Lisieux Cathedral facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lisieux Cathedral Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Lisieux
Lisieux Cathedral from the northwest
Religion
Affiliation	Catholic
Province	Bishop of Lisieux
Region	Calvados
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Cathedral
Status	Active
Location
Location	Lisieux,  France
Architecture
Architectural type	church
Groundbreaking	12th century
Completed	18th century

Lisieux Cathedral, also known as Saint Peter's Cathedral in Lisieux (French: Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Lisieux), is a big Catholic church in Lisieux, France. For many years, it was the main church for the Bishop of Lisieux, who was like a leader for the local Catholic community. Later, around 1801, the area it served joined with another church area, so it stopped being a bishop's main church.

History of Lisieux Cathedral

People believe there was a church here as early as the 500s. This is because there was a Bishop of Lisieux back then. However, we don't know much about that very old building.

A church built in the Romanesque style was burned down in 1136 by Geoffrey of Anjou. Bishop Arnulf first made some quick repairs. Then, in 1160, he started a full rebuilding project. He was so busy with this work that he missed a call to Rome from the Pope in 1144. He also found it hard to pay for the rebuilding later on.

Some people wrongly claim that Henry Plantagenet, who would become King of England, married Eleanor of Aquitaine at this cathedral in 1152. But they actually got married in Poitiers Cathedral. In 1226, a fire damaged the cathedral again. Bishop Guillaume Du Pont-de-L'Arche then added three chapels to the back of the church during the repairs.

Pierre Cauchon, who was involved in the trial of Joan of Arc, became the Bishop of Lisieux in 1432. He is buried inside the cathedral. In 1553, a new tower was built on the southwest side. This happened after the old one had fallen down.

What Lisieux Cathedral Looks Like

The cathedral is about 110 meters (360 feet) long. It is considered a national monument in France, which means it's a very important historical building.

The front of the building has three main doorways. Above these doorways are two towers. The tower on the south side was built in the 1500s. On top of this tower, there is a tall, pointed spire called a flèche from the 1600s. Strong supports called buttresses were added to the south side in the 1400s. The cathedral was lucky and survived World War II completely unharmed. This is amazing because the town around it was heavily bombed in 1944.

The architect who designed the cathedral planned it with special arched ceilings called quadripartite rib vaults. They also included flying buttresses, which are supports that stick out from the walls. This made it one of the very first Gothic buildings in Normandy. The main part of the church, called the nave, looks quite simple. Its style was inspired by Gothic buildings from the Île-de-France region. The newer parts of the building, like the rounded end (the chevet), the central tower with windows (the lantern tower), and the western front, were built in the 1700s in a Norman style.

Galery

• 

  Interior

• 

  Apse

See also

In Spanish: Catedral de Lisieux para niños

• List of Gothic Cathedrals in Europe
• Basilica of Sainte-Thérèse, Lisieux