The city was/is by passed by me on several occasions in my north south road warrior runs to Spain; until one day, I got in city center for a ride and some sights that I hardly remembered, However, glad to have found me pictures in my cd rom vault that made me do this post on the cathedral of Angoulême that should be in my blog for you and me, Therefore, this is my take on the Cathédral Saint Pierre of Angoulême !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I
The City of Angoulême is located in the Charente department no, 16, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of my belle France. The city is nicknamed the Balcony of the Southwest. Angoulême has long been a coveted stronghold due to its position at the crossroads of important transport routes, and has endured numerous sieges. From its tumultuous past, the city, perched on its rocky outcrop and recognized as a City of Art and History, has inherited a remarkable historical, religious, and urban heritage that attracts many visitors and tourists. It is 122 km from Bordeaux ,107 km from Royan by the Atlantic Ocean. 71 km from Saintes, 114 km from Poitiers, 104 km from Limoges, 84 km from Périgueux, 447 km from Versailles, and 415 km from my current home, The access is best by the N 10 Paris-Bayonne, and the N 141 Limoges-Saintes road, Also connected to Périgueux by the D939 road , D939 road to Saint-Jean-d’Angély and by the D674 to Libourne. We came here from home on our many north south road warrior trails to Spain along the N165 past Nantes on the A83 to connect with the A10 dir Angoulême to exit/sortie 34 to connect with the D939 road continue to centre ville and signs for the Cathédrale and finded parking by Avenue Georges Clemenceau.
The Cathédrale Saint Pierre main façade of about 20 meters high, with a series of arcades featuring several dozen sculpted figures, is a masterpiece of Romanesque art . Five arcades punctuate the ground floor of the façade. Columnar buttresses define five bays; the levels of arcades outline the horizontal lines. The ensemble creates a grid where all the intersections of the architectural elements are highlighted by sculpted motifs. The central bay, housing the portal and a large window, is much wider. It draws the eye to the major scenes of the iconographic program. On the ground floor, the tympanums of the four blind arcades depict the twelve apostles setting out to evangelize the world, the Book in hand. “The Virgin and the apostles, frozen as if still in the event of the Ascension, draw the viewer, with their gaze, to the moment when, at the end of time, Christ appears, with his court of angels and the elect already in paradise.
The Cathédrale Saint Pierre is a remarkable example of regional Roman art for its architecture and its sculptures, The exceptional quality of its architecture and its sculpted program make this 12C Romanesque cathedral an essential destination for lovers of medieval art. Here, there is no dark barrel-vaulted nave or narrow aisles… everything is light, space and amplitude.
The diocese has a significant collection of liturgical objects currently housed in the sacred art repository of the Angoulême diocesan house. Restored, the cathedral becomes the new setting for this Treasury. The Treasury occupies the Chapel of Works located in the south transept of the cathedral and the Gothic Chapel of Saint-Thibaud located along the eastern wall of this same transept arm. The two chapels connect through a doorway created at the end of the 16C.
A bit of history I like on the St Peter’s Cathedral, tell us that a first cathedral established in the 4C or 5C in the city of Iculisma ,ancient Angoulême was destroyed in 508 by Clovis, king of the Franks. A second cathedral, consecrated in 566, disappeared during a fire in 981. Only two marble capitals remain, reused in the current choir. A third cathedral, with a timber-framed nave and projecting transept, was built on the orders of Bishop Grimoard de Mussidan and consecrated in 1015. Under the episcopate of Girard, the city was endowed with a new cathedral. Work began around 1110 with the construction of the nave, on virgin soil, in front of Grimoard’s old façade. The chevet was built, then, before 1118, the façade was erected while the previous cathedral was gradually destroyed. The Romanesque monument adopts a Latin cross plan, composed of a single nave 40 meters long and 15 meters wide, covered by a row of domes.The Saint-Peter’s Cathedral is the work of Girard de Blay, a powerful bishop of the early 12C who wanted to make the cathedral the showcase and symbol of his ambitions. The construction site extended from 1110 to Girard’s death in 1136. In the 19C, the cathedral owed its preservation to Paul Abadie fils. The architect who was also the architect of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Montmartre in Paris tirelessly directed the first major restoration works from 1852 to 1875.
From the 13C onwards, the cathedral was endowed with several Gothic chapels such as those of Saint-Pierre, Notre-Dame-la-Blanche, Saint-Michel, Saint-Thibaud, and de Clion, and Renaissance chapels such as Saint-Gelais and de la Trinité, later named the Epernon Chapel. Apparently spared during the Hundred Years’ War, the cathedral was looted and burned, its vaults destroyed, and the southern bell tower demolished during the Wars of Religion. The monument was restored throughout the 17C. In the 18C, the base of the southern bell tower was converted into a sacristy and adorned with woodwork, a large organ was installed in the nave, and the façade was given a classical-style portal. During the French revolution period, the cathedral, transformed into the “Temple of Reason,” was spared from vandalism. The cathedral survived the 20C without major alterations.
Other things to see in Angoulême with more time are the remains of the abbey of Saint-Cybard, rue de Bordeaux on the site of the CNBDI ,The remains of the abbey of Saint-Ausone; The Church of Saint-André, rue Taillefer, dates from the 12C and has been remodeled several times. In its old cemetery is what is usually called the “lantern of the dead”: in reality, a chimney from the 12C, a remnant of the old Taillefer palace; The episcopal palace, visible rue de Friedland, was built in the middle of the 12C and largely rebuilt in the early 16C and the middle of the 18C. The garden facade was rebuilt in 1804. It now houses the Angoulême museum; The Cordeliers Chapel, known as the Hospital Chapel, rue de Beaulieu, where Guez de Balzac, the famous French essayist and polemicist of the 17C, considered the father of the classical age of letters, rests. The Hôtel-Dieu, rue de Beaulieu, is essentially a mid-19C construction. The Saint-Jacques de l’Houmeau Church, dating from the end of the 19C; The Saint-Martial Church, in neo-Romanesque style; The Notre-Dame d’Obézine Church, end of the 19C. Since Roman times, the ramparts have been destroyed and rebuilt many times, and their crowning was definitively removed in the 19C. The remaining parts date from the 4C, 13C and 16C ramparts of the Duke of Épernon which are owned by the city. The City/town hall was built on the site of the old castle, of which only the Lusignan keep and the Valois tower remain. There are many old houses as well too numerous to mention. The Angoulême Museum ,formerly the “Angoulême Museum of Fine Arts” is located in the heart of the historic center of Angoulême, in the immediate vicinity of Saint-Pierre Cathedral. The Comic Strip Museum (CIBDI); End of January see the famous International Comic Strip Festival.
The City of Angoulême on the cathedral: https://www.angouleme.fr/points-interets/cathedrale-st-pierre/
The Angoulême tourist office on the Cathedral : https://www.angouleme-tourisme.com/en/patrimoine-culturel/cathedrale-saint-pierre-angouleme/
The Charente dept 17 tourist office on the Cathedral of Angoulême : https://www.infiniment-charentes.com/fiche-sit/cathedrale-saint-pierre-5670359/
The Nouvelle Aquitaine region tourist office on Angoulême : https://www.nouvelle-aquitaine-tourisme.com/en-us/angouleme/angouleme-what-to-do-what-to-see
There you go folks another dandy encounter in my belle France! The country is bath with wonderful sights never ending I am working on seeing more of Angoulême in the future, God willing, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Cathédral Saint Pierre of Angoulême !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 