Cathedral Saint-Maurice (Cathedrale Saint-Maurice d'Angers) description and photos - France: Angers (Topic)

Saint-Maurice Cathedral (Cathedrale Saint-Maurice d'Angers) description and photos - France: Angers. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Cathedrale Saint-Maurice d'Angers.

Photo and description

The Cathedral of Saint Mauritius (Saint-Maurice) dates back to 1023, when a new temple was built on the site of the burnt church by order of two bishops at once - Norman de Dua and Guillaume de Beaumont.

Today the Cathedral of Saint Maurice is one of the main attractions of Angers, a national historical monument, and also the center of the diocese of Angers. In the Middle Ages, the Cathedral of St. Mauritius even claimed to keep within its walls one of the most significant Christian shrines - the head of John the Baptist, but gave it up to the Cathedral in Amiens.

Currently, the Cathedral of Saint Maurice is recognized as an outstanding architectural structure, in the appearance of which you can see features inherent in different styles - Romanesque, Gothic, in particular, its rare variety, known as "Angevin Gothic", originated in Angers and spread in western France in the XII-XIII centuries. The cathedral is built in the shape of a cross. Its facade is protected on both sides by two towers, which in the 16th century were decorated with sculptures of the knights who accompanied St. Mauritius. During his lifetime, Mauritius was a Roman legionary, but he and his companions in the Middle Ages were sometimes depicted in knightly vestments. These sculptural elements have already been executed in the Renaissance style by the architect Jean Delespin.

The cathedral is also decorated with frescoes depicting scenes from the life of St. Maurice, a 13th century stained glass window, recognized as a masterpiece of glass craft, other stained glass paintings and an altar created in the middle XVIII century in the Rococo style. In the 19th century, the restoration of the cathedral was carried out. Previously, the cathedral kept tapestries by Nicolas Bataille, who lived in the 14th century and was recognized as the best master of Paris at that time. Now these tapestries are on display at the Angersky Castle. The cathedral is located next to the castle, in the historic center of the city.

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Topic: Cathedral Saint-Maurice (Cathedrale Saint-Maurice d'Angers) description and photos - France: Angers.