Cathédrale Sainte-Marie-de-l'Assomption de Vaison-la-Romaine

Vaison-la-Romaine

In the 13th century the inhabitants of Vaison left the plain and the old Roman city to crowd together on the rock, at the foot of the castle that the Counts of Toulouse had built at the end of the 12th century. The cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth remained below, on the other side of the Ouvèze. Two centuries later the community decided to build a new cathedral closer to its houses: work began in 1464 under the master mason Raymond Armand, on the site of an older church, and stones from the chapel of Saint-Laurent, then in ruins, were reused, still betrayed by their masons' marks. The square bell tower rose in 1470. The building clings to the void: its base forms the very rampart of the Haute-Ville. Inside, a nave of four unequal rib-vaulted bays leads to a five-sided choir, between two rows of chapels. At the end of the 16th century Vaison received bishops who came from Scotland: William Chisholm, former Bishop of Dunblane, administered the diocese from 1570 to 1585, and a second William Chisholm succeeded him. According to Wikipedia, one of them, ‘Guillaume de Cheisolme’, had an organ and his tomb installed here, remains of which were found during the recent restorations. The church was enlarged in 1599–1601, painted at the beginning of the 18th century, and received in 1776 a Baroque facade with a gallery. In the 18th century the population moved back down towards the plain, and the upper church ended up being abandoned, at the end of the 19th century, in favour of Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth. Closed for twenty-five years, it has been restored and returned to visitors.

Wikipédia — Cathédrale Sainte-Marie-de-l'Assomption de Vaison-la-Romaine ↗

Getting there : Planet de l'Église, in the Haute-Ville. Open from May to October, in summer (June–August) from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm and from 1.30 pm to 6 pm; free entry, suggested contribution of one euro towards the restoration (guide-tourisme-france; to be checked). The building hosts exhibitions and cultural events. Not to be confused with Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth, in the lower town.

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

Ambient sound