Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d’Orléans, Orléans, France
The gothic style Cathedral of Sainte-Croix dominates the city centre of Orléans, and the most photographed scene in the town is undoubtedly the exceptional view along the Rue Jeanne d’Arc towards the front of the cathedral.
Before visiting it is also useful to know something of the history of the cathedral, and of the churches and cathedrals that previously stood on the site.
It is said that the very first church was built here around 330 AD, at the dawn of Christianity in Europe. This very early church also contained a morsel of the True Cross, that had been discovered in Jerusalem by Saint Helen, the mother of the Emperor Augustin.
This cathedral was completed in 450 AD and, despite substantial damage caused by the Normans, survived until the late 10th century, when a great fire destroyed the cathedral and much of the town.
In the 12th century an imposing roman style cathedral was built to replace it. This was one of the greatest cathedrals in France, but unfortunately the ambitions of the designers was not matched by their engineering skills and the cathedral collapsed in the early 13th century.
The next version of Orleans cathedral was started in 1278 and eventually completed in 1512. Although it kept a few parts of the earlier roman style cathedral, it was essentially built in the ‘fashionable’ gothic style of the period, with flying-buttresses to support the great height of the walls of the nave. This was the cathedral that stood here at the time of Joan of Arc.
The Wars of Religion in 16th century France saw many churches destroyed, and a great part of the Cathedral of Orleans was also destroyed by the protestants in 1568.
Visit France. Epic French Culture & Adventure Route © All Rights Reserved | Monika & Simon Newbound 2018
Own or work here?
