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Origin and history

Notre-Dame-des-Pommiers Cathedral, also known as Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Thyrse, is a Roman Catholic building located in Sisteron (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence). Its name derives from the Latin pomerium, designating the space between the houses and the ramparts where it was built. It was the former cathedral of the diocese of Sisteron, then cocathedral of Digne since 1916. Romanesque style with Lombard influences (gate, bedside), it is distinguished by its three naves and the absence of transept, typical of Provencal art.

The construction probably began at the end of the 12th century, under the episcopate of Henry of Suse, although some sources evoke an earlier beginning under Stone of Sabran (1145-1171). The work involved Lombardic teams. In 1431 the shingle cover was replaced by tiles. During the wars of Religion (1564), Protestants ransacked the cathedral, including a broken bell tower, broken bells, overturned altars, and burned archives. The restoration began under Toussaint de Glandevès (1606-1648), with the resumption of the vaults, the reconstruction of the belfry, and the addition of lateral chapels to the south (on the site of the old cloister) and to the north.

Ranked a historic monument in 1840, the cathedral was the object of repeated work in the 19th and 20th centuries: roofing was rebuilt in 1851 (calcareous tiles), then in 1869 (mechanical tiles) after infiltration, and finally in 1926 (round tiles). Its architecture combines a central vaulted nave in broken cradle (16 m high), narrow collaterals, and a dome on Lombard-inspired trunks, unique in Provence. The northern portal, rare in Provencal Romanesque art, and capitals with Corinthian or geometric motifs enrich its decor.

Inside, the choir houses an 18th-century high altar in polychrome marble, as well as a cenotaph by Bishop Glandevès. The apsidioles have 17th century baroque shells, while the lateral chapels (added after 1564) retain retables, paintings (XVI-17th centuries), and a golden wooden altar from the chapel of Saint-Dombin. The cathedral, which is still active, also hosts concerts during the festival Les Nuits de la Citadelle.

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