Agen Cathedral

Agen, France

Agen Cathedral's (Cathédrale Saint-Caprais d'Agen) visible structure dates back to the 12th century. It was built as a collegiate church of canons dedicated to Saint Caprasius, on the foundations of a basilica sacked by the Normans in 853 but thereafter restored.

Sacked again in December 1561 during the Wars of Religion, by two years after the countrywide coup d'état that took place in 1789, the cathedral had come to store fodder before being reopened in 1796 and being elevated to the status of the city's cathedral in 1801. This new cathedral replaced the old cathedral in the town, which was destroyed during the French Revolution, thereby becoming the bishop's seat in the diocese.

The cathedral appears in one of the earliest color photographs ever taken by Louis Arthur Ducos du Hauron in 1877.

References:

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Place du Maréchal Foch 10, Agen, France
See all sites in Agen

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Religious sites in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Condom Cathedral (34 km)
Lectoure Cathedral (30,4 km)
Château de Lavardens (50,3 km)
Flaran Abbey (40,3 km)
Château de Larressingle (38,2 km)
La Romieu Church (26,8 km)
Château de Flamarens (25,2 km)
Château de Laréole (61,5 km)
Séviac Gallo-Roman Villa (45,6 km)

User Reviews

Leslie Mrtn (18 months ago)
Lieu de visite agréable et balade aux alentours sympas
Jean-Eudes Méhus (20 months ago)
Magnifique. Une cathédrale comme j'en ai rarement visité. L'extérieur est atypique par son architecture qui "remonte le temps". Elle est chaleureuse et généreuse, typique des bâtiments du sud de la France. L'intérieur est coloré et décoré à merveille, ce qui est rare comparé à l'austérité habituelle des lieux de la plupart des lieux de culte en France. De plus, la cathédrale vient d'être entièrement rénovée ce qui lui donne un cachet tout particulier.
FANTON Yves-alain (20 months ago)
Magnifique cathédrale, très bien décorée et toujours ouverte. Les fresques sont de véritables livres de la bible et de catéchisme. L'entretien est assuré. On peut juste regretter l'absence d'un musée trésors de la cathédrale
Bernard Bonafous (20 months ago)
Très beau coeur d'église. Bon recueillement.
Mad_Dog_Dak _ (3 years ago)
Cool cathédrale inside town center
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania
Photo from Flickr, copyright Dan Lundberg

Historic Site of the week

Hagios Demetrios

The Church of Saint Demetrius, or Hagios Demetrios, is the main sanctuary dedicated to Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki. It is part of the site Palaeochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO since 1988.

The first church on the spot was constructed in the early 4th century AD, replacing a Roman bath. A century later, a prefect named Leontios replaced the small oratory with a larger, three-aisled basilica. Repeatedly gutted by fires, the church eventually was reconstructed as a five-aisled basilica in 629–634. This was the surviving form of the church much as it is today. The most important shrine in the city, it was probably larger than the local cathedral. The historic location of the latter is now unknown.

The church had an unusual shrine called the ciborium, a hexagonal, roofed structure at one side of the nave. It was made of or covered with silver. The structure had doors and inside was a couch or bed. Unusually, it did not hold any physical relics of the saint. The ciborium seems to have been a symbolic tomb. It was rebuilt at least once.

The basilica is famous for six extant mosaic panels, dated to the period between the latest reconstruction and the inauguration of the Byzantine Iconoclasm in 730. These mosaics depict St. Demetrius with officials responsible for the restoration of the church (called the founders, ktetors) and with children. An inscription below one of the images glorifies heaven for saving the people of Thessalonica from a pagan Slavic raid in 615.

Thessaloniki became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1430. About 60 years later, during the reign of Bayezid II, the church was converted into a mosque, known as the Kasımiye Camii after the local Ottoman mayor, Cezeri Kasım Pasha. The symbolic tomb however was kept open for Christian veneration. Other magnificent mosaics, recorded as covering the church interior, were lost either during the four centuries when it functioned as a mosque (1493–1912) or in the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 that destroyed much of the city. It also destroyed the roof and upper walls of the church. Black-and-white photographs and good watercolour versions give an idea of the early Byzantine craftsmanship lost during the fire.

Following the Great Fire of 1917, it took decades to restore the church. Tombstones from the city"s Jewish cemetery - destroyed by the Greek and Nazi German authorities - were used as building materials in these restoration efforts in the 1940s. Archeological excavations conducted in the 1930s and 1940s revealed interesting artifacts that may be seen in a museum situated inside the church"s crypt. The excavations also uncovered the ruins of a Roman bath, where St. Demetrius was said to have been held prisoner and executed. A Roman well was also discovered. Scholars believe this is where soldiers dropped the body of St. Demetrius after his execution. After restoration, the church was reconsecrated in 1949.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2020 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.