, infobox_width = , image =Limoges Cathédrale Saint Etienne.jpg , image_size = , caption =Limoges Cathedral , map_type = , map_size = , map_caption = , location =

Limoges Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated on the first western foothi ...

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Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, rite =

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

, region =

Haute-Vienne Haute-Vienne (; oc, Nauta Vinhana, ; English: Upper Vienne) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwest-central France. Named after the Vienne River, it is one of the twelve departments that together constitute Nouvelle-Aquit ...

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Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominat ...

, functional_status = Active , heritage_designation = , leadership = , website = , architecture = yes , architect = , architecture_type =

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

, architecture_style = Gothic,

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

, Romanesque , general_contractor = , facade_direction = , groundbreaking = 1273 , year_completed = 1888 , construction_cost = , specifications = , capacity = , length = , width = , width_nave = , height_max = , dome_quantity = , dome_height_outer = , dome_height_inner = , dome_dia_outer = , dome_dia_inner = , minaret_quantity = , minaret_height = , spire_quantity = , spire_height = , materials = , nrhp = , added = , refnum = Limoges Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Limoges) is a Roman Catholic

located in

, France. It is a national monument and the seat of the

Bishop of Limoges The Roman Catholic Diocese of Limoges (Latin: ''Dioecesis Lemovicensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Limoges'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the '' départments'' of Haute-Vienne and ...

. The

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominat ...

is in the Gothic,

and Romanesque architectural styles. The construction of the church began in 1273 and finished only in 1888, when the nave was connected to the belfry, a fine, partly octagonal,

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tow ...

. It is noted for its

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...

with reliefs of the

labors of Hercules The Labours of Hercules or Labours of Heracles ( grc-gre, οἱ Ἡρακλέους ἆθλοι, ) are a series of episodes concerning a penance carried out by Heracles, the greatest of the Greek heroes, whose name was later romanised a ...

, built in 1534 and moved to the western end of the nave during the revolution, and for the tomb of the bishop

Jean de Langeac Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

(who commissioned the rood screen) on which are carved scenes of the

Apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imagery ...

, inspired by Dürer.

Architecture

:''Nave and choir, respectively, looking east, through a "folding out" lens that nearly flattens out the steep Gothic arches.'' The walls of Romanesque

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

have beautiful frescoes representing Christ in glory. Some medieval paintings are still visible in some

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

s (including representatives of angelic musicians) but almost all are frescoes of the 19th century. The Cathedral of Limoges has two organs: a neoclassical instrument built by

Georges Danion Georges Paul Aimé Danion (28 January 1922 – 24 December 2005) was a French organ builder. MusimeObituary/ref> Biography Danion was born in Luçon and moved to Paris in 1924. After studying the violin, he played in a Paris orchestra. In 1 ...

in 1963 and a choir organ, installed in 1850. and restored 1891 by Merklin. Every summer, the association of the cathedral organizes organ concerts to highlight the major organs of this building.

Gallery

Image:Cathédrale de Limoges.jpg, File:Limoges cathedrale Saint Etienne.JPG, Image:Cathedrale stetienne limoges nuit.jpg, Image:Chapelle.cathedrale.Limoges.png, Image:Chapiteau.triforium.cathedrale.Limoges.png, Image:Plan.cathedrale.Limoges.png, Image:Limoges St-Etienne cathedral.jpg, File:Cathédrale Saint-Etienne Limoges2.JPG,

External links

Location
Roman Catholic cathedrals in France Churches in Haute-Vienne

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