Cathedral of Cahors, France, 11th Century

Cathedral of Cahors, main entry side

Cahors's cloitre

The Cathedral of Cahors is one of the most famous cathedrals in France, built in the 11th century and still standing after almost a thousand years. The Catholic Church was built under the guidance of bishop Gerard de Cardaillac and was concentrated by Pope Calixctus II in 1119. The cathedral was built to be heavily fortified against enemies and because the bishops who lived there were also political figures at the time and needed to be protected. The cathedral was known as an architectural masterpiece. 

Ground plan 

Plan of Cahors cathedral

According to Stephenson (2010), the cathedral represented "one of the
earliest prototypes of domed naves in the region" (p. 392). It was also the first church in France to have cupolas. Stephenson also points out that Cardaillac spent many years travelling throughout Europe and North Africa as far as Constantinople and Tripoli studying and researching architecture before drawing up plans for the cathedral. It is rumored that he carried “the Holy Cap, a cloth that had been used on Christ, a popular and sacred religious relic, with him on his journey after obtaining it from a crusade to the holy land and that was some of his inspiration for his design or the cathedral. The cathedral, which was "rebuilt in part between 1285 and 1500, influenced regional ecclesiastical architecture" (Cahors, 2016.) The outer façade, constructed in the Romanesque style, was renovated between 1316 and 1324 and gave the cathedral a heavy, fortified outer appearance. The cathedral has six narrow windows and one large rose window as well as a porch with a bell tower flanked by two smaller towers. This heavy style made the building appear more like a fortress than a church, which may have been necessary during a time when many countries in Europe were engaged in war with each other.

Stained glass windows

The main part of the cathedral is the nave, which is 44 x 20 m wide with a 32 foot high ceiling, split into two domes. The first dome is decorated in a 14th century fresco, which depicts eight prophets riding animals, as well as the stoning of St. Stephen. The apse, or semi-circular recess, contains three separate smaller chapels within it. There are numerous tombs throughout the church, namely one that holds the Holy Cap, as well as Alain de Solminihac, the popular Bishop of Cahors from 1636 to his death in 1659. In addition to being a popular bishop, he was also a major religious reformer who would later go on to be granted sainthood.

Work Cited: 

Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2016). Cahors, France. Encyclopedia Britannica.
Stephenson, P. (Ed.). (2010). The Byzantine World. Routledge.