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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

St Mary's Cathedral, located in Gers in Occitanie, is a flamboyant Gothic building marked by Renaissance influences. Its construction, begun in 1489 under the impetus of Archbishop François de Savoie and his vicar Jean Marre, stowed over two centuries, with a consecration in 1548 as the work continued. The 102-metre-long building replaces a Romanesque cathedral destroyed by a fire in 1171. His most remarkable elements — the 18 glass windows of Arnaud de Moles (1507-1513) and the 113 stalls of the choir — illustrate the transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, mixing biblical scenes, mythology and fantastic bestiary.

The façade and porch, of the Corinthian order, were added at the end of the seventeenth century, while the bell towers, begun in 1559 by Jean de Beaujeu, were only completed in 1680 under the direction of Pierre Miressou and the sculptor François Auxion. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1906 and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 (paths to Santiago de Compostela), the cathedral was restored several times, notably after revolutionary degradations in 1793. His choir, closed by a monumental altarpiece in black marble from Izaourt, and his organ by Jean de Joyeuse (1694) bear witness to his rich artistic heritage.

The history of the cathedral is related to that of the archdiocese of Auch, transferred from Eauze after the Sarrasin invasions of the ninth century. The excavations revealed the foundations of the Romanesque Cathedral of St. Austinde (12th century), destroyed by fire. The stained glass windows, protected by screens in the seventeenth century, and the stalls, carved between 1510 and 1554, are among the most complete sets in France. The crypt, built to compensate for the slope of the hill, houses the tombs of local saints like Saint Leotade (7th-VIIIth century).

In the 19th century, major restorations were carried out by architects Hippolyte Durand and Charles Laisné, while in the 20th century, the cathedral was elevated to the rank of minor basilica (1928). Its impressive dimensions (voûts at 26.64 m, towers of 44 m) and its protected furniture ( altars, pulpit, retables) make it a jewel of French religious heritage. The bells, including the 6.75-ton bumblebee (1853), and the two organs — that of Cavaillé-Coll (XIXth century) and the great classical organ (1694) — complete this exceptional ensemble.

The cathedral remains a place of pilgrimage and active worship, with ceremonies such as the ordination of Bishop Maurice Gardès in 2005. His chapter, secularized in 1548, once had 25 noble canons. Today, she also attracts for her acoustics and concerts, while maintaining her role as a primatial (honorary holder of Novempopulanie). The stained glass windows of Arnaud de Moles, restored between 2017 and 2019, and the stalls, studied for their complex iconography, continue to fascinate art historians.

Future

The Cathedral of Sainte-Marie is one of the 71 monuments and 7 portions of paths have been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1998 under the official title of "Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle en France".

It is on the way to Via Tolosana or "Toulousaine Way" which passes through Toulouse, hence its name, but its starting point is at Arles from where its other name of way to Arles (via Arelatensis).

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