And onwards we go, another escape from home into the wonderful valley of the kings and the revisit to the city of Bourges and why not the exquisite Cathedral Saint Stephens (St Etienne). I need to tell you again, it is awesome , a must to see. Only come to Bourges for it if nothing else ok. Therefore, let me give you my take on the wonderful Cathédrale Saint Etienne of Bourges !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
I came for the wines of Sancerre but having seen most and taste many, decided to go to Bourges! Just 43 km away. I have written two extensive posts on the Cathedral in previous years and will not bother telling you the history and architecture of it. The city is a Ville d’Art et d’Histoire in France (city of art and history of France). Of course , you must see the St Stephen Cathedral or Cathédrale Saint Etienne, recognize by Unesco as a World Heritage Site. The Cathédrale St Etienne was built from 1194 to 1506. The best is the magnificent Cathedral of St Etienne or St Stephen, built from 1194 to 1506. One of the great Cathedrals of France.
The plan for Bourges cathedral is based on that of Paris cathedral, with a double ambulatory, but removing the transept and the stands. The similarity of the plans of the two cathedrals is perhaps due to the family ties existing between the Archbishop of Bourges, Henri de Sully, and the Bishop of Paris, Eudes de Sully, at the time of their development. The western facade is the widest at 41 meters among those of all the Gothic churches in France. Five gates allow access to the interior, all with double doors, and correspond exactly to the five naves. Bourges cathedral surprises both by its absence of transept and by its double aisle, which extends around the choir by a double ambulatory. The cross section offers a pyramidal profile, the naves being respectively 9 meters, 21.30 meters and 37.50 meters high from the outer aisles to the central nave. The Cathedral St Etienne marks its originality by the breadth of the western facade with its five portals. They are devoted, in order and from left to right, to: Guillaume de Bourges, the Virgin Mary, the Last Judgment (central portal), to the martyr Stephen and to Ursin de Bourges. Bourges cathedral does not have a set of 12-13C stained glass equivalent to that of Chartres cathedral, but it does have stained glass from the 13C to the 17C to see the evolution of this art.
The most outstanding features of the St Stephen’s Cathedral are the perspective of the side walls and the unity of the interior space. The sculptures at the north and south doors, at the tympanum of the portal of the Last Judgment (in the center of the west facade), like the sculpted remains of the rood screen, constitute exceptional examples of Gothic art. The following centuries brought their marks to the cathedral ; the stained glass windows thus constitute a veritable encyclopedia of this art for the 14-16C, The Cathédrale Saint-Étienne of Bourges was included on the UNESCO National Heritage List in 1992 under the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Natural and Cultural Heritage under the name “Cathedrale de Bourges”. Awesome indeed !
You will be glad you came to Bourges to see it as we have each time in town and love it. This time a leisure ride amongst vineyards of Sancerre on the D955 was just lovely, we will be back!
The great organ or Grand Orgue and rebuilt several times afterward. In the 16C, the organs are mentioned from the beginning of the 15C. The current large organs were redesigned under the direction of Marie-Claire Alain in 1977.
A bit of history I like (brief) tell us that in 1195, Henri de Sully, archbishop of Bourges, brother of Eudes de Sully, bishop of Paris made a donation to the chapter of Bourges cathedral. This donation will be the starting point for the construction of a new cathedral in Bourges, intended to replace the Romanesque cathedral dating from the 11-12C, considered too small, of which little data is available. Historically, there has been a Christian worship center on the site since the 3C, when the Roman city of Avaricum was home to the first Christian community in Gaul. Four buildings followed one another on the site of the current cathedral: monumental crypts were erected by Saint Ursin in the 3C, Saint Palais, archbishop in the 4C, and Raoul de Turenne, archbishop in the 9C. Gauzlin, archbishop of royal blood and the brother of Robert II the Pious, was the builder of the first Romanesque cathedral, at the beginning of the 11C. This new cathedral is the first Gothic building built south of the Loire, and it appeared to be of great importance both for the prestige of the King of France and for that of the Archbishop. After the French revolution, the
Cathedral St Etienne or St Stephens was emptied of its furniture. As soon as the public worship ceased, it was dedicated to the Cult of Reason, thus the Temple of Unity was inaugurated on December 10, 1793. Of course
The friends of the Cathedral with much info and way to help the maintenance of this magnificent Cathedral: http://amis-cathedrale-bourges.com/
The Friends of the grand orgue (organ) of the Cathedral :
https://www.grandorguebourges.org/grand-orgue-bourges.php
The official St Stephens Cathedral of Bourges: http://www.bourges-cathedrale.fr/en/
The city of Bourges on the Cathedral: http://www.ville-bourges.fr/_en/site/cathedral
The local Bourges Berry tourist office on the cathedral: https://www.bourgesberrytourisme.com/en/destination-bourges/best-of/la-cathedrale-saint-etienne/
There you go folks, short and sassy for the world to enjoy it. This is alone worth coming to Bourges as we have. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Cathédrale Saint Etienne of Bourges !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 