Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l’Assomption de Rodez, Midi-Pyrenees, France
Rodez was Christianized from the IV th and V th century and the first traces of the cathedral back to the time of the Bishop St. Dalmas , towards 516 . However, it seems that the whole building was rebuilt around the year 1000 . From this time, there remains little remains (mainly during excavations) because the collapse of the bell tower of the Romanesque cathedral in 1276 resulted in a total reconstruction of it that will last more than three centuries.
12 – Rodez Bell tower of the cathedral.jpg
The foundation stone of the present cathedral was laid in 1277 by Bishop Raymond de Calmont d’Olt . However, the Hundred Years’ War , then the epidemics and in particular the Black Death of 1348 as well as various quarrels within the diocese provoked a long interruption of this monumental building site.
At the end of the XIV th century , a purely defensive tower was erected, topped with a wooden spire. In the XV th century , work was resumed with a vengeance with the completion of the choir and its vault, and the start of construction of the transept and the first bays of the nave.
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