiful
Gothic structures in northern France, until it was destroyed in the
French Revolution. The cathedral was the resting place of
Louis de Bourbon, ''Légitimé de France'', a legitimated son of Louis XIV and
Louise de La Vallière.
Abbey Church of Saint-Vaast
The church of the former
St. Vaast's Abbey was rebuilt beginning in 1750 in
neoclassical style. The design was chosen by the former abbot of St. Vaast's, the
Cardinal de Rohan, 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, 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. 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
The Nivelle offensive (16 April – 9 May 1917) was a Franco-British operation on the Western Front in the First World War which was named after General Robert Nivelle, the commander-in-chief of the French metropolitan armies, who led the offens ...
of World War I, 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 Vi ...
was donated by Louis XVIII.
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.[ Alexandre Descatoire did the ]Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...
.
The cathedral is adjacent to the Musée des beaux-arts d'Arras, formerly the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Vaast
The Abbey of St Vaast (french: Abbaye de Saint-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 ...
.
References
{{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