Maguelone Cathedral

Maguelone Cathedral, west front

Maguelone Cathedral, interior

Maguelone Cathedral^[1] (Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Maguelone or Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Maguelone) was the cathedral of the former Bishop of Maguelone until 1563, when the see was transferred to the newly created Bishopric of Montpellier. Now a totally isolated structure, it is situated on the once easily defensible peninsula that was the site of the original city of Maguelone, opposite the present Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone, Hérault, France.

The cathedral, constructed when the see was returned here in the 11th century from Substantion by Bishop Arnaud (1030-1060), is a Romanesque fortified building. Although parts, such as the towers, have been demolished, the main body of the building remains functional and is a registered national monument. It is run by a dedicated preservation society and is used for both religious and secular purposes.

Gallery

Portal: Saint Paul (left) and Saint Peter (right). These reliefs once formed part of a Romanesque tympanum, now replaced by a Gothic one.

See also

• Notre-Dame des Tables de Montpellier

Notes

1. also sometimes spelt Maguelonne

References

• Rouquette, J., and Villemagne, A., 1912: Cartulaire de Maguelone (4 vols)
• Rouquette, J., and Villemagne, A., 1914: Bullaire de l' église de Maguelone (2 vols)
• Saint-Jean, R., 1976: Ancienne cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Maguelone, in Languedoc Roman. Le Languedoc Méditerranéen (pp. 224-226). Zodiaque; CoII.La Nuit des Temps

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia: Montpellier
• Cathédrale de Maguelone: history and images (French)
• Art-Roman.net: Maguelone (French)
• Ministère de Culture: archive photographs (French)
• Images of Maguelone Cathedral (French)
• History of Maguelone Cathedral (French)

Coordinates: 43°31′00″N 3°53′31″E / 43.516689°N 03.891907°E