Agde Cathedral

Agde, France

Agde Cathedral is dedicated to Saint Stephen and stands on the bank of the Hérault River. The present building was constructed in the 12th century, beginning in 1173 under the direction of bishop William II of Agde, and replaced a Carolingian church of the 9th century that stood on the foundations of a 5th-century Roman church, formerly a temple of Diana.

The cathedral is remarkable for being built of black basalt from the nearby volcanic Mont St. Loup quarries. The building is extremely strong and was designed to serve as a fortress as much as a church: the walls are between 2 and 3 metres thick, and the square tower, 35 metres high, could also function as a keep, or donjon. The crenellations and machicolations are very prominent, and again, more characteristic of a fortress than of a church.

The Romanesque cloister which once adjoined the cathedral was demolished in 1857. Many of the materials, such as the capitals and the columns, were shortly afterwards reused for the construction of the lady chapel, which is now used as the entrance.

In the severe interior the 17th century high altar of polychromatic marble stands out all the more, as do the organs in Baroque style.

Of the cathedral's five bells, four are hung in the belltower, and were cast by Burdin-Aîné of Lyon in 1894 and 1895. The fifth is on top of the bellower and is used only for the chiming of the clock, cast in 1665 by Daniac Fulcrand at Béziers, and declared a monument historique in 1959.

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Details

Founded: 1173
Category: Religious sites in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Radek Havelka (4 months ago)
Free entry but opening times on google do not match, TUE opened at 15:00 and not 14:30. Visit is rather quick as there is not much to see, i expected more. Outside of the building is surrounded by restaurants and houses, which hides this building from many angles :( you will have problems finding parking near by.
enzo papandrea (15 months ago)
Only saw it from the outside. Nice place and area. Walked about and went to the canal and had a nice meal on the canal
ALL STATUS (16 months ago)
If you visit. You loved it ❤️??☺️
No Name (4 years ago)
Nice place
Richard W Scott (5 years ago)
Beautiful, but couldn't get in today to many idiots tying the knot. 1 every hour.
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