Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Grenoble

Grenoble

According to tradition, it was on the site of the present Lady Chapel, at the end of the north aisle, that Bishop Hugh received in 1084 Bruno and his six companions, who had come to ask him for a wilderness where they might live apart from the world; Hugh himself led them into the solitude of the Chartreuse, which gave its name to the order. Legend adds that shortly before he had seen, in a dream, seven stars pointing out the place to him; a stained-glass window in the neighbouring church of Saint-Hugues illustrates the scene. Hugh governed the diocese for fifty-two years and died in 1132. His cathedral is one of the very few to have kept the double-church arrangement: Notre-Dame and the former church of Saint-Vincent, now Saint-Hugues, still communicate, backing onto the Roman rampart of Cularo. The square piers of the nave date back to the 12th century; in the 13th century, probably after a fire, the vaults and the brick porch tower were rebuilt, on a limestone base. In 1374, when the Great Companies threatened the town, Bishop Rodolphe de Chissé had a fortified wall walk, pierced with loopholes, run above the choir. In 1455, Bishop Siboud Alleman commissioned the ciborium, Flamboyant Gothic stone lacework fourteen metres high, standing in the choir, on the right-hand side; the statues in its niches were smashed in 1562 by the Calvinists of the Baron des Adrets. Opposite stands the bishops' tomb, built in 1407 by Aymon I de Chissé. It was in the church of Saint-Hugues that Barnave and Stendhal were baptised; in 1790, the latter, still a child, attended his mother's funeral there.

Wikipédia — Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Grenoble ↗

Getting there : Place Notre-Dame, 38000 Grenoble; tram B, Notre-Dame – Musée stop. Open every day, all year round, free access, according to the Grenoble Alpes tourist office (exact opening times to be checked). The adjoining Musée de l'Ancien Évêché displays the 4th-century baptistery and the history of the site.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

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