Nîmes Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Castor de Nîmes) 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 let ...

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 * C ...

in Nîmes,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. 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 denominatio ...

is dedicated to the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

and to the local Saint

Castor of Apt Saint Castor of Apt (died ca. 420) was a bishop of Apt, in Gaul. He was born in Nîmes and may have been the brother of Saint Leontius of Fréjus. Castor was a lawyer and married to a wealthy widow. He lived in Marseilles. His wife, however ...

. The cathedral was the seat of the

Bishops of Nîmes 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 ...

until 1877, when the name of the

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

was changed. It is still the seat of their successors the Bishops of Nîmes (–Uzès and Alès). The cathedral is believed to stand on the site of the former temple of

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

. It is partly Romanesque and partly Gothic in style.

Sources

Catholic Hierarchy: Diocese of Nîmes

External links

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060723193310/http://www.andygilham.com/nimes/nimes%20076.jpg Photo of the cathedral
Portal for The Regordane Way
(in English and French) Roman Catholic cathedrals in France Basilica churches in France Churches in Gard Buildings and structures in Nîmes Tourist attractions in Nîmes {{France-RC-cathedral-stub