Cathédrale Saint-Fulcran de Lodève

Lodève

Fulcran was consecrated Bishop of Lodève on 4 February 949 by the Archbishop of Narbonne and remained so until his death on 13 February 1006: more than half a century as bishop. He rebuilt the cathedral, then dedicated to Saint Geniès of Arles, as well as the church of Saint-Sauveur and its Benedictine monastery, founded or endowed hospitals for the poor and the sick, and took part in 990 in the synod of Le Puy, where the first Truce of God was concluded. His body, found in 1198 and transferred to the cathedral probably in 1209, was the object of a cult recognised by Pope Nicholas IV in 1290; in the 15th century the church took his name. The present Gothic building rose from the end of the 13th century: the choir around 1280, the nave in the early 14th, then the chapels and the bell tower more than 57 metres high, which also served as a watchtower; the west front received a wall walk and bartizans, as at Béziers. These defences were not enough. On 4 July 1573 the Protestants took Lodève; the cathedral was sacked and the four great piers of the nave were blown up. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Fulcran's body, which had remained intact, was burnt by the Huguenots (it dates the event to 1572); only a few fragments of it were saved. The choir, the walls, the chapels and the tower had held: Bishop Jean de Plantavit de La Pause had the destroyed parts restored identically. The polygonal apse, the rose window and the cloister, built from the 15th to the 17th century, complete the visit.

Wikipédia — Cathédrale Saint-Fulcran de Lodève ↗

Getting there : Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, 34700 Lodève, according to the Occitanie tourist office. Open all year round; unguided visits, guided tours of the bell tower from €5 according to the same site (times and prices to be checked).

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

Ambient sound