Again, I found me some pictures not yet in my blog from this magnificent cathedral and feel deserves more, We have been here before several times and each time was great to be in the city. The Cathédrale Sainte Croix d’Orléans or Holy Cross Cathedral,is located at place Sainte-Croix, and is the cathedral of the diocese of Orleans; Gothic style with baroque ornamentation of which partly rebuilt in the 17C, it is dedicated to the Holy Cross (Sainte Croix) . Therefore, here is my take on the Cathédrale Sainte Croix of Orléans, part II !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
I have written so much in my other two posts on it that really hard to tell more of it me think, Therefore, this post will be mostly a pictorial of the new pictures found in my vault,
One of the 5 largest Gothic cathedrals in France with 140 meters long, 53 meters wide with a spire culminating at 114 meters, Sainte-Croix was begun in 1287 and officially inaugurated on May 8, 1829. on the occasion of the fourth centenary of the deliverance of Orléans by Joan of Arc. It has a long history: Joan of Arc prayed there, Henri IV launched its reconstruction in 1601, Louis XIV financed the transepts which pay homage to him by displaying his motto and his sun. The magnificently sculpted woodwork of the choir, the stained glass windows telling the story of Joan of Arc are among its treasures, as are the 11 richly endowed 13C chapels which form its chevet.
The two towers rise to 88 meters in height while the central spire rises to 114 meters. The great organ is a Cavaillé-Coll. It includes 4 manuals and 1 pedalboard for a total of 54 stops and over 3700 pipes. The five bells are located in the north tower. The stained glass windows are modern.
The Sainte-Croix Cathedral is one of the rare churches, and perhaps the only one in the world, whose pillars do not carry a cross, which recalls the consecration of any church. Indeed tradition reports that Saint Euverte, bishop of Orleans in the 4C, had a vision while celebrating the rite of consecration: he saw the hand of God blessing the cathedral. He then stopped the celebration by saying: “this cathedral was blessed by the hand of God, it will not be blessed by the hand of man!”. The bedside keystone recalls this story.
A bit of history I like tell us that the text of the Great Passion of Auxerre dates only from the 11C, and is more ambitious: it traces the foundation of the Church of Orleans and its cathedral to apostolic times. It says that Saint Peter in person would have entrusted seventeen of the seventy-two disciples with the mission of evangelizing Gaul. Among them, the Saints Savinien, Potentien and Altin were in charge of Lyonnaise IV to which Orléans belonged, and from which came the former ecclesiastical province of Sens. In Orleans, Altin, instituted bishop of the city, would have dedicated a first cathedral to Saint Etienne. This last story was based on an anachronism: it laid on the Gaul of the 1C an administrative organization in 17 provinces, which was not put in place until the end of the 4C or at the beginning of the 4C. This legend is part of the propaganda intended to recall the prerogatives of the metropolitan headquarters, Sens, over that of Orleans
Around 1277, the Romanesque cathedral would have experienced a collapse and what remained, would have threatened to collapse in turn the first stone of the new cathedral was not laid until nine years later, on September 11, 1287, under the episcopate of Gilles Pastai and the work begins with the bedside. The great organ comes from the Abbey of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire, exchanged with that of the cathedral in 1822. After other episodes, the instrument was renovated one last time from 2004 and restored in operation in September 2007 The choir organ is also a Cavaillé-Coll. temporarily installed in 1837, replaced by a final organ in 1846.
In the 14C, the bedside table is completed by a new choir. work resumed in the second half of the 15C by crossing the transept and continued in the 16C with the construction of two spans of the nave. In 1512, the cross tower was decorated with a large golden ball surmounted by a cross, the very one evoked by François Rabelais. In 1601, the king and queen Marie de Medici laid the foundation stone of the new cathedral. The choir was finished in 1623. In 1627, the foundations were laid for the transept which would be completed in 1636. The north transept was completed in 1643, and the south transept in 1690. The mark of the Sun King appeared by introducing a part of classicism in the flamboyant Gothic style building. His portrait and motto Nec pluribus impar also appear, with the date of completion in 1679, in the center of the rose window located above the portal of the southern transept. The works were not resumed until 1817. King Charles X inaugurated the completion of the works on May 8, 1829, for the 400th anniversary of the lifting of the siege of the English, by Joan of Arc and her army: a monumental staircase took square in front of the cathedral, parallel to the opening of the new rue Jeanne d’Arc and the creation of the grand forecourt of the cathedral.
There is an indirect link between the current Cathedral of Sainte Croix and Joan of Arc. The national historic heroine came to follow evening Mass on May 2, 1429 during the siege of Orleans (it should be remembered that the cathedral as it stands today did not exist in 1429, with the exception of the chapels of the apse, which surround the choir at the back). It can be; also point out that the rue Jeanne d’Arc, opened in the 19C, arrives in front of the main facade .Each year, on the evening of May 7, during the Johannian Feasts, the ceremony of the handing over of the standard takes place on the forecourt (which evokes that of Joan of Arc). The city o Orleans is its guardian and transmits it to the Catholic religious authorities for the duration of the festivities. The facade of the cathedral then serves as a support for sound and light effects. In François Rabelais’ Pantagruel, the golden ball which surmounts the bell tower is mentioned as being one of the bronze pills which were used to explore the stomach of the giant Pantagruel in order to cure it !
The official Cathédrale Ste Croix of Orléans: https://www.cathedrale-orleans.fr/
The city of Orléans on the cathedral: https://www.orleans-metropole.fr/histoire-patrimoine/lieux-celebres/cathedrale-sainte-croix
There you folks, a beautiful must see Holy Cross Cathedral of Orleans! It represent well the history of France as it was written by the elders, get to know the soul of France a bit better coming here. There is no words and pictures are not enough, you need to see it in person. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Cathédrale Sainte Croix of Orléans, part II !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 