Blois Cathedral

Blois, France

Blois Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Louis de Blois) is a Roman Catholic cathedral, and a national monument of France, in Blois. It is the seat of the Bishopric of Blois, established in 1697.

This was previously the collegiate church of Saint-Solenne, the original building of which dated from the 12th century. Apart from some traces in the crypt nothing survives of this. The façade and the bell tower were built in 1544. The nave was destroyed by a hurricane in 1678, and the reconstruction in Gothic style took place between 1680 and 1700 under the architect Arnoult-Séraphin Poictevin (d. 1720). The Lady Chapel by the architect Jules Potier de la Morandière was added in about 1860.

To celebrate the church's elevation to a cathedral in 1697, Louis XIV presented the organ loft in 1704. The new see thereupon took the dedication to Saint Louis.

References:

Comments

Your name



Address

Pour Saint-Louis, Blois, France
See all sites in Blois

Details

Founded: 1697
Category: Religious sites in France

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Sasha (2 years ago)
Simple and yet so beautiful, especially the painted windows. I love the quiet and peaceful atmosphere. I also liked the music in the church, very calming
Chrissi H (3 years ago)
Stunning yet „simple“ cathedral (not much fold or shiny things). Beautiful windows and a very peaceful atmosphere.
Michelle Mitton (3 years ago)
A really beautiful spot in town overlooking the square. The gargoyles are fun and the bells are beautiful.
Yaron Bental (4 years ago)
Beautiful view quite
royal panda (5 years ago)
The only way i can describe this place is amazing and absolutely breathtaking it looks already massive on the outside and then tou go in and its a great scale to show how small a person actually is.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.