Pride of Normandy
Bayeux Cathedral, Bayeux, Nornandy, France
Some background information:
Bayeux Cathedral (in French: "Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux") is a Norman-Romanesque cathedral, located in the town of Bayeux in the Norman-French department of Calvados. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bayeux-Lisieux. Bayeux Cathedral which was the original home of the Bayeux Tapestry is a national monument of France. Today the tapestry is exhibited at the "Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux" just a few hundred metres away from the church.
The present cathedral was consecrated on 14th July 1077 in the presence of William, Duke of Normandy and King of England. It was here that William forced Harold Godwinson to take the oath, the breaking of which led to the Norman conquest of England. However, there was already a church in the Carolingian era in the same locality, but it was destroyed by the Normans in 891. The first cathedral on the same spot, another Carolingian building, was built in the 10th century, but it was wiped out by a large fire in 1047. The last relic of this pre-Romanesque house of worship is the subterranean crypt.
A few years after today’s cathedral was consecrated by Odo, Earl of Kent, a half-brother of William the Conqueror, the Bayeux Tapestry was completed too. It was kept in the cathedral until 1793 and exhibited publicly in the time before Christmas every year to commemorate the Norman conquest of England.
In 1160, another large fire affected the building badly and in 1180, the bishop and his canons demanded a cathedral in the then new Gothic style. Although Bayeux Cathedral was never completely substituted with a new build, it was converted to Gothic style to the end of the 15th century. However, during the Hundred Years’ War (1337 to 1453) which slowed down the construction work, the building site functioned as a stronghold with a garrison against the English enemies.
In the following centuries Bayeux Cathedral faced another large fire and several lootings, among others by Protestant Huguenots in 1563. In 1793, in the course of the French Revolution, the cathedral was transformed into a "temple of prudence and the Supreme Being” for a while, because religion was considered to be outdated at that time. In the 19th century the central tower got a neo-Gothic spire in the form of a cupola. Fortunately the idea of completely dismantling the central tower didn’t obtain a majority.
In marked contrast to many other towns of this area, Bayeux and its cathedral survived D-Day on 6th June 1944 and the days that followed mostly unscathed. Today the cathedral is one of Bayeux’s major sights, next to the Bayeux Tapestry in the "Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux" nearby. Every year both attract a number visitors from far and wide, interested in history and art history.
Pride of Normandy
Bayeux Cathedral, Bayeux, Nornandy, France
Some background information:
Bayeux Cathedral (in French: "Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux") is a Norman-Romanesque cathedral, located in the town of Bayeux in the Norman-French department of Calvados. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bayeux-Lisieux. Bayeux Cathedral which was the original home of the Bayeux Tapestry is a national monument of France. Today the tapestry is exhibited at the "Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux" just a few hundred metres away from the church.
The present cathedral was consecrated on 14th July 1077 in the presence of William, Duke of Normandy and King of England. It was here that William forced Harold Godwinson to take the oath, the breaking of which led to the Norman conquest of England. However, there was already a church in the Carolingian era in the same locality, but it was destroyed by the Normans in 891. The first cathedral on the same spot, another Carolingian building, was built in the 10th century, but it was wiped out by a large fire in 1047. The last relic of this pre-Romanesque house of worship is the subterranean crypt.
A few years after today’s cathedral was consecrated by Odo, Earl of Kent, a half-brother of William the Conqueror, the Bayeux Tapestry was completed too. It was kept in the cathedral until 1793 and exhibited publicly in the time before Christmas every year to commemorate the Norman conquest of England.
In 1160, another large fire affected the building badly and in 1180, the bishop and his canons demanded a cathedral in the then new Gothic style. Although Bayeux Cathedral was never completely substituted with a new build, it was converted to Gothic style to the end of the 15th century. However, during the Hundred Years’ War (1337 to 1453) which slowed down the construction work, the building site functioned as a stronghold with a garrison against the English enemies.
In the following centuries Bayeux Cathedral faced another large fire and several lootings, among others by Protestant Huguenots in 1563. In 1793, in the course of the French Revolution, the cathedral was transformed into a "temple of prudence and the Supreme Being” for a while, because religion was considered to be outdated at that time. In the 19th century the central tower got a neo-Gothic spire in the form of a cupola. Fortunately the idea of completely dismantling the central tower didn’t obtain a majority.
In marked contrast to many other towns of this area, Bayeux and its cathedral survived D-Day on 6th June 1944 and the days that followed mostly unscathed. Today the cathedral is one of Bayeux’s major sights, next to the Bayeux Tapestry in the "Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux" nearby. Every year both attract a number visitors from far and wide, interested in history and art history.