Saint-Flour Cathedral () is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

located in the town of

Saint-Flour Saint-Flour (; Auvergnat: ''Sant Flor'') is a commune in the south-central French department of Cantal, approximately 100 km south of Clermont-Ferrand. Its inhabitants are called ''Sanflorains''. Geography The upper city (''ville haut ...

in the

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; or ) is a cultural region in central France. As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historical Province of Auvergne, which was dis ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The dedication is to

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

and Saint Florus, the first

bishop of Lodève A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

, who is also the

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

of the town. It has been a ''

monument historique () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

'' since 30 October 1906. The

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

is the seat of the

Bishops of Saint-Flour The Diocese of Saint-Flour (Latin: ''Dioecesis Sancti Flori''; French language, French: ''Diocèse de Saint-Flour'') is a Latin Church, Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the department of Cantal. Erected in 131 ...

. It is a Gothic structure, built between 1398 and 1466.

History

A first

was built to house the remains of Florus, a bishop of dubious historicity and first legendary apostle of Upper Auvergne. This building is attested by a

papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

Gregory V Gregory may refer to: People and fictional characters * Gregory (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gregory (surname), a surname * Gregory (The Walking Dead), fictional character from the walki ...

at the end of the

10th century The 10th century was the period from 901 (represented by the Roman numerals CMI) through 1000 (M) in accordance with the Julian calendar, and the last century of the 1st millennium. In China, the Song dynasty was established, with most of C ...

. In the

11th century The 11th century is the period from 1001 (represented by the Roman numerals MI) through 1100 (MC) in accordance with the Julian calendar, and the 1st century of the 2nd millennium. In the history of Europe, this period is considered the early ...

, Odilon de Mercœur, Abbot of Cluny built a Romanesque

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

that Pope

Urban II Pope Urban II (; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening the Council of Clermon ...

consecrated in 1095 under the triple name of Saint-Sauveur, Saint-Pierre and Saint-Flour. In the

14th century The 14th century lasted from 1 January 1301 (represented by the Roman numerals MCCCI) to 31 December 1400 (MCD). It is estimated that the century witnessed the death of more than 45 million lives from political and natural disasters in both Euro ...

, Pope

John XXII Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected by the Conclave of ...

created the dioceses of Saint Flour.Albert Rigaudière, Saint-Flour, ville d'Auvergne au bas Moyen Âge: étude d'histoire administrative et financière, (Publication Universitaire de Rouen, 1982), p. 67. In 1396 there was a partial collapse of the north side of the building. Bishop Hugues de Manhac oversaw the reconstruction in spite of a difficult situation (

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

, plague). A new, Gothic

with three naves and four towers (two on the west and one on each side) was consecrated by Bishop Antoine de Montgon in 1466. During the French Revolution in 1793, the building was ransacked and transformed into a temple of the Supreme Being. The cathedral was restored to a church in 1802. Between 1846 and 1856, important restoration work was undertaken under the leadership of Monseigneur de Marguerye, bishop of Saint-Flour. The two lateral towers are demolished between 1862 and 1866. The cathedral is classified as a historical monument on October 30, 1906. In 2010, Bruno Grua, bishop of Saint-Flour commissioned new works on the building.

Gallery

File:Saint-Flour Cathedral.jpg, Saint-Flour Cathedral interior file:Saint-Flour Cathedral.JPG, Saint-Flour Cathedral in winter

References

Sources and external links

*
Catholic Hierarchy: Diocese of Saint-Flour

Location of cathedral
Roman Catholic cathedrals in France Churches in Cantal {{France-RC-cathedral-stub