Apt Cathedral

Cathédrale Sainte-Anne d'Apt is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral located in the town of Apt in Provence. It was the seat of the Bishop of Apt until the French Revolution.

Pope Pius IX granted a Pontifical decree of coronation towards its venerated Marian image through the former Archbishop of Avignon, Monsigneur Louis Anne Dubreil on 9 September 1877. The white marble image depicting a child Blessed Virgin Mary is notable for having been a late creation of the renowned religious sculptor, Giovanni Maria Benzoni.

History

The cathedral is believed to have been built on the site where Saint Auspice was buried. Tradition holds that Auspice became the custodian of the relics of Saint Anne, which it is said he placed in a subterranean grotto to protect them from desecration by the barbarians. The church became a pilgrimage site. The former Queen of France, Anne of Austria came there in 1623. The church was the ecclesiastical seat of the diocese of Apt, until the diocese was dissolved in 1801.

Architecture

The cathedral combines a variety of architectural styles from Romanesque to Baroque. The lower crypt is part of the original 1st-century Roman building, used as a place of worship as early as the Carolingian era, and consists of a corridor leading to a vault where, according to local legend, Saint Anne's veil was found.

The upper crypt dates back to about 1056 and consists of a small nave (around 8 metres or 26 feet) and an apse.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Place de la Cathédrale 6, Apt, France

Details

Founded: 11th century
Category: Religious sites in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)