The town of Bazas is located in the department of Gironde 33, in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region of my belle France ; like all the others below, The town is 59 km from Bordeaux, and 16 km from Langon, it is also 75 km from Mont-de- Marsan, The town is crossed by the A65 autoroute/highway Langon-Pau. The closest access is exit/sortie 1 or Bazas, located 3 km from the city center. This highway joins the A62 Bordeaux-Toulouse in Langon. I had a piece in another post but found me more old paper pictures to do one on it alone, Therefore, here is my take on the Cathédrale Saint Jean Baptiste of Bazas !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Cathédrale Saint Jean Baptiste is located at the place de la Cathédrale. This 83 -meter -long cathedral was built in the 13-14C on the model of large Gothic cathedrals in the north of France. The cathedral was largely devastated by the Huguenots, but the portals, the most beautiful statuary example of Gironde, were spared. The central portal is devoted to the last judgment and the history of Saint John the Baptist. The interior of the cathedral is remarkable in the perspective of the narrow and long nave. This church was the seat of the diocese of Bazas until the French revolution. During the 1801 concordat, the latter was not restored but divided between the archdiocese of Bordeaux, the diocese of Agen and that of Aire. In 1937, the diocese of Bazas was symbolically restored for the benefit of the Archbishop of Bordeaux which has also the title of bishop of Bazas. The church has since been a co -center of the Archdiocese of Bordeaux.
The western facade develops on three levels: the lower level includes the three portals dating back to the middle of the 13C, the intermediate level with the flamboyant rose built in the 16C, before 1537, the upper level reconstructed after the hurricane of 1723, finished in 1725. The tympanum of the portal, above the lintel devoted to the history of Saint John the Baptist, from its Nativity to its martyrdom, represents the theme of the Last Judgment. It is divided into three registers: resurrection of the dead, separation of good and bad guys, Christ in Majesty, between the Virgin, Saint John and the angels carrying the instruments of passion. The areas include 80 statuettes: the first three bear angels, the fourth include martyrs bearing their palm and saints, on the fifth are represented saints. The theme of the southern portal is the coronation of the Virgin. The lintel represents the Dormition. On the will are first represented an angelic choir, then episodes of the life of Mary, from her birth to the flight to Egypt, the third cord is devoted to the theme of the Tree of Jesse with eight characters, the fourth is doubled in two parallel series, work for months and the zodiac. The northern portal tympanum is dedicated to Saint Peter who is also a patron of the cathedral. In the center is represented the episode of miraculous fishing in Lake Tiberias. On the lintel are represented, on the left, the presentation of the keys to Saint Peter, in the center his crucifixion, on the right, Nero in vigilante and takeoff of Saint Paul. The lower arguments represents six prelates. On the third were sculpted ten figures representing the parable of the ten virgins. The last archman is cleared as on the southern portal. It is devoted to the creation, the fall and the history of Cain and Abel.
The Cathedral Saint Jean Baptiste has had organs since at least the 16C; The first was destroyed by Protestants during the wars of religion; The replacement was destroyed by the revolutionaries on October 20, 1793. A new instrument was built in 1837, replaced in 1878 by another finally, in 1979, the instrumental part of Wenner was replaced by a new one in 1983, who keeps many Wenner pipes. There was a lifting in 2001.
Other things to see here me think are the City/town hall , first presidential palace was built tourin 1553, separated from the Place de la Cathédrale by a hall. In 1729, a large stone building incorporating this hall was built. Psalette mansion, 16C located at 9-11, rue de la Taillade, behind the cathedral. Noble house of canon of the Saint-John the Baptist Cathedral where the choir school was, It was partly restored at the end of the 20C.
A bit of history I like on the cathedral tell us that Grégoire de Tours, in De Gloria Martyrium, quotes a bishop of Bazas during the invasion of the Vandals, in the 5C and evokes a seat of Bazas in 406. He also quoted a lady from Bazas who would have come to Jerusalem, and , after having made presents to the executioner, would have collected in a bottle the blood of Saint John the Baptist during his execution. She would have returned to Bazas and would have placed this bottle in the church. The cathedral is then dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. Pierre, bishop of Bazas in 437, is cited for a miracle twenty years later by Grégoire de Tours. Faustus, secretary of Théodoric, king of Italy, was bishop of Bazas, in 494, and wrote a text against the Ariens. Bishop Sextilius sent a representative of the diocese to the Council of Agde, in 506, and was present at the Council of Orleans, in 541. The bishop Oreste was mentioned by Grégoire de Tours, in 584 and participated in the Council of Mâcon, in 585. Bishop Gudualdus participated in the Council of Paris, in 614. Also, the Bishop Gundulfus participated in the Council of Bordeaux, in 673, The Visigoths went masters of Guyenne after the donation made by the Emperor Honorius. Being Ariens, they fought against the Catholic bishops. The cathedral would have been ruined by the Normans in 853. The cathedral was not relieved of its ruins at the end of the 11C, by the bishop of Bazas, Raymond II, in 1070. The Romanesque cathedral is continued by its successor Raymond III and dedicated by Pope Urban II, in 1095. There remains the strain of the bell tower. The interior consists of a long vessel without transept. The first stone is laid in 1233 , The facade of the cathedral was completed in 1537 The cathedral was rebuilt on the model of that which was destroyed between 1583 and 1605, The Calvinists took the city of Bazas in 1561 and ransack the cathedral. They returned in 1577 and 1578. They destroy the cathedral, except the facade.
A bit of history I like on Bazas, tell us that it was disputed between the French and the English during the Hundred Years War: besieged in 1347 by the English, it was in 1370 by the French, but without success. It was conquered by the troops of the King of France in 1441, twelve years before the end of the Hundred Years War (Taking of Bordeaux in the battle of Castillon in 1453, which ended three centuries of English presence in Aquitaine). Louis XIV lodges there on his return from Saint-Jean-de-Luz after marrying Marie-Thérèse of Austria.
The town of Bazas and its heritage : https://www.ville-bazas.fr/tourisme-et-patrimoine/histoire-et-patrimoine/
The Gironde dept 33 tourist office on the cathedral : https://www.gironde-tourisme.com/en/patrimoine-culturel/cathedrale-saint-jean-baptiste-de-bazas/
The South Gironde tourist office on the Bazas Cathedral : https://www.tourisme-sud-gironde.com/en/cultural-heritage/cathedral-of-saint-jean-baptiste-bazas/
There you go folks, another off the beaten path town of my belle France, a road warrior dreams beyond a simple post. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Cathédrale Saint Jean Baptiste of Bazas !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 