Cathédrale Saint-Gatien
ChurchHidden Treasure
Cathédrale Saint-Gatien, located in Tours (Indre-et-Loire), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Church
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Tours, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.3956, 0.6945
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00098135
The Gothic jewel of the Loire Valley, Saint-Gatien de Tours cathedral boasts three centuries of stone lacework, two flamboyant towers and the finest collection of medieval stained glass in central France.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Set in the heart of the old town of Tours, Saint-Gatien's Cathedral is one of the great Gothic cathedrals of the Loire Valley, the result of a monumental project spanning the 13th to 16th centuries. Its western façade alone is a veritable treatise on stone: here, superimposed like the pages of an architectural book, you can read all the variations of French Gothic architecture, from the first Ogival to the extravagances of the late Flamboyant period, before the Renaissance came to place its candelabras and medallions on the bell towers. What makes Saint-Gatien truly unique is the miraculous coherence of this edifice, built over three centuries by successive generations of master builders. Where other cathedrals show stylistic differences, the Tours cathedral embraces and sublimates them: the large windows of the radiating Gothic chancel dialogue with the Flamboyant balustrades of the nave, while the Renaissance roofs crown the towers like the ultimate signature of the Loire Renaissance. The interior offers an extraordinary sensory experience. Light filters through more than twenty stained-glass windows, some of which date back to the 13th century, projecting colourful layers onto the white limestone pillars, bringing the sacred space to life. The ambulatory offers a privileged walk around the choir, giving you a close-up view of the radiating chapels and their exquisitely crafted stained glass windows. The exterior is also well worth a visit. Framed by the medieval streets of the old part of Tours, the cathedral can be discovered in fragments, at the turn of an alleyway, successively revealing its slender buttresses, its expressive gargoyles and the airy grace of its pinnacles. The forecourt gives you the distance you need to see the entire façade and grasp the incredible layering of styles it conceals.
Architecture
Saint-Gatien cathedral has a classic Gothic Latin cross floor plan, with a choir with an ambulatory and radiating chapels, a slightly projecting transept and a nave with five naves. The whole structure measures around 100 metres in length, with a vaulted height of around 29 metres in the central nave, which is a respectable size for a provincial cathedral that rivals the great cathedrals of the Île-de-France region. The walls are built of tuffeau, the characteristic white limestone of the Loire Valley, which is both light and easy to carve, giving the building its light colour and ornamental precision. The western façade is the monument's architectural showpiece. It consists of two towers framing three richly sculpted portals, the tympanums of which depict scenes from the Last Judgement and the lives of the saints. The lower register, inspired by the Radiant Gothic style, contrasts with the Flamboyant upper floors, where the stonework is contorted into bellows, flycatchers and openwork fleurs-de-lis. The bell towers end in Renaissance drums topped by domes with lanterns, a rare detail that testifies to the plasticity of Touraine architects in the early 16th century. Inside, the stained glass windows are Saint-Gatien's greatest treasure. Several groups of windows span the period from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century, offering a unique panorama of the evolution of the art of medieval stained glass: from late Romanesque medallions to the great hieratic figures of classical Gothic, and Renaissance compositions with their warm colours and emerging perspectives. The slender, multiple external buttresses ensure the structural balance of the nave by transferring the thrust of the vaults to the abutments, according to the principle inherited from the great cathedrals of the 13th century.
Related Figures
Saint Gatien — premier évêque légendaire de Tours (IIIe siècle), évangélisateur de la cité, patron titulaire de la cathédraleCharles VII — roi de France dont la cour résidait à Tours au milieu du XVe siècle, favorisant l'essor du chantier cathédralLouis XI — roi mécène qui contribua au financement des travaux de la façade Flamboyante lors de son règne (1461-1483)François Ier — roi sous le règne duquel les tours reçurent leur couronnement Renaissance, emblème de la politique artistique ligérienneProsper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments historiques qui classa la cathédrale en 1862 et initia sa protection officielleSaint Martin de Tours — figure tutélaire du christianisme tourangeau dont l'influence spirituelle pesa sur l'édification de l'ensemble des monuments religieux de la cité
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Cathédrale Saint-Gatien located?
Cathédrale Saint-Gatien is located in Tours, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Cathédrale Saint-Gatien built?
Cathédrale Saint-Gatien dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Cathédrale Saint-Gatien open to visitors?
Cathédrale Saint-Gatien is currently closed to visitors.