Paris1972-Versailles2003

This one is from my wonderful cd rom vaults ,and glad to found them to share in my blog for you and me, This was from our visits to France ! First from the USA and later came back for more, worth the detour me think, Initially we stayed in a gîte nearby in Buxy and later came back in my road warrior trails for an encore once living in France, This of course is nice Chalon sur Saône, Therefore, here is my take on the Cathédrale Saint Vincent of Chalon sur Saône !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.

The Cathédrale Saint Vincent is located in Place Saint-Vincent,of course in Chalon-sur-Saône, in the dept no 71, of Saône-et-Loire, and in belle France. The City is 16 km from our first base of Buxy , 30 km from Beaune ,344 km from Versailles, and 738 km from my current home, We came again from Versailles, connecting to the N12 highway which continues on the A86 outer beltway of Paris towards Vélizy-Villacoublay and continue past Sceaux until bearing right onto the A6B highway by Fresnes continues as the A6 Autoroute de Soleil dir Nemours, Fontainebleau ,Joigny to around Beaune continue on the A6 to exit/sortie 25 dir Chalon sur Sâone continue on the old N6 or D906 road today to just before the pont Jean Richard bridge bear left onto the Quai Gambetta along the Saône river continues as the Quai des Messageries past the Musée Nicéphore Niépce on your left hand side shortly turn left onto place du Châtelet past it turn right onto Rue du Châtelet right onto the Place Saint Vincent and the Cathedral,

The façade, which rises above the market in Place Saint-Vincent and dates from 1822 to 1844, was the first to adopt the neo-Gothic style. Consisting of a terraced porch, it is surmounted by the gable of the central nave with an openwork rose window. This façade is also flanked by two symmetrical square towers, 42 meters high. These two towers, which are at the right and left ends of the façade, are crowned with sixteen statues of the patron saints of the districts and towns of Chalon, such as Saint George, Saint Lawrence, Saint Vincent, Saint John, Saint Martha, and Saint Paul.

The Saint Vincent Cathedral consists of three naves , a projecting transept, a chancel, and a sanctuary. Specifically, in the central nave, which features Flamboyant Gothic piers, clusters of columns were mounted on pointed arches resting on Romanesque pillars dating from the second half of the 12C. On the second floor, a second gallery, the passageway, with a balustrade pierced by quatrefoils, is revealed. The vault, which is more than 24 meters above the ground, is a ribbed vault with a central rib, the lierne. As for the second gallery, at the level of the chancel, it was originally without a balustrade, but during the 14C, a balustrade pierced by quatrefoils was added to its south side. To reach the entrance, one simply needs to climb three steps. It is entirely Gothic, as the semicircular apse was replaced by this five-sided apse. The three ground-floor windows are framed by two small columns. A tapestry, installed in 1965, originating from Brussels and dating from 1510, enhances the splendor of this sanctuary. It depicts three biblical images and scenes from the Eucharist.

The two side aisles are lined with chapels. The first chapel was built in 1424 and dedicated to Saint Michael and Saint Catherine. The second, in the Flamboyant Gothic style, dates from 1440. The third combines Flamboyant and Renaissance styles; it was built in 1522 by prominent citizens of Chalon and bears the twenty-four coats of arms of these founding families. The last two chapels are more modest. The Romanesque style predominates.

The Cathédrale Saint Vincent houses three bells: a large bell in the left tower and two smaller bells in the right tower. The gallery organ dates from the late 17C. The original large organ remained until 1751. At that time, organ builder Karl-Joseph Riepp was commissioned to build the current instrument. After being closed for about ten years for restoration work, the cloister has been open to the public again since December 2019.

A bit of history tell us that the origin of this cathedral remains very vague. The 4C and 5C are mentioned. What is known is that the first church was built on the old Gallo-Roman rampart and that it occupied the site of an ancient temple. This is confirmed by the discovery of a votive statue of Mercury in the sanctuary of the cathedral in 1776, an altar dedicated to the god Mars behind the apse in 1850 and the presumed effigies of Marcus Aurelius found in the Deanery in 1908. The original church, which Saint Agricole had enlarged, was destroyed by the Saracens and rebuilt by Charlemagne, who convened a great council there in 813. In the meantime, the church, which was placed under the patronage of Saint Stephen, was placed, around 542, under the patronage of Saint Vincent. The current cathedral was built between 1090 and 1522. Around 1310 the walls of the nave were built. From 1380 to 1429, construction began on the vaults of the nave and the walls of the cloister, and from 1400 to 1522, the chapels of the side aisles, the vaults, and the cloister were built.

The city of Chalon sur Saône on its heritage: https://www.chalon.fr/decouvrir-la-ville/ville-dart-et-dhistoire-490.html

The Chalon sur Saône tourist office on the Cathedral: https://www.achalon.com/en/touristic_sheet/cathedrale-saint-vincent-chalon-sur-saone-en-4437135/

The old Burgundy region tourist office on the Cathedral: https://www.burgundy-tourism.com/sit/cathedrale-saint-vincent

There you go folks, glad to revive these wonderful family memories into my blog for memories forever and to share with the world,  And of course, we will be back, eventually, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Cathédrale Saint Vincent of Chalon sur Saône !!! as I.

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