| Valence Cathedral Cathédrale Saint-Apollinaire de Valence | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Valence Cathedral, view from Place des Ormeaux | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic Church |
| Province | Bishop of Valence |
| Region | Val-d'Oise |
| Rite | Roman |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Cathedral |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Valence, France |
| Geographic coordinates | 44°55′54″N 4°53′22″E / 44.93167°N 4.88944°E / 44.93167; 4.88944 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Church |
| Style | Romanesque |
| Groundbreaking | 11th century |
| Completed | 19th century |
Valence Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Saint-Apollinaire de Valence) is a Roman Catholic church, dedicated to Saint Apollinaris of Valence, in Valence, Drôme, France. It is the seat of the Bishop of Valence. It was elevated to the status of a minor basilica in 1847. The cathedral is in the Romanesque architectural tradition. It has been classified as a historical monument since 1862.
History
Valence Cathedral was originally dedicated to Saints Cornelius and Cyprian (third-century martyrs, respectively Bishops of Rome and of Carthage).
It was a stopover church on the road to Santiago de Compostela. In 1095, during a visit to France, Pope Urban II rededicated the cathedral to Saint Apollinaris, one of Valence's sixth-century bishops.
The architecture of this cathedral is similar to other monuments in Auvergne and Velay, in particular the polychrome stone decorations. The apse is surrounded by four semi-circular chapels.
It suffered extensive damage in the French Wars of Religion, but it was restored in the first decade of the 17th century.
Pope Pius VI, who had been taken prisoner and deported from Italy by troops of the French Directory, was imprisoned in the fortress of Valence. After six weeks he died there, on 29 August 1799. The church contains his monument.
The porch and the stone tower above it were rebuilt in 1861.
The cathedral was granted the status of a minor basilica on 4 May 1847.
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View down the nave looking east
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Apse
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Vaulted roof of the nave
References
- Cahn, Walter. Romanesque Wooden Doors of Auvergne, NYU Press, 1974, ISBN 9780814713570, p. 68
- "Saint Apollinaire Cathedral", Valence Romans Tourisme
- Byzantine and Romanesque Architecture, CUP Archive, p. 112
- Curate.nd.edu: Valence Cathedral
- Pietro Baldassari (1843). Relazione delle avversità e patimenti del glorioso Papa Pio VI, negli ultimi tre anni del suo pontificato (in Italian). Vol. Tomo IV. Modena: dalla reale tip. degli Eredi Soliani. pp. 284–292. Alexis Francois Artaud de Montor (1911). The Lives and Times of the Popes. New York: Catholic Publication Society of America. pp. 304–310.
- Religiana.com: Valence Cathedral
- Basilique-Cathédrale Saint-Apollinaire
External links
| Catholic Church in France | |
|---|---|
| Bishops' Conference of France | |
| Province of Besançon | |
| Province of Bordeaux | |
| Province of Clermont | |
| Province of Dijon | |
| Province of Lille | |
| Province of Lyon | |
| Province of Marseille | |
| Province of Montpellier | |
| Province of Paris | |
| Province of Poitiers | |
| Province of Reims | |
| Province of Rennes | |
| Province of Rouen | |
| Province of Toulouse | |
| Province of Tours | |
| Province of Martinique | |
| Province of Papeete | |
| Province of Noumea | |
| Directly under Holy See | |
| Ordinariate for Eastern Catholics | |
| See also | |
| Basilicas of France | ||
|---|---|---|
| France |
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