Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Cathedral of Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Belley, located in the department of Ain, is an emblematic religious building whose history dates back to the fifth century. The existence of the bishopric is attested from that time, and the first mention of a cathedral dates from 5 April 722, when the building housed a relic of Saint John the Baptist, part of his right hand. In the 12th century, a Romanesque church was built, the nave of which remained until the 19th century. The absidial chapels, rebuilt in Gothic style, were completed in 1520, but the cathedral suffered serious damage during the French Revolution, losing its relics and two bell towers, before being transformed into a temple of Reason.

The 1822 earthquake further weakened the structure, leading to almost total reconstruction between 1835 and 1853 under the impetus of Alexander Devie. The Lyon architect Antoine-Marie Chenavard then designed a neo-Gothic building, preserving only the absidial chapels and part of the northern gate. The cathedral, 78.40 metres long and 17 metres high for the main nave, has a modest facade decorated with a statue of Saint John the Baptist and sixteen statues of saints and bishops.

Inside, marked by great harmony, unifies the ancient Gothic parts of the choir with the newly built nave. Baptismal fonts, from the workshop of sculptor Georges François Richter, and the organ of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, inaugurated in 1860, are among the outstanding elements. The latter, modified in 1936 by Merklin and Kuhn, has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1923. Despite his status as cathedral, the bishop of the diocese has resided in Bourg-en-Bresse since 1978, where the collegiate Notre-Dame-de-Bourg was erected as a co-cathedral in 1992.

External links