And why not come back to one of my favorites cities in my lovely Bretagne! This is Quimper at its best and worth the detour, me think, I have other posts in my blog on it but again found me older pictures that should be in the blog, Therefore ,here is the Cathedral Saint Corentin of Quimper ,part II !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
And why not tell you about a jewel of a monument ,one big reason we love to come here and it is always grand The Cathedral Saint Corentin is another matter, much revered by all ; it is a masterpiece so much impossible for me to concentrate on every detail but I give you more of it and do see my other posts on it , The beautiful Cathedral Saint Corentin is located of course at Place Saint Corentin, The cathedral was built on the site of previous worship place of the 9C and 11C, its construction was decided in 1239.
The Saint-Corentin Cathedral, whose full name is Basilica Cathedral of Saint Corentin is considered the major element of the City heritage. Attracting many tourists who come to admire its spiers peaking more than 75 meters above the ground and framing the equestrian statue of the legendary Breton king: Gradlon. Saint Corentin, a hermit whom the legendary King of Armorica Gradlon appointed first bishop of the kingdom, gives his name to the cathedral. The completion of its two towers with the construction of the spiers, visible from almost all parts of the city, was financed by the people of Quimper themselves at the end of the 19C. The cathedral is the largest in Lower Brittany with interior dimensions of more than 90 meters in length and a height under the vaults of 20 meters.
It reveals four of its assets not necessarily visible to the general public. These are :The originality of Saint Corentin Cathedral is that it goes wrong. The cathedral indeed has the particularity of having a deviation to the left of around 10° of the axis of the choir in relation to the nave. Several hypotheses have been given to explain this “misalignment”, Main architectural particularity, that of the absence of alignment between the choir and the nave. Several legends are proposed for this architectural feature. The first being that of representing as much as possible the position of Christ on the cross (head tilted) and the second is a much more down to earth legend which would say that the body of the cathedral is in this position in order to follow the course of the Odet river and thus be built on more solid foundations,
When you go outside the Saint Corentin Cathedral, in the garden of the Bishopric, you can see, high up, the sculpted head of Benjamin Mouton, chief architect of Historical Monuments in charge of the restoration of the choir in 1993 , A tribute to the workers who took up the tradition of stonemasons from the Middle Ages. A way for 20C sculptors to leave their mark in granite.
A new bell at the Saint Corentin Cathedral, a first in 100 years, it was installed in front of the altar, Its name is Marie-Corentin. It measures one meter high, 80 centimeters wide, and weighs a little over 400 kilos and its note, this is A 3 of the B flat major scale. This is precisely the note that was missing from the four existing bells, hoisted in 1923 on the north belfry of the cathedral. On one side, we find Saint-Corentin. On the other side, we find the Virgin and Child, incensed by angels, which is located on the south portal of the cathedral,
Inside you should see the Chapel of the Sacred Heart. Onyx Altar, the former master altar (19C). And Chapel of Devotion to Notre Dame de Lourdes, appearing the apparition of Notre-Dame to Bernadette in the Cave of Massabielle. The cathedral’s stained glass windows, the oldest of which date from the 15C, have been completely restored.
The city of Quimper on the Cathedral: https://en.quimper.bzh/670-saint-corentin-cathedral.htm
The Quimper tourist office on the Cathedral: https://www.quimper-tourisme.bzh/cathedrale-saint-corentin/
The official Parish Quimper on the St Corentin’s Cathedral : https://www.quimpersaintcorentin.com/cathedrale-st-corentin-eglises-et-chapelles/histoire/
There you go folks, another gem in my gorgeous Quimper, neighboring Finistére dept 29 and my lovely region of Bretagne,and in my belle France . Again, hope you enjoy again the Cathedral Saint Corentin of Quimper ,part II !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels ,good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 