Tulle 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

Tulle Tulle (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in central France. It is the third-largest town in the former region of Limousin and is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Corrèze, in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle- ...

, France. 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 Bishopric of Tulle, which was established in 1317 after the

Albigensian crusade The Albigensian Crusade (), also known as the Cathar Crusade (1209–1229), was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, what is now southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted pri ...

History

The diocese of Tulle was erected in 1317, in the territory of the Bas-Limousin in which belonged to the Bishopric of Limoges. The

abbey church A church, church building, church house, or chapel is a building used for Christian worship services and Christian activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 AD and 256 AD. ''Church'' is also ...

was then promoted to the cathedral. The church was built on the site of a

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

abbey whose holders had acquired the episcopal dignity. Due to delays to the original architectural plan, construction went from the Romanesque design to the Gothic architectural style. These comprised changes in the cloister of the 13th century which now houses the Museum of Arts and Popular Traditions. The pillars are of Romanesque design and the vault of the nave is of Gothic design. The

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 to ...

stands tall by its long spire reaching up to 75 meters. It dates back from the 14th century. It consists of three floors surmounted by an elegant octagonal spire and surrounded by graceful bell-towers. On November 27, 1793, the cult of the goddess Raison was celebrated in the cathedral, and then closed to worship. The building was looted and ransacked. Later, a cannon factory was established there. The cathedral's nave was renovated in 1805.

Sources

Catholic Hierarchy: Diocese of Tulle
* http://www.lesconcertsducloitretulle.com/
Tulle Cathedral
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''The Planet's Cathedral''

Tulle Cathedral
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''Structurae''
Roman Catholic cathedrals in France Buildings and structures in Corrèze Churches in Nouvelle-Aquitaine {{France-RC-cathedral-stub