Paris1972-Versailles2003

The City of Tours is located on the dept no 37 of the Indre-et-Loir in the Centre Val de Loire region of my belle France. This is the Loire valley of the kings, and the purest French language according to scholars. I have passed and been in Tours several times, Last week I passed again to visit the City and as usual it was wonderful, The best again parked by Rue Lavoisier steps from the castle ,cathedral and fine arts museum ! One of the nicest cathedrals in France,  Well it was worth the stop and it is a wonderful cathedral, Therefore, here is more of the Cathédrale Saint Gatien of Tours, part III !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

 The Saint Gatien Cathedral has a magnificent canopy in its large Choir and two beautiful rosaries of radiant style, in the arms of the transept. One of them serves as a background to a sumptuous 16C organ buffet. The Cathédrale Saint Gatien has a magnificent canopy of the apse dates from the years 1260-1267. It dominates a Choir of radiant Gothic style erected thanks to the largesse of Saint Louis.  The nave comprises eight bays. The first six are from the 15C. The two farthest back to the Romanesque cathedral of the 12C

The Gothic reconstruction began with the choir, built in Cheillé stone, which had stood the test of time particularly well. The work lasted from 1225 to 1265 ,The choir consists of five bays, giving it the shape of a deep “U” and surrounded by sixteen columns framing high pointed arches. The whole is surmounted by a triforium of fifteen stained-glass windows with trefoil tracery and fifteen tall windows, all adorned with brightly colored stained-glass windows. The total glazed area is 500 m². Added to this is a sober ornamentation: grilles between tall, slender columns, as well as unimposing capitals with plant sculptures. It exudes an impression of clarity and harmony.

A vast ambulatory surrounds the choir and leads to five chapels, some of which house the tombs of Touraine archbishops. The chevet, completed in 1350, is a magnificent example of the Gothic style of the period. The apse reproduces the geometry of the ambulatory. The five apsidioles corresponding to the chapels each have three canted sides framed by high flying buttresses, each side offering a tall pointed window. As for the chapel roofs, they are hidden by a light balustrade.The five chapels border the exterior of the ambulatory. They are dedicated to Saint Martin sharing his cloak, Saint Peter, Saint Michael, Saint John the Evangelist, and the Virgin Mary and her Child.

The 15 stained-glass windows of the choir (13C) and the three rose windows (13-15C) are remarkable. It contains the tombs of the children of Anne of Brittany and Charles VIII. The tomb of two of the children of Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany, who died in the early years. The two recumbents this monument was in 1506 in the collegiate Church of Saint-Martin before being dismantled in the French revolution and then reassembled in 1814 in a Chapel of  Saint-Gatien where it was restored for the first time in 1834.  The tomb of the Children of France. This superb memorial in Carrara marble is the tomb of Charles Orland (died 3 years old) and Charles (died 25 days).  The recumbents correspond to the French sculpture of the time. 

Its collection of stained glass windows is unique. The most beautiful, dazzling, adorn the chapels of the ambulatory and the high windows of the choir. It is one of the most perfect sets of 13C stained glass windows with medallions in Europe, complete, intact, multicolored, and very varied. We must add the two rose windows of the transept, from the 14C, as well as those of the nave and the facade, from the 15C. Another beautiful stained glass window from the 15C adorns one of the chapels of the south aisle.

In 1468, Hélie de Bourdeilles, Archbishop of Tours, offered an organ to the cathedral. In 1543-1560: construction of another organ which was damaged in 1562 by the Protestants during the Wars of Religion and was placed on a wooden gallery at the end of the south arm of the transept. In 1927-1929: the organ was completely rebuilt. In 1990-1996: new reconstruction. Since 1979, the organ has been run by the Organo Pleno association. Since 1984, the organ case has been made of oak.

The cathedral had four 17C Aubusson tapestries: The Presentation in the Temple, The Adoration of the Shepherds, The Flight into Egypt, and Jesus among the Doctors. Since 2011, the cathedral has housed a large 17C tabernacle made of oak veneered with ebony and ivory, which belonged to a Carthusian monastery, then to the Carmelite convent of Créteil, which gave it to the State in the 1950s. It had adorned the chapel of the Château de Chambord since 1963, but the estate wanted to refurnish it only with objects related to its history. The tabernacle was transferred and renovated at the Saint-Gatien Cathedral.

The City of Tours on the Cathedral : https://www.tours.fr/equipement/cathedrale-saint-gatien/

The local Loire Valley tourist office on the Cathedral Saint Gatien of Tours : https://www.loirevalley-france.co.uk/cultural-sites/saint-gatien-cathedral/

The parish of the Cathedral of Tours: https://www.paroisse-cathedrale-tours.fr/cathedral/index

 The Touraine Loire Valley tourist office on the Cathedral:  https://www.touraineloirevalley.co.uk/cultural-heritage/saint-gatien-cathedral-tours/

 The city of Tours on the tombs of the children of Anne de Bretagne: https://www.tours.fr/page-portail-tours-intense/decouvrir-tours/tours-riche-de-son-histoire-et-de-ses-personnalites/le-tombeau-des-enfants-danne-de-bretagne/

There you go folks, I come to the gorgeous historical ,architecturally stunning Tours, This is a major work as said and on my road warrior tour of the Loire needed to stop by several times. The City is wonderful ,and should be visited and more ! . Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Cathédrale Saint Gatien of Tours, part III !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!