Cathédrale Saint-Mammès de Langres
Encyclopedia
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, located in the town of Langres
Langres
Langres is a commune in north-eastern France. It is a subprefecture of the Haute-Marne département in the Champagne-Ardenne region.-History:As the capital of the Romanized Gallic tribe the Lingones, it was called Andematunnum, then Lingones, and now Langres.The town is built on a limestone...
. It was built in the twelfth century and is dedicated to the 3rd century martyr Mammes of Caesarea
Mammes of Caesarea
Saint Mammes of Caesarea ; is a semi-legendary child-martyr of the 3rd century. He was martyred at Caesarea. His parents, Theodotus and Rufina, were also martyred.-Life:...
. It is the seat of the Bishop of Langres.
Around 1140, bishop Geoffroy de La Roche-Vanneau (1139-1162), a companion of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, took the decision to rebuild the cathedral. At that time the cathedral of Saint-Étienne in Sens
Sens
Sens is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.Sens is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is crossed by the Yonne and the Vanne, which empties into the Yonne here.-History:...
was already under construction. Building began with the choir. The three-level frontage was taken from the third church at Cluny
Cluny
Cluny or Clungy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France. It is 20 km northwest of Mâcon.The town grew up around the Benedictine Cluny Abbey, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in 910...
. The choir's flying buttresses were hidden, but those of the nave can be seen from the outside. We know from a bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
of Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...
, who had taken refuge at Sens from 1163 to 1165, that in 1170 building was well underway. It only lacked the first span of the nave and the great west front.
In 1190, following the sale of lands to the west, a last campaign was undertaken with a view to finishing the building work, and the cathedral was dedicated in 1196. It seems that at that date only the vaults of the nave were still to be built.
In 1209, the holy relic of the head of Saint Mammes was brought to the cathedral. In the thirteenth century the cloister was built (of which two arcades remain today) as well as the chapel of the Virgin in the apse (promoted by the canon of Vergy). In 1314, a fire destroyed the nave's roof. In the sixteenth century, from 1547 to 1551, the canon d'Amoncourt, vicar-general of Claude de Longwy who was then bishop of Langres, had the chapel of the Holy Cross built on the left-hand side of the nave. In 1562, lightning caused another fire. In 1746, the west side threatened to collapse, and the decision was taken to demolish it. It was rebuilt from 1761 to 1786 in the classical style, in accordance with the plans of Claude-Louis D'Aviler dating from 1758. The works were managed by the architect Jean-Antoine Caristie. On 12 December 1790, the cathedral was closed, but reopened in 1791. In the nineteenth century, from 1852, the highest parts of the cathedral were renovated by the architect Alphonse Durand, who also built the sacristy from 1857 to 1862.