Cathedral of Nantes
| Cathedral of Saint Pierre and Saint Paul Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul |
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Nantes Cathedral
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Nantes, France |
| Geographic coordinates | 47°13′05″N 1°33′03″W / 47.2180°N 1.5508°WCoordinates: 47°13′05″N 1°33′03″W / 47.2180°N 1.5508°W |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Province | Diocese of Nantes |
| Country | France |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Cathedral |
| Status | Active |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Gothic (Late Gothic Flamboyant), Romanesque |
| Groundbreaking | 1434 |
| Completed | 1891 |
Nantes Cathedral, or the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul of Nantes (French: Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Nantes), is a Roman Catholic church located in Nantes, Pays de la Loire, France. The cathedral is in the Gothic architectural tradition. Construction of the church began in 1434, on the site of a Romanesque cathedral, and took 457 years to finish, finally reaching completion in 1891.
The reconstruction of the cathedral commenced during the early to mid-15th century during a time when Nantes and Brittany were commercially prosperous, initiating such large-scale architectural projects on a wide scale, partly owing to the opportunist and skilful diplomatic policy of John V in a period of political turmoil and conflict with England.
The cathedral's foundation stone was laid on 14 April 1434, by John V, Duke of Brittany and Jean de Malestroit, Bishop of Nantes (1417-1443). The first architect in charge was Guillaume de Dammartin who was later replaced by Mathurin Rodier. The construction began with the west façade, the aisles of the nave and its lateral chapels.
Leniaud et al. divide the building process in five phases. The first phase took place between c. 1434 and c. 1470. In this period the west façade and the tower bay were built, as were the south aisle of the nave with its chapels, and the south arcade pillars. The bases of those pillars resemble the ones of the choir of Mont-Saint-Michel, which was begun after 1444. The arms of Duke John, who died in 1442, were placed in the staircase to the balcony, above the ducal portal, on the south side of the southern tower bay. The vaults in the belfry of that tower were decorated with the arms of Bishop Guillaume de Malestroit (1443-1462). The triforium of the tower bay was constructed in an earlier and different style (Late Gothic Flamboyant, with a network of reticulated tracery) than the one of the nave proper. Bronze decoration of the central portal's doors was undertaken in 1482.
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