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Lodève
This Gothic style Roman Catholic Cathedral is dedicated to Saint Fulcran, who was the Bishop of Lodève for 57 years from 949 to 1006. He built the Romanesque Cathedral which he consecrated in 975. At that time, the Cathedral was named after St. Géniès.
Parts of the foundations and what is now the crypt have been dated back to the 4th century. The Gothic construction was started around 1265-1270 with the apse, and the bell tower, which is 57 metres high, was added around 1295 -1300. During the
[more]This Gothic style Roman Catholic Cathedral is dedicated to Saint Fulcran, who was the Bishop of Lodève for 57 years from 949 to 1006. He built the Romanesque Cathedral which he consecrated in 975. At that time, the Cathedral was named after St. Géniès.
Parts of the foundations and what is now the crypt have been dated back to the 4th century. The Gothic construction was started around 1265-1270 with the apse, and the bell tower, which is 57 metres high, was added around 1295 -1300. During the construction of the Cathedral, Black Death and the Hundred Years War interrupted its progression, and it wasn't until 1430 that it was completed.
In 1573, during the Religion War, the Huguenots, lead by the Protestant Seigneur, Claude de Narbonne, severely damaged the Cathedral. The four main pillars were blown off leading to the collapse of archways, clerestory walls and vaults. St. Fulcran's body, until then miraculously preserved, was dragged through the town and cut into pieces on a butcher's block. Several miracles are said to have occurred that day to those who saw or touched the Saint. His hand is still kept in the relic chapel.
From 1634 to 1643, Bishop Plantavit de La Pause rebuilt the nave. The organ was installed in 1755 (built by Jean-François L'Épine).
The 18th century and the revolution, marked the end of Lodèves Bishops, whose diocese was added to the diocese of Montpellier. The Cathedral closely escaped demolition.
In the 19th century, the Cathedral was once again restored. In 1856, Mauvernay fitted his 12 metre high stained glass windows in the nine-sided apse. Since 1839, the building has been classified as a "Historical Monument".
Saint Fulcran is honoured with 13 bell strikes every evening and a traditional procession of his relics is organised every year the Sunday before Ascension. His death is also commemorated every year on the 13th of February.
Saint Fulcran is also known as a stop for The Pilgrimage Route of Santiago de Compostela part of the World Heritage list decided by the UNESCO in 1998.
The Cathedral is open to visitors, as is the cloister. Mass is on Sundays.
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