Avignon Cathedral

Avignon Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms d'Avignon) is a Roman Catholic church located next to the Palais des Papes in Avignon, France. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Avignon.

Cathedral of Our Lady of Doms
Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms d'Avignon
Avignon Cathedral
Religion
AffiliationRoman Catholic Church
DistrictArchdiocese of Avignon
RiteRoman
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusCathedral
Location
LocationAvignon, France
Geographic coordinates43°57′06″N 4°48′27″E
Architecture
TypeChurch
StyleRomanesque, Gothic
Groundbreaking12th century
Completed1425
Website
Official Website
Detail of a drawing by Étienne Martellange dating from the first quarter of the 17th century. The cathedral is at the top left, beyond the Palais des Papes.

The cathedral is a Romanesque building, constructed primarily in the second half of the 12th century.[1] The bell tower collapsed in 1405 and was rebuilt in 1425. In 1670–1672 the apse was rebuilt and extended.[2]

The building was abandoned and allowed to deteriorate during the Revolution, but it was reconsecrated in 1822 and restored by the archbishop Célestin Dupont in 1835–1842.[3] The most prominent feature of the cathedral is a gilded statue of the Virgin Mary atop the bell tower which was erected in 1859.[3] The interior contains many works of art. The most famous of these is the mausoleum of Pope John XXII (died 1334), a 14th-century Gothic edifice. It was moved in 1759, damaged during the Revolution, and restored to its original position in 1840.[4] The cathedral was listed as a Monument historique in 1840.[5]

References
  1. Girard 1958, p. 162.
  2. Girard 1958, pp. 163, 166.
  3. Girard 1958, p. 163.
  4. Girard 1958, p. 165.
  5. Base Mérimée: Cathédrale Notre-Dame-des-Doms, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)

Sources
  • Girard, Joseph (1958). Évocation du Vieil Avignon (in French). Paris: Les Éditions de Minuit. OCLC 5391399.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Further reading
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