Cathedral in Ieper/Ypres
In the song "Clare's Dragoons" about the famous Wild Geese is the line "The flags we conquered in that fray look lone in Ypres choir they say, we'll win them company today, or bravely die like Clare's Dragoons. This was a reference to the battle of Ramillies where the French were in complete disarray after an English attack. The Irish Brigade were sent in to act as a rearguard and allow the French to withdraw but they attacked with such ferocity that the lost battle was turned into a victory of sorts. That day the famous motto "Fág an bealach" was coined as the Irish speaking soldiers tried to get the panicked French to get out of the way and let them get at the English. For me the visit to this Cathedral was a must and I was not disappointed though the flags I would have wished to see are long gone. Nonetheless there were flags from Irish regiments only in the English army!
Wikipedia has a great account of the history of this beautiful, austere church. Construction started on the church in 1230, and was finished in 1370. There had previously been a Romanesque church in the area, dating from the 10th or 11th century.
The diocese was originally part of the Diocese of Thérouanne, which had been established in the 7th or 8th century. In 1553 Charles V besieged the city of Thérouanne, then a French enclave in the Holy Roman Empire, in revenge for a defeat by the French at Metz. After he captured the city he razed it. In 1557, as a result of the war damage to its see, the diocese was abolished. This led to a reform of sees at the Council of Trent, Council of Trent, and the bishopric of Thérouanne was split between the Diocese of Saint-Omer, the diocese of Boulogne and the Diocese of Ypres. With this, Saint Martin's Church was elevated to cathedral status, as it became the see of the new diocese.
In 1656 the secular and religious authorities of the then Spanish Netherlands destroyed the monument to Bishop Cornelius Jansen in St Martin's Cathedral - a symbolic act as part of the increasing persecution of Jansen's disciples, the Jansenists. As noted by Jonathan Israel [3] many of the Ypres citizens were angry and distressed at this demolition.
After the Concordat of 1801 between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII, Ypres was incorporated into the diocese of Ghent, and Saint Martin's lost its status as a cathedral. As with many former cathedrals (proto-cathedrals), it is often still referred to as a cathedral by locals.
It was heavily damaged during the First World War. Subsequently (1922–1930) the ruin was cleared and the church was entirely rebuilt following the original plans, although the tower was built with a higher spire than the original.
Cathedral in Ieper/Ypres
In the song "Clare's Dragoons" about the famous Wild Geese is the line "The flags we conquered in that fray look lone in Ypres choir they say, we'll win them company today, or bravely die like Clare's Dragoons. This was a reference to the battle of Ramillies where the French were in complete disarray after an English attack. The Irish Brigade were sent in to act as a rearguard and allow the French to withdraw but they attacked with such ferocity that the lost battle was turned into a victory of sorts. That day the famous motto "Fág an bealach" was coined as the Irish speaking soldiers tried to get the panicked French to get out of the way and let them get at the English. For me the visit to this Cathedral was a must and I was not disappointed though the flags I would have wished to see are long gone. Nonetheless there were flags from Irish regiments only in the English army!
Wikipedia has a great account of the history of this beautiful, austere church. Construction started on the church in 1230, and was finished in 1370. There had previously been a Romanesque church in the area, dating from the 10th or 11th century.
The diocese was originally part of the Diocese of Thérouanne, which had been established in the 7th or 8th century. In 1553 Charles V besieged the city of Thérouanne, then a French enclave in the Holy Roman Empire, in revenge for a defeat by the French at Metz. After he captured the city he razed it. In 1557, as a result of the war damage to its see, the diocese was abolished. This led to a reform of sees at the Council of Trent, Council of Trent, and the bishopric of Thérouanne was split between the Diocese of Saint-Omer, the diocese of Boulogne and the Diocese of Ypres. With this, Saint Martin's Church was elevated to cathedral status, as it became the see of the new diocese.
In 1656 the secular and religious authorities of the then Spanish Netherlands destroyed the monument to Bishop Cornelius Jansen in St Martin's Cathedral - a symbolic act as part of the increasing persecution of Jansen's disciples, the Jansenists. As noted by Jonathan Israel [3] many of the Ypres citizens were angry and distressed at this demolition.
After the Concordat of 1801 between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII, Ypres was incorporated into the diocese of Ghent, and Saint Martin's lost its status as a cathedral. As with many former cathedrals (proto-cathedrals), it is often still referred to as a cathedral by locals.
It was heavily damaged during the First World War. Subsequently (1922–1930) the ruin was cleared and the church was entirely rebuilt following the original plans, although the tower was built with a higher spire than the original.