Soissons Cathedral
Encyclopedia
Soissons Cathedral is a Gothic
cathedral in Soissons
, France
. The construction of the south transept was begun about 1177, and the lowest courses of the choir in 1182. The choir with its original three-storey elevation and extremely tall clerestory was completed in 1211. This was earlier than Chartres, on which the design was supposed to have been based. Work then continued into the nave until the late 13th century.
The single western tower dates from the mid-13th century and is an imitation of those of Notre Dame de Paris
, which it equals in height (66 m, or 216 ft). The tower was restored after it and part of the nave were severely damaged in World War I
. A matching tower on the other side of the façade was originally planned, but never built.
The graceful southern transept
, the oldest portion of the whole edifice, terminates in an apse
. Unlike the rest of the building, it is divided inside into four (rather than three) levels.
The choir end of the cathedral has stained glass
from the 13th century. A tapestry from the 15th century depicts the life of the martyrs Gervasius and Protasius
, the patron saints of the cathedral. Rubens' Adoration of the Shepherds
hangs in the northern transept, as does a painting by Philippe de Champaigne
.
Maurice Duruflé
composed his work for organ "Fugue sur de la Cathédrale de Soissons" op. 12 (1962)
Some of the stained glass windows from the Cathedrale de Soissons are on permanent exhibit at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA.
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
cathedral in Soissons
Soissons
Soissons is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France, located on the Aisne River, about northeast of Paris. It is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital of the Suessiones...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The construction of the south transept was begun about 1177, and the lowest courses of the choir in 1182. The choir with its original three-storey elevation and extremely tall clerestory was completed in 1211. This was earlier than Chartres, on which the design was supposed to have been based. Work then continued into the nave until the late 13th century.
The single western tower dates from the mid-13th century and is an imitation of those of Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra of...
, which it equals in height (66 m, or 216 ft). The tower was restored after it and part of the nave were severely damaged in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. A matching tower on the other side of the façade was originally planned, but never built.
The graceful southern transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
, the oldest portion of the whole edifice, terminates in an apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
. Unlike the rest of the building, it is divided inside into four (rather than three) levels.
The choir end of the cathedral has stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
from the 13th century. A tapestry from the 15th century depicts the life of the martyrs Gervasius and Protasius
Gervasius and Protasius
Saints Gervasius and Protasius are venerated as Christian martyrs, probably of the 2nd century....
, the patron saints of the cathedral. Rubens' Adoration of the Shepherds
Adoration of the shepherds
The Adoration of the shepherds, in the Nativity of Jesus in art, is a scene in which shepherds are near witnesses to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. It is often combined with the Adoration of the Magi, in which case it is typically just referred to by the latter title...
hangs in the northern transept, as does a painting by Philippe de Champaigne
Philippe de Champaigne
Philippe de Champaigne was a Flemish-born French Baroque era painter, a major exponent of the French school.-Early life:Born in Brussels of a poor family, Champaigne was a pupil of the landscape painter Jacques Fouquières...
.
Maurice Duruflé
Maurice Duruflé
Maurice Duruflé was a French composer, organist, and pedagogue.Duruflé was born in Louviers, Eure. In 1912, he became chorister at the Rouen Cathedral Choir School, where he studied piano and organ with Jules Haelling...
composed his work for organ "Fugue sur de la Cathédrale de Soissons" op. 12 (1962)
Some of the stained glass windows from the Cathedrale de Soissons are on permanent exhibit at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA.