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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame-du-Puy Cathedral of Grasse, located in the Alpes-Maritimes, was first mentioned in 1154 under the name Santa Maria de Podio. At that time, Grasse, freed from feudal power, developed commercial links with Italian cities like Genoa and Pisa. In 1227, the city passed under the authority of Provence County, marking a political and economic turning point for the region.

The episcopal seat of Antibes was transferred to Grasse in 1244, probably leading to the building of the cathedral in the thirteenth century. The Lombard-style building features a 55-metre central nave flanked by pillars symbolizing the twelve apostles. These pillars, slit in 1679 to install stalls, suffered damage during a fire in 1795 during the Revolution, when the cathedral was converted into a forage store.

The architecture evolved over the centuries: the circular choir was replaced by a rectangular choir in 1687, stucco stands were added in 1692, and an crypt was arranged in 1714, modifying the main access with a perron. The façade, decorated with Lombard bands, bears the trace of a cannon ball drawn during the siege of 1589 by the leaguers. The walls, built of limestone of La Turbie, reach 1.7 m thick without buttresses.

The cathedral is home to a remarkable artistic heritage, including three paintings by Pierre Paul Rubens (such as the Érection de la Croix), bequeathed in 1827, and Le Lalement des pieds by Jean Honoré Fragonard, commissioned in 1754. Among the securities are reliquaries, statues of the evangelists, and a retable of the high altar dating perhaps from 1489. The organ, built in 1855 by Frédéric De Jungk, was restored several times, notably in 1981 by Tamburini.

Seat of the diocese of Grasse from 1244 to 1802, the cathedral is then attached to the archdioceses of Aix-en-Provence (1802), Fréjus (1822), then Nice (1896). Ranked a Historic Monument in 1920, it illustrates the religious and architectural history of Provence, mixing Lombard influences, Baroque modifications and European artistic heritage.

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