Stamps of France: Angoulême Cathedral

ANGOULÊME CATHEDRAL

Angoulême Cathedral or Cathédrale Saint-Pierre d'Angoulême, is a religious building of Angoulême, Charente, France, an example of Romanesque architecture and sculpture in France. It's the seat of the Bishop of Angoulême.

A first cathedral was built on the site of a primitive, pre-Christian sanctuary, in the 4th century AD. The edifice was destroyed when the town was taken by Clovis after the Battle of Vouillé, in 507. Another cathedral was consecrated in 560, but this was set on fire by the Vikings/Normans some two centuries later. A third cathedral was then constructed in 1017. However, at the beginning of the 12th century the citizens started to consider it too small for to the wealth of the county. The designer was Bishop Gerard II, one of the most important French figures of the time. Works began about 1110 and finished in 1128.

The church's original appearance was modified in the following centuries. One of the bell towers, for example, was destroyed during the Wars of Religion of the 16th century. Further alterations were made during the restorations by Paul Abadie in 1866-1885, including the addition of the two towers with conical tops, but the façade remains mostly medieval.

The façade is decorated by more than 70 sculptures, organized into two decorative themes: the Ascension and the Last Judgement. Christ is portrayed within aureola, while two tall angels address the apostles to show them the celestial vision. The sculptors portrayed scenes of everyday life.

The interior of the nave is covered with three domes, a transept, and an apsidal choir. At the crossing with the transept is a larger dome, which has replaced the original one destroyed in the Protestant siege of 1568. The semi-circular choir is flanked by small apses and covered by a half dome.

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Stamps of France: Triumphal Arch

 

TRIUMPHAL ARCH

 

The "Arc de Triomphe" (Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle (originally named Place de l'Étoile), at the western end of the Champs-Élysées.

There is a smaller arch, the 'Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel', which stands west of the Louvre. The 'Arc de Triomphe' (Triumphal Arch) honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.

The 'Arc de Triomphe' is the linchpin of the historic axis, the "Axe historique" – a sequence of monuments and grand thoroughfares on a route which goes from the courtyard of the Louvre, to the Grande Arche de la Défense. The monument was designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806. It set the tone for public monuments, with triumphant patriotic messages.

The monument stands 50 metres (164 ft.) in height, 45 m (148 ft.) wide and 22 m (72 ft.) deep. It was the largest triumphal arch in existence until the construction of the Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang, in 1982. Its design was inspired by the Roman Arch of Titus.

The 'Arc de Triomphe' is so colossal those three weeks after the Paris victory parade in 1919, marking the end of hostilities in World War I, Charles Godefroy flew his Nieuport biplane through it, with the event captured on newsreel.

The monumental arch became a point of departure or passage of the main military parades and demonstrations, and is one of the main tourist sights of Paris.

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Stamps of France: Albi Cathedral

ALBI CATHEDRAL

 

Albi Cathedral, formally the Cathedral of Saint Cecilia, in French: Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile d'Albi, is the most important religious building in Albi, southern France, and the seat of the Archbishop of Albi. First built as a fortress begun in 1287 and under construction for 200 years, it is claimed to be the largest brick building in the world.

The first building dated from the 4th century and in 666 was destroyed by fire. The second is recorded in 920 by the name of Saint Cecilia, the present-day patroness of musicians. It was replaced in the 13th century by a Romanesque cathedral in stone.

The cathedral is built in the Southern Gothic Style. It was constructed almost entirely in brick between 1287 and 1480 in the wake of the Albigensian heresy in the area. Work on the nave was completed about 1330.

Notable architectural features include the bell-tower, added in 1492, which stands 78 metres (256 ft.) tall, and the doorway, added circa 1392. The nave is the widest Gothic example in France at 18 metres (60 feet). The interior lacks aisles which are replaced by rows of small chapels between brick internal buttresses.

The side chapels in the nave received overhead galleries in the 15th century, diminishing their impact. The central chœur is surrounded by a rood screen with detailed filigree stone work and a group of polychrome statues. Below the organ, a fresco of the Last Judgment covered nearly 200 m². The frescoes on the enormous vaulted ceiling comprise the largest and oldest ensemble of Italian Renaissance painting in France. The cathedral organ, work of Christophe Moucherel, dates from the 18th century.

In 2010 the cathedral was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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