Bordeaux Cathedral
A Gothic cathedral in Bordeaux, seat of the archbishop.
Bordeaux Cathedral, whose full official name is the Primatial Cathedral of St Andrew of Bordeaux, is a Catholic church in Bordeaux, France, dedicated to Saint Andrew. It serves as the seat of the Archbishop of Bordeaux. In 1998, UNESCO added the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France to its World Heritage list, which includes this cathedral along with the basilicas of St Severinus and St Michael as three key churches in Bordeaux.
A church dedicated to Saint Andrew first appears in Bordeaux records from 814, during the Carolingian period. It was likely part of a cluster of churches within the old Roman fortified town, alongside the Basilica of Saint Severinus and Notre-Dame-de-la-Place. A more official mention comes from 1096, in a document from Duke William IX of Aquitaine's chancellery, when Pope Urban II formally consecrated it. During the 11th and 12th centuries, the Romanesque church competed fiercely with nearby Saint Severinus for pilgrims on the route to Santiago de Compostela. Saint Severinus held the advantage with relics of Saint James's companions and the oliphant of Roland, placed there by Charlemagne. Over time, Saint Andrew gained prominence, becoming the leading church of Aquitaine. Previously under the Archbishop of Bourges, it began reporting directly to Rome under Pope Clement IV and took authority over churches in Agen, Périgueux, Angoulême, and Saintes. On July 22, 1137, the 13-year-old Eleanor of Aquitaine married the future Louis VII of France here; a week later, his father died, making her queen. That marriage was annulled in 1152, and she later married the future Henry II, becoming Queen of England in 1154. She was mother to Richard the Lionheart and King John. The Romanesque church, begun before 1170 atop Carolingian masonry, had a nave with three rectangular sections and an asymmetric transept, originally planned with cupolas like those at St. Maurice in Angers. By the early 13th century, however, builders shifted to the new Gothic style from the Île-de-France, gradually demolishing the old sanctuary. Only one wall of the Romanesque nave remains.
The shift to French Gothic architecture spanned a long period when Aquitaine and Bordeaux were under English control. It was aided by Archbishop Bertrand de Goth, who became Pope Clement V in 1305 and directed donations to the cathedral.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Bordeaux, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
- Religious Affiliation
- Catholic Church
- District
- Archdiocese of Bordeaux
- Architecture Type
- Church
- Architecture Style
- Gothic, Romanesque
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
A church of Saint-André was first mentioned in Bordeaux in documents dating from 814, in the Carolingian period. It appears more officially in 1096 in a document from the chancellery of Duke William IX of Aquitaine, and was formally consecrated by Pope Urban II that year. In the 11th and 12th centuries, the Romanesque church competed with the neighbouring Basilica of Saint Severinus to attract pilgrims on the Pilgrimage to Saint-Jacques de Compostelle. On 22 July 1137, the 13-year-old Eleanor of Aquitaine married the future Louis VII of France in the cathedral.
Reader's Guide
The transformation from Romanesque to French Gothic architecture took place during a long period when Aquitaine and Bordeaux were under English control. It was assisted by the support of Archbishop Bertrand de Goth, who reigned as Pope Clement V from 1305 to 1314. Construction of the nave was greatly delayed by the Hundred Years' War, and the plan was reduced from three aisles to a single aisle. The bell tower, separate from the main building, was begun in 1440 and finished in 1500. Following an earthquake in 1427, flying buttresses were added. In the 16th century, Renaissance decorative elements were added, including a rood screen taken down in 1806. The royal wedding of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria took place in the cathedral in 1615. During the French Revolution, the building was nationalised and used as a storage barn for horse feed. A long series of renovations began in 1803, with major reconstructions by Paul Abadie, architect of the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur in Paris. The north portal walls were cleaned with lasers in 1997–98.
Did You Know?
- The cathedral was the site of the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine and the future Louis VII of France in 1137.
- The north portal walls were cleaned of centuries of grime and soot with lasers in 1997–98.
- During the French Revolution, the building was transformed into a storage barn for military horse feed.
- The sculpture of the tympanum of the royal portal was used as a model for the recreation of the tympanum of the central portal of Notre Dame de Paris in the 19th century.
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