I went back to this memorable city, my last round on a fanstastic trip with the boys,and Dad to the wonderful inspiring Poitiers. As said, we have been here before way back, and needed to come back for more and the pictures! Finally made it and it was a blast!! Love it!!! Wonderful architecture and history to boot in my belle France! I like to split the post into exeriors and interiors and tell you more on the St Peter’s Cathedral or Cathédrale Saint Pierre of Poitiers, interiors !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
The interior of Saint Peter’s Cathedral consists of three vessels that butt against each other Facing the altar in the nave on the right, a tree-shaped labyrinth, drawn in stone less than a meter in diameter at breast height represents perhaps the one that existed on the ground and that has disappeared. Sign of the creation and the unfolding of life, the tree is here elevated to the rank of Christological symbol: the tree of life bearer of salvation
The cathedral offers very beautiful baroque altars from the abbeys and convents of Poitiers and a sumptuous glass roof from the 12-13C. Note its three key points: the stained-glass window of the Crucifixion in the apse, one of the very first in the Christian world, the stalls considered to be the oldest in France and the great tribune organ, with magnificent sounds, which has come down to us intact from the Ancien Régime(monarchy). The architecture of the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre is typical of a hall church with its almost identical vault height in the nave and aisles: 30 meters and 24 meters. There is neither side chapel nor apsidal chapel worthy of the name. The length of the cathedral is 100 meters, its width at the transept, 50 meters.
In the south arm of the transept, a beautiful altarpiece dates from the 17C, On the door of the tabernacle, the Virgin who gives a rosary to Saint Dominic and a dog who holds a torch in her mouth are carved. the King of France Louis XIII and his wife Anne of Austria who stopped in Poitiers on their return from their marriage in Bordeaux. In front of the bedside altar, a 17C Virgin and Child. The Virgin makes a rapid movement to move the Child away from the mouth of the serpent which has just arisen under its seat. The flexibility specific to terracotta is singularly suited to expressing the peril of the moment, immediately perceptible in the gestures and the wrinkling of the drapes.
The apse of Saint-Peter’s Cathedral is hollowed out by three shallow apsidioles, each housing an altarpiece. In fact, it is a wall 30 meters high, adorned with three Baroque altars, each surmounted by a very beautiful stained glass window. We can see, on the left, the central altar, that of the Virgin of the Assumption, and a little further ,the altar of Mary Magdalene. On the far left a representation of the Madonna and Child in polychrome wood. The apse is made up of a simple straight wall nearly 50 meters high, without flying buttresses. It is one of the rare cathedrals in France to present this particularity !
In the medallions, are represented the great moments of the life of the Virgin Mary. In the aftermath of the French revolution, a number of works from suppressed convents or abbeys found room in the cathedral. The stalls were put in place 1235-1257. They are among the oldest preserved in France. These stalls are a fine example of Parisian Gothic. There were originally a hundred of them and today there are 37 on each side. Even reduced to 74, they recall the importance of the cathedral chapter.
The Cathédrale Saint Pierre has a set of stained glass windows from the 12-13C, the most famous of which: the stained glass of the crucifixion. Dated from the years 1160-1170, it was visible from the entrance and lights up the central part of the cathedral. This stained glass is one of the oldest stained glass windows in France at their original location. Its legibility, the details of the faces and the line close to the Romanesque painting of Poitou make it one of the most beautiful stained glass windows in the west of France This stained glass is still made up of more than half of the original glasses. In the lower part of the quadrilobe, the donors of the stained glass ; that is the royal couple Alienor of Aquitaine and Henri II Plantagenêt, are represented offering the model of the stained glass accompanied by four of their children. The crucifixion of Christ occupies the center of the composition. Christ on the cross turns his gaze to the Virgin and the rack. From the other side, are Saint John and Stéponton, the sponge holder. At the top of the stained glass, Christ of the ascent is presented in a mandorle; The apostles and the Virgin look at him. On the lower part of the stained glass is the resurrection of Christ, the crucifixion of Saint Peter, head down, surrounded by the condemnation of Saint Paul by the Emperor Néron and the beheading of Saint Paul. The other two stained glass windows also dated from the 13C are devoted to the history and martyrs of Saint Laurent, Saint Peter and Saint Paul, respectively on the left and right of the stained glass window of the crucifixion, from the beginning of the 13C are still preserved throughout the cathedral, but reworked at different periods, they are more difficult to read and less known. Those on the north side illustrate the Old Testament: Stories of Abraham, Lot, Joseph and Battles of Joshua for example. Grisailles of the 13C, restored in the 19C, were still preserved in the bays close to the facade.
The St Peter’s Cathedral has organs which are among the most beautiful and famous in France, dating back to the 18C, due to the Parisian organ builder François-Henri Clicquot assisted by his son Claude-François, The great organ was commissioned by the canons in 1787. It was installed in February 1791 leaving the revolutionary period intact, deterioration due to use and the accumulation of dust required restorative interventions during the 19C. The cathedral has a ringing of 6 volleys bells. The drone is found alone in the south tower ,and the other five bells in the north tower. These five bells were cast on Sunday June 15, 1862 by Bollée father and son, founders in Le Mans and baptized on Thursday July 3, 1862. The cathedral treasure is now presented in the south tower. It brings together some sixty works ranging from the 12C to the 20C.
The Parish of the Trinity of Poitiers on the cathedral : https://www.trinitepoitiers.fr/les-communautes/communaute-locale-cathedrale-ste-radegonde-montbernage/
The city of Poitiers and its heritage : https://www.poitiers.fr/des-monuments-exceptionnels
The Poitiers tourist office on the cathedral : https://visitpoitiers.fr/en/activite/cathedrale-saint-pierre/
The Organs of Poitiers on the grand organ of the cathedral: https://www.orguesapoitiers.org/Genese-d-un-instrument-d-exception-p6?lang=en
The Vienne dept 86 tourist office on the cathedral : https://www.tourisme-vienne.com/?articlesyatadata=cathedrale-saint-pierre
There you go folks, a beautiful testament to the wonders of Poitiers, a must to see in my belle France. The trip was a success both on happy moments of nostalgia and great architecture/history around us, wonderful , sublime. The centerpiece was the Cathédrale Saint Pierre de Poitiers, interiors, a marvel to be visited and come back for more. Again,hope you enjoy the post as I.
And remember,happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 