Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Moulins

Moulins

The rare pairing, in a single nave, of a masterpiece of the French Primitives and a statue venerated for a thousand years.

Its first stone laid in 1468 by Agnes of Burgundy, this Flamboyant Gothic collegiate church became a cathedral in 1823 with the creation of the diocese of Moulins, and was then enlarged between 1852 and 1876 with a neo-Gothic nave and two stone spires rising to 82 metres. It houses the celebrated triptych of the Master of Moulins (around 1498-1501), commissioned by Pierre II de Bourbon and Anne de France and now attributed to the painter Jean Hey. Also venerated here is the Black Madonna, an 11th-century wooden statue that tradition says was brought back from the Holy Land. The treasury also holds remarkable stained glass of the 15th and 16th centuries.

Getting there : Listed as a monument historique in 1875; raised to the rank of minor basilica in 1949. Cathedral of the diocese of Moulins since 1823, open to visitors.

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

Ambient sound