Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux

Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux

The first known bishop of this see of the Tricastin was called Paul: he is mentioned in 374, at the Council of Valence. It is supposed that the first episcopal group stood beneath the present church of Saint-Jean, and that the see only moved to its present site in the Carolingian period, or even in the 11th century. In the 9th century, under Louis the Pious, Pope Gregory IV united the Churches of Saint-Paul and Orange; it is perhaps the end of this short union that explains the ambition of the building work launched in the mid-12th century. The choir was begun first, and around 1220 the church was completed. It is a model of Provençal Romanesque art: a basilican plan with three aisles, ending in a semi-domed apse with arcades and colonnettes, harmonious volumes, a spare decoration in which the lessons of Antiquity recur, triangular pediments, fluted columns, acanthus-leaf capitals, Greek-key and egg-and-dart friezes; Roman materials are even reused in the construction. Behind the altar, a mosaic depicts ‘the city of Jerusalem’, with the four evangelists in medallions and black and white motifs: an image of the Holy City probably contemporary with the first crusades. In the 15th century a Gothic porch and chapel were added to the south side. The diocese did not survive the Revolution: suppressed in 1790, it was not re-established at the Concordat, and its territory was divided between Avignon and Valence. In 1840 the cathedral appeared on the first list of historic monuments, which numbered 1,034 buildings.

Wikipédia — Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux ↗

Getting there : Rue de l'Église, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux (Drôme). According to the Drôme provençale tourist office: open every day from 9 am to 6 pm, free entry, guided tours on request, Mass on Sundays and feast days at 11 am (to be checked before visiting).

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

Ambient sound