Antibes Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Platea d'Antibes) has been gradually built from the 5th or 6th century on the site of a pagan temple. The remains of this temple can be seen in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. It is said that St Paul was arrested here on a journey to Spain in 63 AD. Destroyed by the barbarians in 1124, the church was rebuilt in the early 13th century. The plan is with three naves. The church has undergone many transformations over the centuries.
The current facade is in Italian style from 1747 rebuilt after a heavy bombardment. Interior, some masterpieces from the Reaissance and Modern times: A crucifix from the middle of the 15th century in the choir. The transept chapel is a masterpiece painted by Provençal artist Louis Brea in the 16th century: it represents The Virgin with Rosary. Do not leave without admiring the carved portal by Jacques Dole from the beginning of the 18th century.
It was formerly the seat of the Bishops of Antibes, later the Bishops of Grasse. The seat was not restored after the French Revolution and was added by the Concordat of 1801 to the Diocese of Nice.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.