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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Saint Trinity Basilica of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, built mainly in the 15th century, is one of the oldest monuments in the city. Its origins date back to a first church founded around 435 by St.Ereptiole, bishop of Coutances, then destroyed during the Viking raids in 841. Rebuilt by Duke Richard II of Normandy and signed in 1033, it was destroyed again during the Hundred Years War. The reconstruction works began in 1412, but were interrupted by lack of funds in 1422, before resuming in 1428 with the construction of the bell tower, choir and chapels. The nave, completed between 1450 and 1466 after the departure of the English, was consecrated in 1466 by Jean Tustot, parish priest of Cherbourg.

The church houses a famous automaton, Notre-Dame Montée, commissioned in 1466 by bourgeois Jean Aubert to commemorate the city's deliverance. This mechanism, activated every 15 August until 1702, represented the Assumption of the Virgin surrounded by angels. The basilica, never fully completed, has undergone heteroclite additions over the centuries, such as the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament in the eighteenth century. Saccaged in 1794 during the Revolution, it was deeply restored in the 19th century, with the addition of a neo-Gothic tower in 1828. It was elevated to the rank of minor basilica in 1921 by Pope Benedict XV.

The monument is distinguished by its exceptional furniture: a macabre dance carved from the 15th century (restored in the 19th century), bas-reliefs in English alabaster, an eighteenth-century pulpit, and paintings attributed to Philippe de Champaigne. The northern portal, of flamboyant Gothic style (1531), contrasts with the neo-Gothic tower. The bedside, backed by the old city walls, recalls its defensive role past. Ranked a historic monument in 1944, the basilica embodies both the religious, military and artistic history of Normandy.

Among the notable events were the burial in 1473 of Pierre Turpin de Crissé, bishop of Évreux, in the choir, and the destruction in 1794 of the mechanism of Notre-Dame Montée by the revolutionaries. In the 19th century, architect Geufroy led important consolidations, while the basilica became a symbol of local resilience. Its interior decor, including adorned arch keys and murals, bears witness to late Gothic and Renaissance influences.

The basilica also preserves traces of its medieval past, such as the Romanesque porch of the 11th or 12th century, integrated into the present structure. The stained glass windows, the organs of Cavaillé-Coll and the stalls of the choir complete a remarkable heritage ensemble. Its history reflects the political upheavals (English occupation, Revolution) and artistic developments, making it a major place of memory in Normandy.

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