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Cath茅drale Saint-Andr茅 de Bordeaux, photo by chabe01.

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Cathedrale Saint Andr茅

The Saint-Andr茅 Cathedral, also known as Bordeaux Cathedral, is located at Place Bey Berland in Bordeaux city center. The beginning of its construction dates from early 12th century until the 16th century and finally consecrated on May 1, 1096 by Pope Urban II.  There are two sculpted portals just outside the building: The North Portal which shows the Judgment of Christ, while the Royal Portal shows the details of Ascension.

The main attraction of the church is the soaring heights of the nave with the Gothic arch that reach as high as 29m (95 ft.). The church is also known as the place where Eleanor of Aquitaine celebrated her first (and ill-fated) marriage to Louis VII before the additions and subtractions were done over the centuries.

It is also known for its stunning organ, whose sculpted wood case has been declared a historic monument. Saint Andr茅 Cathedral offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the city of Bordeaux and the two smaller bells of the belfry with a beautiful view that overlooks the entire city and surrounds the spire of the bell tower for a 360掳 view.

1.Saint Andr茅 Cathedral was built and decorated between the 11th and 16th centuries

The Saint Andr茅 Cathedral decorated between the 11th and 16th centuries. The main church of the city, was often rebuilt according to events in the history of the city. Regarding its architecture, it has an imposing tympanum on the outside which is divided into 3 parts.

The height under the vault is impressive with its 23 meters high under the nave and 29 meters in the heart. Its interior length is 124 meters long with a single nave without aisle 18 meters wide at the transept.

2.Eleanor of Aquitaine celebrated her first marriage in the cathedral

The wedding of Louis VII of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine (1137),Unknown author.

In the year 1137, 13 year old Eleanor of Aquitaine married Prince Louis VII in the cathedral. Eleanor was influential during middle Ages and was one of the most famous historical figures in the region. After a short period of time, the two became the King and Queen of France. Unfortunately their marriage did not last long as it was annulled in 1152. Eleanor married Henry II who was the future king of England, and became Queen of England.

3.It is an active place of worship

The cathedral is still an active place of worship where mass is held each and every Sunday. In addition the Archbishop of Bordeaux-Bazas holds an office at the church. The bell tower and the immediate surrounding square was named after the former Archbishop of Bordeaux-Bazas , Pey Berland.

4.The north walls of the cathedral have had a history of stability problems

Despite the deep foundations of twelve meters wide and six meters underground to the bedrock beneath the north walls of this part of the cathedral have had past concerns in regards to its stability. Additional flying buttresses have been constructed over the years, called the Gramont buttress after archbishop Gabriel Gramont and his successor Charles Gramont which are the largest.

The construction was begun in 1531 with the flying arches of a Gothic buttress, covered with lavish Renaissance decoration, including a host of small putti, or angels, and carved inscriptions describing the Biblical Day of Judgement.

5.The south side has a row of buildings with Neo-Gothic facades

The most prominent feature of the south wall is the row of buildings called the New Sacristies. These structures were constructed between the year 1869 and 1879 by Paul Abadie, architecture.

They are placed against the south wall between the buttresses. The buildings contain the baptismal chapel, the sacristies, a chapel for catechisms, a chapter house, a bedroom for the bishop, and other functional spaces.

6.The Pey-Berland tower was added to the cathedral by Archbishop Pey Berland

The Pey-Berland tower (15th century), photo by Olivier Aumage.

Archbishop Pey Berland added the Pey-Berland tower and laid the first stone on October 13, 1440. The tower is located about twenty meters from the Chevet of the cathedral with a height of slightly over sixty meters high and a base of eight meters on each side. The original stone steeple was blown down in a hurricane in 1667 and the remains were taken down during the Revolution, then reconstructed in 1851. In addition the statue of Our Lady of Aquitaine was added in 1863, made of gilded metal by the Alexandre Chertier.

7.The cathedral has a unique elevation

The nave looking west, with its decorative 16th-century lierne vaults, photo by Jean Christophe BENOIST.

Unlike the elevation of Ile-de-France Gothic churches, the cathedral has a different type of elevation. This is because of the reconstructions the church has had over the different centuries. The elevation partially embodies a Gothic architecture from western France of creating several traverses aligned and covered with domes.

For example, the north side of the nave has deep niches with windows on the ground floor, while the south side, from the 12th century, flanking the new sacristies, has a largely blank wall. The massive clusters of columns that form the piers of the arcades have capitals with vegetal designs.

8.A few pieces of medieval glass remained in the cathedral windows

The pieces of the medieval glass were integrated into the cathedral windows such as the rose window of the north transept with the rest of the windows dating back to the 19th century. The windows of the church fill the walls of the chapels and the high windows of the choir. They were first installed by Joseph Villiet in 1852, glass maker, then his successor, Henry Feur, completed the rest of the windows.

9.The cathedral is home to the Marcad茅 collection

Consisting of a group of forty-two illuminations, the Marcad茅 collection was made part of the cathedral. In 1947, the Bordeaux Cathedral was given the collection by Canon Marcad茅. He was a Bordelais who went to 麻豆APP to become a priest and became an art lover who collected holy antiques that dated from the 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. It also consisted of other objects such as liturgical vestments, paintings, sculptures, statues and objects. The exhibition of these illuminations begun in 2015 in the cathedral, in a room specially designed for the collection.

10.The cathedral has several bells

One of the tower bells, photo by Maynade.

The first 4 are located in one of the south towers featuring 2 levels. The lower level has two large bells, Marie and the bourdon Ferdinand-Andr茅 II. Both are cast by the Boll茅e foundry in Le Mans and currently hung dead, however they toll rather than swing. The 鈥淚I鈥� of Ferdinand-Andr茅 II is significant because it replaced a short-lived 11-ton predecessor which was cracked upon delivery and had to be melted down.

The upper level has 2 smaller bells, Marguerite and Cl茅mence, These two bells currently operate and chime to mark services, masses, weddings and funerals at Saint-Andr茅. Since 1925, electric motors have been used and they are controlled from inside the cathedral itself

The Saint-Andr茅 Cathedral has prominent features that attract visitors and tourists across the world with a rich history. Sights such as the baptismal chapel, the sacristies, a chapel for catechisms, a chapter house, a bedroom for the bishop, and other functional spaces on the south side of the church are beautiful and hold deep meaning.