Saint-Omer Cathedral (''Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Saint-Omer'') 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 ...

former

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 ...

, a

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

, and a national monument of

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 ...

, located in

Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; vls, Sint-Omaars) is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Saint Audomar, ...

. It was formerly the seat of the

Bishop of Saint-Omer The former French Catholic diocese of Saint-Omer existed from 1559 until the French Revolution. Its see at Saint-Omer, in the modern department of Pas-de-Calais, was created as a reaction to the destruction of the see of Thérouanne, by military ...

, but the see was not restored after the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, being instead absorbed into the

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

under the

Concordat of 1801 The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII, signed on 15 July 1801 in Paris. It remained in effect until 1905, except in Alsace-Lorraine, where it remains in force. It sought national reconciliation b ...

. The church is still commonly referred to as the "cathedral" however.

History

Originally a modest chapel from the 7th century, the church was built on the site around 1052. It was damaged around 1200 by a fire. The choir, the ambulatory and the radiant chapels were then rebuilt, and in 1263 the transept was built. Work progressed slowly and spread from the 13th to the 16th century. Afterwards the church became collegiate. The southern transept was extended from 1375 to 1379, and the nave was rebuilt. The lateral chapels of the nave date from 1386 to 1403. The oldest chapels were built in the south. The central nave was completed only in 1473, and its vaults in 1506. From 1449 to 1472, Jehan de Meldre, prime contractor, proceeded to extend the north cross-section of the transept. At that time the tower to the west which had remained Romanesque was consolidated and enhanced. From 1473 to 1521, the western tower was built around the Romanesque tower. It was re-dressed and decorated in the style of the abbey church of Saint-Bertin (built between 1431 and 1500). The sculptures of the western portal were realized from 1511 to 1515, by the sculptors of Bruges Jean and Josse Van der Poele. The arrow above the crossing dates from 1486. In 1553, the nearby town of Thérouanne, where the bishopric of Artois was located, was totally razed by the troops of Charles V, during a conflict which opposed it to the King of France Henry II. Salt was symbolically spread over the city floor. In the years that followed, it was decided to share the diocese of Thérouanne, in order to respect the borders between the kingdom of France and the Spanish Netherlands. Thus was created in 1559 the diocese of Saint-Omer and the collegiate Notre-Dame became cathedral in 1561.

External links

Location of the cathedral

Saint-Omer Cathedral
at
The Planet's Cathedrals
' Roman Catholic cathedrals in France Churches in Pas-de-Calais Basilica churches in France Saint-Omer Monuments historiques of Pas-de-Calais {{France-RC-cathedral-stub