Sées Cathedral () is a
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
church and
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 ...
of
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 ...
in
Sées
Sées () is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France. It is classed as a Petite Cité de Caractère.
Geography
The commune is spread over an area of with a maximum altitude of and minimum of
It lies on the river Orne fr ...
(formerly also Séez) in
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 ...
. It is the seat of the
Bishop of Séez.
The cathedral was declared a
basilica minor
Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural ...
on 7 March 1871.
The
Gothic 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 ...
dates from the 13th and 14th century and occupies the site of three earlier churches. The west front, which is disfigured by the buttresses projecting beyond it, has two stately spires of open work 230 ft. high. The nave was built towards the end of the 13th century. The choir, built soon afterward, is remarkable for the lightness of its construction. In the choir are four
bas-relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
s of great beauty representing scenes in the life of the Virgin Mary; and the altar is adorned with another depicting the removal of the relics of
Saints Gervais and Protais. The church has constantly been the object of restoration and reconstruction.
In 1875 it was declared a ''
monument historique
() is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...
''.
The cathedral has a magnificent organ by
Cavaille-Coll which has recently been restored. Sunday afternoon recitals are held during July and August. The choir organ is also by the same maker.
In 2015, during restoration work on the North Tower, three new bells were installed.
See also
*
List of Gothic Cathedrals in Europe
References
Sources
*
Cathédrales-de-France: Sées
Roman Catholic cathedrals in France
Churches in Orne
Basilica churches in France
Monuments historiques of Orne
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