Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption d'Entrevaux

Entrevaux

Glandèves, the old episcopal city that grew out of a Gallo-Roman chief town, was exposed to the floods of the Var and hard to defend; from the 11th century its inhabitants had moved to the neighbouring site of Entrevaux, squeezed into a loop of the river beneath a rocky spur. The clergy followed later: the canons settled in Entrevaux in 1603, and the following year Bishop Isnard decided to build a new cathedral there, to replace the old Romanesque cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-la-Seds. Building work lasted some twenty years, until 1630; a long succession of master masons took turns on it, and the church, in a late Gothic style, with a single nave of three bays, was probably consecrated in 1627. The bell tower did not rise until between 1657 and 1667, its bells hung in 1671. Then war caught up with the building. In 1692, when the defences of Entrevaux were strengthened to plans by the engineer Niquet that Vauban had signed, the cathedral became a piece of the rampart: its south wall raised the curtain wall, a half-turret was built into it, and the crenellated bell tower henceforth served as an observation tower. Inside, the contrast is complete: rib vaults strewn with stars, ribs painted with red, green and gold interlace, angels, a dove and a lamb on the walls, 17th-century choir stalls and an organ of 1717. The bishops of Glandèves held their see there until the Revolution, which suppressed their bishopric; a large part of its territory passed to the diocese of Digne under the Concordat of 1801.

Wikipédia — Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption d'Entrevaux ↗

Getting there : Place Saint-Jean-Baptiste according to the Inventaire (place de l'Église according to the Mérimée entry), in the fortified village, which is entered by the drawbridge of the Porte Royale. Open all year round with free access according to the Verdon tourist office (times to be checked). Entrevaux has a station on the Nice–Digne line of the Chemins de fer de Provence (timetable to be checked).

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

Ambient sound