Pro-cathédrale Saint-Érasme de Cervione

Cervione

In 1570 Pope Pius V sent to Corsica a Milan-born Barnabite, Alexandre Sauli, former superior general of his order, consecrated Bishop of Aléria by Charles Borromeo. The diocese he found was extremely poor and torn by the struggles between Genoese and Corsicans. In 1578 the bishops of Aléria established their residence at Cervione, a village of the Castagniccia, and in 1578–1579 Sauli had the seminary, the bishop's palace and a still modest cathedral built there. He vigorously applied the reforms of the Council of Trent, composed a catechism, reformed his clergy and devoted himself to the sick and the poor: he was nicknamed ‘the apostle of Corsica’. Appointed Bishop of Pavia in 1591, he died the following year, in 1592. Cervione remained the seat of the bishops of Aléria until the Revolution. The church to be seen today is that of the 18th century: the date 1714, carved on the north wall, marks the start of building work completed around 1745, on the site of Sauli's cathedral. Its Latin-cross plan follows that of the Gesù in Rome, with a nave covered by a barrel vault with lunettes and an elliptical dome over the crossing; the three-storey facade, without sculpture, is extremely sober. Prosper Mérimée, who had little taste for the Corsican churches of the 17th and 18th centuries and their decoration by ‘Italian daubers’, made an exception for this one and for its bell tower. The canons' choir stalls, with twisted columns, date from 1750; the dome, which collapsed in 1855, was raised again in 1858 thanks to a subscription to which the Empress Eugénie contributed.

Wikipédia — Pro-cathédrale Saint-Érasme de Cervione ↗

Getting there : In the village of Cervione (Haute-Corse), by the D71 that climbs from the T10 coast road. Opening times and visiting conditions to be checked; parish church, free entry outside services to be checked.

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

Ambient sound