Évreux Cathedral
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Évreux Cathedral, otherwise the Cathedral of Our Lady of Évreux (), is a
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 ...
located in
Évreux Évreux () is a commune in and the capital of the department of Eure, in the French region of Normandy. History Antiquity In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century AD, was named '' Mediolanum Aulercorum'', "the central town ...
,
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
,
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 a
national monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...
and is the seat of the Bishop of Évreux.


Building description

The cathedral is devoted to Notre-Dame at Evreux, which is 80 km west of Paris. Built in the 10th century, the nave retains the semi-circular arcades from the Romanesque period. Part of the lower portion of the nave dates from the 11th century. A fire in 1119 destroyed much of the earlier building. Master of the work in 1253 was Gautier de Varinfroy, who also worked on ''Saint-Étienne de Meaux''. Varinfroy worked on the upper levels of the nave. The west façade, with its two towers, is mostly from the late 16th century. The north tower is the bell tower. Its foundation is said to have been laid in 1392, and to have been finished in 1417. Various styles of the intervening period are represented in the rest of the church. The elaborate north
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
and portal are in the late Gothic
flamboyant Flamboyant () is a lavishly-decorated style of Gothic architecture that appeared in France and Spain in the 15th century, and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century and the beginning of the Renaissance.Encyclopedia Britannica, "Flamboyant style ...
style; the
choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
, the finest part of the interior, is in an earlier Gothic architectural style. Jean Balue, bishop of Évreux in the second half of the 15th century, constructed the octagonal central tower, with its elegant spire. In August 1465, King Louis XI granted Bishop Balue a subsidy from the ''
gabelle The ''gabelle'' () was a very unpopular French salt tax that was established during the mid-14th century and lasted, with brief lapses and revisions, until 1946. The term ''gabelle'' is derived from the Italian ''gabella'' (a duty), itself orig ...
'' to allow him to resume work on the restoration of the cathedral, which had begun under the patronage of Charles VII but which had ceased from lack of funds. To Balue is also due the
Lady chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British English, British term for a chapel dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church (building), church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chape ...
, which is remarkable for its finely preserved
stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
. Two
rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...
s in the transepts and the carved wooden screens of the side chapels are masterpieces of 16th-century workmanship. The windows also picture important figures of the time. For example, the Virgin Mary, patron saints, powerful Norman figures, and influential royal figures. Two styles of these windows incorporate different meanings that are very influential. The stained windows that are more elegant and perfectly modeled embody the contemporary paintings that are showcased in Paris. While the more flat, decorative, and detailed windows embody the monuments of the 14th-century Norman glass paintings. The bishop's palace, a building of the 15th century, adjoins the south side of the cathedral. A thorough restoration was completed in 1896. The stained glass windows were destroyed during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
but were restored by Jean-Jacques Grüber in 1953. The spire, called "Clocher d’Argent", rises to a height of 78m after its reconstruction after being bombed during the Second World War. A wooden octagonal belfry and spire surmounting the south-west tower was not restored and is missing.


The organ

The new organ was built in 2006 by the Atelier Quoirin of Saint-Didier,
organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...
builders, and contains around 4000
pipes Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to: Objects * Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules ** Piping, the use of pipes in industry * Smoking pipe ** Tobacco pipe * Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circu ...
. The inaugural concerts have been given by famous
organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...
s, such as
Thierry Escaich Thierry Joseph-Louis Escaich (born 8 May 1965) is a French organist and composer. Life Born in Nogent-sur-Marne, Escaich studied organ, improvisation and composition at the Conservatoire de Paris (CNSMDP), where he won eight First Prizes a ...
, Pierre Pincemaille or
André Isoir André Jean-Marie Isoir (20 July 1935 – 20 July 2016) was a French organist and pedagogue. Biography André Isoir was born in 1935 in Saint-Dizier in Grand Est, France. Isoir studied with Édouard Souberbielle (organ) and Germaine Mounier (p ...
.


Design

This building is a 7-bay aisled nave that faces the west with twin towers in a post-medieval style. The plan is in a cross-style layout with a northern transept arm in a Gothic style with vaulted spaces at each end, one to the west and one to the south. Next to the transept arm, is a trapezoidal shape followed by three bays that protrude out that include aisles and chapels. When it comes to the interior, there is only one entrance to the building. Looking inside, there are semicircular arches in the Norman style, except for the moldings. There are oak screens that section off the chapels located in the cathedral. The Virgin Chapel is the biggest one of the other chapels in the cathedral, with its dimensions equaling the size of other chapels in France at the time. The nave in the cathedral has three stories, which each has specific design elements. The main level has columns that separate the bays, and the level has a rib-vaulted ceiling. The second level is a triforium where the organ resides and has interlaced arches. Some of the bays on this floor have cusped arches, which were designed by Gauthier de Varinfroy. Clerestory windows can be seen on this level with "Parisian" tracery and above, rib vaults. Later, the rib vaults were causing problems which Louis XI rebuilt under his supervision.


Gallery

File:Evreux_Cathédrale_R02.jpg, General view from the Iton river File:Normandie Eure Evreux2 tango7174.jpg, The Gothic choir File:Portail transept nord cathédrale d'Évreux.JPG, File:Normandie Eure Evreux3 tango7174.jpg, The octagonal central tower File:Normandie Eure Evreux4 tango7174.jpg, The walnut pulpit, sculpted by the monk Guillaume de la Tremblaye, 1675 File:Organ in Evreux Cathedral.JPG, The new organ


See also

*
History of medieval Arabic and Western European domes The early domes of the Middle Ages, particularly in those areas recently under Byzantine Empire, Byzantine control, were an extension of earlier Roman architecture. The domed church architecture of Italy from the sixth to the eighth centuries fol ...


References


Sources


Catholic Hierarchy: Evreux

Photos of Evreux Cathedral


External links

* High-resolution 360° Panorama and Images o
Évreux Cathedral , Art Atlas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evreux Cathedral Churches in Eure Roman Catholic cathedrals in France