We have driven in the area and stop by again, always worth it me think, This is memorable City of Blois in the Loir et Cher dept 41 of the Centre Val de Loire region of my belle France, There is so much to see , and did see more for you and me, I have written plenty on this monument but more is always welcome by me ! Therefore, here is my take again on the Cathédrale Saint-Louis of Blois, part II !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
This is a royal town and pretty and plenty of architecture and history in it, this is Blois. The cathedral is composed of a large nave with north and south collateral done between 1680-1700, on which are opened lateral chapels, as well as a choir with its ambulatory. There is no transept. The choir has a five-part apse from the 16-17C. Framing the choir, the ambulatory and its radiant chapels date back to the 19C. In the high windows there are 19C stained glass. The ambulatory added in the 1860’s with its twisted pillars is a pastiche of the style Louis XII, example of imitation of the styles of the past under the Second Empire.
The ambulatory, in a very beautiful Gothic style, was added in 1867. The Gothic style tends a little towards 17C classicism. The second level of the elevation with its stained glass windows in quasi-white glass directly overlooks the nave, which brings it a lot of light. The nave and the side chapels date from the years 1679-1697. The apse dates from the collegiate church of Saint-Solenne, in Renaissance style, decided by François I 16C.
The tower of the facade dates back to the Renaissance church of the 16C, but the base of the tower itself is from the 12C. The bell floor is from 1644. The octagonal lantern was built under Louis XIV, in the 17C. choir and apse surrounded by arcades of the 17C. The stained glass windows of the apse date from 1860. the neo-Gothic ambulatory and the chapel of the Virgin. All this architecture as well as the stained glass windows date from the Second Empire (Napoléon III).
On the south side in a very sober Gothic style and side chapels arranged in the style of the 17C. The last two side chapels of the north aisle 17C. Continuing to the right , we enter the neo-Gothic ambulatory of the 19C.
A bit of history tell us that in the 6C, on the site of the current cathedral there was a chapel dedicated to Saint Peter. At the end of the 9C, the relics of Saint Solenne, Bishop of Chartres in the 5C, were placed there. A pilgrimage developed. Of this sanctuary, the crypt remains. In 1132, the monks of Bourgmoyen built a Romanesque church. At the beginning of the 16C, François I had a Renaissance-style church built, covered with a frame: the collegiate church of Saint-Solenne. It was destroyed by a hurricane in 1678. A new church was built in the Gothic style. The north and south elevations of the nave and the side chapels date from this period. In 1697, Blois separated from the immense bishopric of Chartres and became a bishopric itself. Saint-Solenne became the Cathedral of Saint-Louis.
The current cathedral is the fifth church on this site. In the second half of the 10C, the translation of the body of Saint-Solenne made it pass under this new name and erected into a collegiate church. Saint-Solenne A crypt was then built to house the tomb of the saint. Enlarged to accommodate the influx of pilgrims, it had become, in the 11C, one of the largest of its time: using those of the church as its exterior walls. This crypt (current access to the right of the choir) today constitutes the most venerable part of the cathedral. In 1132, the Bishop of Chartres, to whose diocese Blois then belonged, entrusted the collegiate church of Saint-Solenne to the canons regular of the Abbey of Bourgmoyen (now disappeared). The reconstruction undertaken was then probably completed shortly before 1150. All that remains is the lower floor of the current bell tower, vaulted with archaic ribs and the beginning of a semicircular arcade of the Romanesque nave adjoining the corner of the bell tower of the current nave. Recent work has uncovered the base of the columns of the lower room of the bell tower, transformed into an oratory. They have made it possible to find the floor of the 12C church more than two meters below the current floor. The church was rebuilt again under the reign of Francis I. Very delicate in its structure, it was to be the victim of a hurricane which, in 1678, broke the large windows, lifted the panelling of the nave and ruined the building. The level of this construction is about one meter below the current level: an altar “pool” was found during the development of the oratory under the bell tower. Today, only the apse, the western façade and the upper floors of the bell tower rebuilt from 1544 remain ,the lantemon sommit is an addition from 1609. The oblique porch preceding the façade, heavily restored in the 19C, may date from the 15C. After the disaster of 1678, and thanks to the intervention of Colbert (whose wife, Marie Charron de Nozieux, niece of the owner of the Château de Menars, was from Blois and had been baptized in Saint-Solenne), the reconstruction was undertaken the following year and benefited from significant subsidies from King Louis XIV. It was completed in 1702. In the meantime, in 1697, Saint-Solenne, which had become the cathedral church of the new Diocese of Blois, had abandoned its former name to take on that of Saint-Louis. The organ case was offered in 1704 by Louis XIV to the cathedral. In 1867, the current ambulatory as well as the apse chapel dedicated to the Holy Virgin were built. The 20C enriched the cathedral with a series of stained glass windows which adorn the 31 windows of the chapels and the nave.
The Catholic parish of Blois on the Cathédrale Saint Louis: https://www.catholique-blois.net/vie-pastorale-et-paroisses/paroisses/doyenne-du-blaisois/secteur-pastoral-blois-rive-droite/la-paroisse/les-eglises/cathedrale-saint-louis-1
The local Blois Chambord tourist office on the Cathédrale Saint Louis de Blois: https://www.bloischambord.co.uk/offers/cathedrale-saint-louis-blois-en-250283/
The official Loire Valley Centre Val de Loire region tourist office on the Cathédrale Saint Louis of Blois: https://www.loirevalley-france.co.uk/cultural-sites/cathedrale-saint-louis/
The Val de Loire Loir et Cher dept 41 tourist office on Blois: https://www.val-de-loire-41.com/destination-loir-et-cher/blois-la-ville-royale/
There you go folks, a dandy area to explore and enjoy with the family, Memorable moments in my belle France, going all over in my road warrior trails brings out sublime awesome spots with nice memorable family visits of yesteryear always remember and always looking forward to be back, eventually. Again hope you enjoy the post on the Cathédrale Saint-Louis of Blois, part II !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 