Church of St. Siffredius (Carpantra)

The Church of St. Siffredius was built in the 15th century at the insistence of Pope Benedict XIII . Construction began in 1409 and lasted for 150 years. The main entrance was finally built in 1512-1514. and was reconstructed in 2000-2002. The church tower was built at the beginning of the 20th century.

Until the beginning of the XIX century, the church of St. Siffredius was the department of the bishops of the diocese of Carpentra, which was liquidated in 1801 and annexed to the diocese of Avignon .

The Cathedral contains a nail from the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. There are four cross nails: two are stored in Italy, and two in France - one in Notre Dame and the other in the cathedral of Carpentra. Although as regards the number of nails (three or four), disputes are ongoing. There is debate about the authenticity of relics: in total there are 30 such nails in the world. The Roman church of Santa Croce also disputes the authenticity of French relics, and in particular, from the Cathedral of St. Siffren (Siegfried) from Carpentre.

It is this nail from the Cathedral of Carpantra that is fanned by numerous legends. Firstly, this nail is not a nail at all, but a bit (a harness element). Why escaped: according to legend, one of the nails (and according to other versions - three) with which Jesus Christ was crucified was discovered in Jerusalem by the mother of the Byzantine emperor Constantine - Elena. From this nail she ordered to make a bit for Konstantin’s horse to protect him on the battlefield.

Over the centuries, these same bits have appeared in the Cathedral of Karpantra. But they are nevertheless sometimes called a nail - the Holy nail - because this nail has performed many miracles according to legend. During the plague, residents of Karpantra used it as a talisman - touching a nail healed the sick and possessed. The facts of miraculous healings are officially recognized by the Vatican. And the most important miracle - the nail from the cathedral in Karapntra for almost two millennia of existence did not rust - they say that they tried to gild it, but the gilding was behind.

There is an opinion that these udilas actually have nothing to do with the cruciform torments of Christ - and that in fact they were made here, on the spot, by ancient Gauls. But whether this is true or not is unknown. In any case, the metal from which the udila made from the Cathedral of Carpentra is not oxidized in the most miraculous way - while with the nail from Notre Dame there are no wonderful stories or legends of miraculous healings - moreover, the Notre Dame nail is rusty.

• Alain Girard, La représentation de la Cour céleste dans les portails de Blaise Lécuyer, in Le Peuple des Saints, Académie de Vaucluse, 1987, ISBN 2-906908-00-2
• Alain Girard, L'aventure gothique entre Pont-Saint-Esprit et Avignon du XIIIe au XVe siècle, Édisud, 1996, ISBN 2-85744-888-0

• Carpentras Cathedral