Auch Cathedral, Auch, Midi-Pyrenees, France
The Sainte-Marie Cathedral majestically dominates the city, and whether you arrive at Auch from the East or from the West our eyes are invariably attracted by this building. It stands on the site of an old Romanesque church of the eleventh century. Its construction lasted two hundred years (1489 – 1680), which explains the variety of styles: Gothic Flamboyant for the whole of the work, and Renaissance for the framed facade of 2 towers with a height of 44 m. Of surprising dimensions (100 m long and 40 m wide), this cathedral is one of the last gothic cathedrals of France and one of the richest.
Inside, there are many treasures to discover including:
• the stained glass windows of Arnaud de Moles, which are among the most beautiful stained glass windows of the 16th century.
• The oak choir, composed of high stalls and low stalls where more than 1500 characters are carved, representing an iconographic ensemble of incomparable richness.
• The great organ of the seventeenth century.
The visitor, who may be surprised to find such an imposing monument in the heart of the Gers, measures the influence of the historic capital of Gascony that was Auch and the power of his archbishopric whose authority went from the Pyrenees to the gates of Bordeaux and the suburbs. Toulouse to the Atlantic Ocean. The Sainte-Marie Cathedral is a major site on the roads of Saint-Jacques de Compostela classified World Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
Opened in July 2015, discover the Museum of the Treasury of the Cathedral, located in the heart of the Tower of Armagnac. In addition to a remarkable monument that unfolds, there are no less than 230 objects of sacred art (statues, textiles, goldsmiths …) that are presented through a modern and interactive scenography.
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