Today, I like to tell you about a very famous city and a glorious city and one very popular with the French and visitors coming more and more to it. I have passed many times by it always bypassing it until one day did made a road warrior trail quick visit , really needs more time but will be back, eventually, So much to see in my belle France, time is of th essence, The City of Bayonne, or Baiona in Basque, is located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department 64, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of my belle France., Therefore, here is my take on the Cathédrale Sainte Marie of Bayonne !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Cathédrale Sainte-Marie at rue des Gouverneurs , located in the heart of the city of Bayonne in the historic district. It is located on a hill overlooking the Adour and the Nive rivers. It belongs to the Rayonnant Gothic style with a Champagne influence especially in the apse and the ambulatory. A rectangular cloister from 1240 is attached to the cathedral. It faces the municipal library, formerly the episcopal palace, consists of a large portal and two spires surrounding this entrance. The plan of the cathedral is classic with a cross shape, a nave and two aisles. Around the choir, the ambulatory opens onto seven radiating chapels. The oldest part is the apse and dates from the 13C. Work on the transept, nave, and aisles took place during the 14C , This Gothic cathedral, begun in 1213 and completed in the 15C, is topped by two 85-meter-high bell towers, added in the 19C.
The nave consists of seven ribbed bays ,and rises on three levels with large arcades, a triforium, and tall windows. The organ loft is located in the first bay with the baptismal font. The pillars in this bay supporting the two towers are therefore larger than those that follow. The other six bays are regular and feature coats of arms keystones evoking the history of the city of Bayonne at a time when the Duke of Aquitaine was also King of England (under the distant suzerainty of the King of France). Thus, the fleurs-de-lis symbolizing French power sit alongside the three leopards symbolizing the power of the kings of England over their lands in Gascony. The triforiums only open from the last bay of the nave. In the south transept is one of the cathedral’s most beautiful keystones: the Bayonne ship, symbolizing the naval power of the medieval city. It depicts a ship with a stern rudder, also called a “timon à la bayonnaise” (Bayonne rudder), as it is believed to have been invented in Bayonne. The Basques spread it throughout Europe in the early 12C. Eight sailors are on board. All around it appear the symbols and names of the four evangelists: John (and the eagle) at the stern, Luke (and the ox) at the tip of the mast, Matthew (at the prow), and Mark (and the lion) beneath the hull. The nave of the church is therefore represented here. The cathedral’s vast, raised choir is divided into two parts: the chevet and the transept. In the apse is a richly decorated high altar, made of Carrara marble and surmounted by a high ciborium, whose tabernacle preserves the Eucharistic species.
The Saint Mary’s Cathedral has numerous chapels: seven are located in the north aisle (chapels of the baptismal font, Saint Michael, Saint Theresa, Saint Leo, the Crucifix, Saint Jerome, and Saint John the Baptist) and seven in the ambulatory (chapels of Saint Martin, Saint Peter, Saint Joseph, the Chapel of the Virgin in the axis of the nave, and the chapels of Saint James, the Sacred Heart, and Saint Anne). Along the south aisle, built in the 19C on the north gallery of the cloister, is a large chapel dedicated to Saint Leo (also called the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament or the parish chapel). Finally, under the south tower, there is a former chapel dedicated to the Virgin, then the sacristy of the prebendaries and now a shed. Near the apse, behind the chapel of Saint Jerome, is a small vaulted room with liernes and tiercerons which served as a sacristy for the canons and then as a chapter house (still in use today). The fourth pillar houses an octagonal pulpit made of Canary Island mahogany dating from 1760. The stained glass windows of the cathedral date from the Renaissance to the early 20C. The north tower (the one on the left) houses a peal of 5 bells. The cathedral’s first organ, installed in 1488 and repaired around 1580-1590, was located in the transept above the two sacristy doors. It was restored or rebuilt between 1625 and 1631; a new 53-stop organ was built in 1935-37. The chestnut and fir case consists of two bodies. The whole is richly decorated with laurel garlands, trophies, fire pots, and bases.
The cloister is one of the largest in France. It is in the Rayonnant Gothic style and dates from the 14C. In the Middle Ages, it was a meeting and conversation place for neighborhood or guild assemblies. The cloister galleries have preserved tombs and gravestones dating from the 14C to the 18C. The cloister is still the venue for cultural events such as the Cloister Crafts or concerts.
The official Cathedral Saint Mary of Bayonne : https://www.cathedraledebayonne.com/
The Center of National Monuments of France on the cloister of the Cathedral of Bayonne : https://www.cloitre-bayonne.fr/decouvrir/histoire-du-cloitre-de-la-cathedrale-de-bayonne
The City of Bayonne on its heritage : https://www.bayonne.fr/cest-a-bayonne/culture/histoire-et-patrimoines/une-ville-dart-et-dhistoire
The Bayonne tourist office on the Saint Mary’s Cathedral : https://www.visitbayonne.com/en/preparing-your-stay/leisure-activities/activities/bayonne/PCUAQU064FS00004-cathedrale-sainte-marie/
The local Pays Basque tourist office on the heritage of Bayonne : https://www.en-pays-basque.fr/en/territory-and-destination/basque-coast/bayonne/
There you go folks, Bayonne is it. A wonderful City full of life ambiance , architecture, history and a lot more ; one of the cities of France a must to visit,me think, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Cathédrale Sainte Marie of Bayonne !!! as I
And remember, happy travels , good health and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 