These are wonderful monuments of my belle France. Angers is one of the nice castle towns of the Loire and its Cathedral Saint Maurice is a must to visit.(see post) I have written plenty on it in a previous post so will keep it short just to introduce some older not in my blog pictures that should be here, Therefore, let me tell you a bit about the Cathédrale Saint Maurice of Angers , part II !!! . Hope you enjoy it as I.
The Cathedral Saint Maurice is of course in Angers. Dept 49 of the Maine-et-Loire in the region of Pays de la Loire of my belle France. It is located at Place Monseigneur-Chapoulie , and is the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Angers. The work is intermediate between Romanesque and Gothic styles. The Cathedral is a testament to Angevin Gothic art.
The story goes that after a succession of small sanctuaries, the cathedral of Angers really goes down in history with the Romanesque building of Bishop Hubert de Vendôme, at the beginning of the 11C. In the years 1140-1160 , the nave was rebuilt. The three large domed vaults that cover it were built at this time: they inaugurate the main mark of what will be called Angevin Gothic style. The eastern part of the building is however Romanesque. The windows made their appearance in the nave thanks to a major donation from the cantor Hugues de Semblançay. We don’t have much left. Towards the end of the 12C, a large part of these windows was redone.
Then comes, in the 13C, the episcopate of Guillaume de Beaumont: the transept is enlarged, the choir completely rebuilt . A set of stained glass windows was made in the years 1230-1235. In the 15C, following a fire, new stained glass windows were created , In the 16C, it was the depredations of the Huguenots that had to be repaired. During the French revolution, the cathedral became the Temple of Reason in 1793, but overall the building emerged unscathed from this turbulent period. The stained glass windows from the 12C, 13C and 15C are one of the main treasures of Saint-Maurice Cathedral. Those of the nave, characteristic of Angevin Gothic or Plantagenet. They were built in 1149 under Henry II Plantagenet, King of England and Count of Anjou. The keystones are more than three meters above the side arches. The nave has kept the structure of the first churches of the 12C which preceded the current church with a single nave without vaulted aisle and without side chapel , Apart from the sacristy and the cloister, Saint-Maurice Cathedral has two chapels that could be described as adjacent ; the Saint-Anne Chapel, on the left of the nave, which houses the cathedral’s treasure, and the Notre-Dame-de-Pitié Chapel, on the right. This chapel, which has the rather rare particularity of having two naves, has been enlarged over the ages. It served as a parish church for several centuries. The north and south towers at 70 meters date from the 15C, the central tower dates from the Renaissance. On the second level of the facade, eight statues were added in 1537: Saint Maurice and seven soldiers of the Theban Legion, companions of his martyrdom from mid 19C ; Abbé Choyer spent three years sculpting this masterpiece. On the right you can see an allegory of the new city of God, as Saint John describes it. The tower, on the right, illustrates the heavenly Jerusalem.
The official Saint Maurice Cathedral of Angers: https://angers.annuaire-eglise.net/#groupe?id=2257
The Angers tourist office on the Cathedral: https://www.tourisme.destination-angers.com/en/plan-your-stay/your-activities/all-activities-in-angers/cathedral-of-saint-maurice-1617156
The Diocese of Angers on the cathedral : https://angerscentre.diocese49.org/la-cathedrale-saint-maurice
There you go folks, a beautiful wonderful in lovely Angers ! The Cathedral Saint Maurice is a must stop in town, me think. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Cathédrale Saint Maurice of Angers , part II !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 