Depliant Guide

History Visit Saint Andrew’s Cathedral Information History Visit Saint Andrew’s Cathedral Information History Visit Saint Andrew’s Cathedral Information L L L English N Glossary Pey-Berland Abat-son : a wooden louver, inserted obliquely . 0

into a window opening to direct the sound 2 0 2 , e

downwards and protect the belfry from bad c n

Pey-Berland Tower a

r Tower F

weather. n Saint Andrew’s cathedral bell tower e é

Saint Andrew’s Cathedral m i

: sculptor of the r Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904) p m I . e

famous statue of Liberty Enlightening the World l z z u

P A builder-archbishop n A unique cathedral in the New York harbour. I n o i t

: timber frame which supports the bells. c

Belfry u Pey Berland (1375-1458),

From the outset, the cathedral was built in the d a r

: imposing bell with a deep, sonorous t Bourdon . south-west corner of the Gallo-Roman walls, r the son of a wealthy e i t pitch. s e

r peasant, was one of the close to the Bishop’s palace, which is now o F

: identical openings in groups e n

Double windows è great archbishops of City Hall. This location explains why there is l é H

of two. - e i Bordeaux. During his no large western gate, characteristic of Gothic r a

: the ring produced by swinging the bell M Peal n bishopric, he founded the cathedrals. At Saint Andrew’s, the main o i

t The cathedral a

so that the clapper hits the sides in a sustained, s i l c. 1630 University of Bordeaux

entrance has always been to the north. Recent a é r

rapid manner. . s archaeological excavations uncovered the r and had Saint Andrew’s cathedral embellished. e d

: a small pyramid decorated with finials, n Pinnacle A remains of the grand entrance to the , Work began in 1440 to build the bell tower a s n

on top of a buttress wall. e S short distance from the cathedral, in order to n

Romanesque cathedral: a porch tower which i e l

: stonework that reduces or divides a P

Tracery n protect the building from the vibrations of

was replaced by the existing “Portail des Flèches” o i t

window. p e the bells. spired gateway in around 1330. c n o c .

The cathedral is typical of the Gothic style e r i a l p

which was the standard for large buildings in Practical information r u

o A bell tower without bells... p t

northern France between the thirteenth and u o until 1853 Average length of visit: 30 minutes. T n

mid-fourteenth centuries. o i t a r t

s Due to a lack of bells, the tower did not fulfil u l l

Gift and book shop i . s

i its function of bell tower. It was divided into The guide to this monument is available in the ‘Cathédrales de France’ r a

The birth of the Pey-Berland Tower P ,

collection in the gift and book shop. x dwellings. The tower was damaged by a storm u a n o i t in 1667, and plans were made to pull it down Built on marshy land, the cathedral soon showed a n

Centre des monuments nationaux s t n signs of weakness – the nave was reinforced Tour Pey-Berland e around 1790 due to work on widening the m u n

by eight massive flying buttresses in the early Place Pey-Berland o streets. Public opinion rose up against this move: m s

th 33000 Bordeaux e 16 century. The bishop’s decision to build d the tower was sold and turned into a shot tower e

tél. 05 56 81 26 25 r t n fax 05 56 79 21 82 e (for making shotgun pellets). a detached bell tower was therefore a C © s

é The tower was listed as a historic monument in

precautionary measure which was also v r e

www.monuments-nationaux.fr s é reminiscent of Italian campaniles. Following r 1848 and bought by Cardinal Donnet in 1851, s t i o r

recent urban redevelopment, the site is now part d who restored it to its original vocation by s o t

o installing three bells and a bourdon , as well as of an unspoilt, preserved area. Saint Andrew’s h * p s t i a stone spire topped by a monumental Madonna cathedral has been a Unesco world heritage site, d é r along with the protected sector of Bordeaux, c and Child. since 2007. In 1925, electric motors replaced the bellringers.

*Explanations overleaf. History Visit Saint Andrew’s Cathedral Information L

Inside 3 The first terrace is 40 metres up and has Outside concrete flooring through which two small bells The tower has four levels served by a single spiral can be seen. Marguerite, at 2.5 tonnes, is the The engraving on the northern buttress wall staircase with 233 steps. only bell to have been cast in Bordeaux, by the commemorates the laying of the first stone by Deyres foundry. Little Clémence, weighing Archbishop Pey Berland, on October 13, 1440. 880kg, rings the Angelus. 1 Ground floor The decorations on the bell tower facade can The tower was built on the foundations of a The spire drum, surrounded by a gallery be divided into four levels. chapel, of which only a Gothic window with and decorated with large double windows *, At the base, on the blind walls, capitaled pillars on either side remains - it has is supported by flying buttresses resting on there are no decorations. N been transformed into a doorway. In 1882, the buttresses and staircase tower. Originally, the only way in was a passageway was made in the north-western 4 The second terrace , 50 metres above the the door to the staircase in the buttress wall to link this room to the staircase. ground, surrounds the 10-metre-high spire which north-western buttress wall. The It now houses the entrance and ticket office for is decorated with leaf-shaped ornamentation. large triangular-arched opening the tower. Our Lady of Aquitaine is a monumental work in the northern facade was made Three of the cathedral’s bells are on display here. made from copper. It is 6 metres high, weighs 4 in the 19 th century to carry the The oldest, dating from 1552, is decorated with 1.3 tonnes and was made by the master new bells in through. scenes from the life of Christ and a Gothic goldsmith from Paris, Alexandre Chertier. The On the second level, to the north inscription. Along with two other smaller bells cast Madonna carries the Infant Jesus stroking a and east, Flamboyant Gothic of in 1782, it formed part of the cathedral’s mechanical dove on one side, and holds a fleur-de-lis in the 3 decorative blind-arcade tracery * clock system. other hand. She faces Médoc and watches over can be seen. The two other the hamlet of Saint-Raphaël, at Avensan, where 2 The bell chamber is the true heart of the building. sides supported the dwellings It houses the oak belfry *, which is Pey Berland was born. demolished in the 19 th century. located 24 metre s above the ground. It Commissioned by Cardinal Donnet in 1863, The buttresses become narrower is 11 metres high and 6 metres wide, the statue uses copper plating over a steel and are decorated with pinnacles *. supporting four huge bells on two structure and dates from the same period as The double windows * on the levels. They peal * thanks to an the works of Bartholdi *. 2 third level show where the bell electric motor which is controlled The statue was restored and regilded with gold chamber is. These large windows from the cathedral. leaf in 2002. with Rayonnant decorations are The Ferdinand André I bourdon * was fitted with wooden abat-sons *. sponsored by Emperor Napoleon III The octagonal spire, topped by the and Empress Eugénie. This first statue of Our Lady of Aquitaine, bourdon * was too heavy and when forms the fourth level. Enclosed by it cracked was replaced by Ferdinand André II two galleries, it offers the highest which, with its yoke, weighs 8 tonnes and is views over Bordeaux. 2.32 metres in diameter. It rings out for religious festivals and high days in the life of the Church. 1 Marie II, 1.90 metres in diameter, weighs only 4.2 tonnes. These bells were cast at the Bollée foundry.

*Explanations overleaf.