The Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Moulins is the cathedral of the diocese of Moulins .
| Church | |
| Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary | |
|---|---|
| Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation | |
 | |
| A country |  France |
| City | Moulin |
| Denomination | Catholicism |
| Diocese | Diocese of Moulins Metropolis of Clermont |
| Type of building | Cathedral Lesser Basilica |
| Architectural style | Flaming gothic and neo-gothic |
| Architect | since the 19th century: Jean-baptiste lassus Millet |
| Building | XV century |
| Status |  Classified ( 1875 ) |
In place of the chapel of the late 10th century, which was originally dedicated to St. Peter , at the end of the Middle Ages a "collegiate church of the Bourbons " was built - the Notre Dame church . The oldest part of the existing building was built in the style of flaming Gothic and its first stone was laid in 1468 by Agnes Burgundy , the 61-year-old widow of the Bourbon Duke Charles I and the mother of Duke Jean II . Construction work was completed in 1540.
The collegial church received the status of a cathedral in 1823 , after the formation of the Moulins diocese . The first bishop , Antoine de La Grange de Pons, was involved in the expansion of the church, and his successor, Pierre de Dreux-Breze, was able to complete significant construction work. He doubled the nave area, added two aisles and added a harmonious facade with two arrow-shaped towers 81 meters high. These architectural additions were made in the Neo-Gothic style , imitating the Gothic of Ile de France of the 12th century, influenced by the ideologist of this style, Viollet-le-Duc .
The monument, within the walls of which there are many works of art, is illuminated through stained - glass windows depicting the Dukes of de Bourbon , the life of St. Catherine , the Great Martyr St. Barbara and the Crucifixion of Christ.
Nowadays, the cathedral is mainly known for the fact that it houses the famous triptych "Our Lady of Glory", made in about 1500 by an artist who could not be identified for a long time by the Mulensk master . Nowadays, the version dominates that it was the Dutch artist Jean Hey [1] . In the cathedral, in addition to the triptych, the 11th-century black madonna statue is also admirable, as well as a sculptural group in the style of flaming Gothic, representing a biblical episode of the Mourning of Christ . In the treasury of the cathedral is a 17th-century ivory reliquary , the triptych of Aubrey ( fr. Triptyque d'Aubery ) and the triptych of Bethlehem, attributed to the brush of the Flemish Jos van Kleve .
The cathedral was consecrated on October 16, 1923 , and in 1949 the church was awarded the title of a small basilica . In 1875, the church was classified as a national historical monument .
Content
History
In 990, four monks - Vyon, Lambert, Berard and Guillaume - handed over to Suvigny a chapel dedicated to Saint Peter, located in Moulins . A record of this fact is considered the first written mention of the city of Moulins [2] .
In 1100, the chapel became a church, which indirectly indicates population growth in Moulins. Apparently, the church was located near the castle of the future dukes de Bourbon [2] .
In 1386, Bishop Nevers set up a collegiate chapter , directly dependent on the Holy See , in a chapel dedicated to the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary .
At the site of the chapel of the late X century at sunset of the medieval era, the "collegiate church of the Bourbons " was built.
The construction of the oldest part of the church building, which has survived to this day, made in the style of flaming Gothic , began in 1468 when Agnes of Burgundy , widow of the Duke of Bourbon Charles I , laid the first stone in the church building. The work was carried out, most likely, by Jean Poncelet, the foreman, who was in the service of the Duke of Bourbon, Jean II. Unfortunately, construction work was suspended in 1508 [3] . The work was resumed under the Duke Pierre II and his wife, Duchess Anna , daughter of King Louis XI . The construction of the choirs was completed by 1540 and, until better times, their western end was closed with a decorated pediment with a rose window , a gentle vault with pinnacles , which was the facade of the building until 1854. This part of the building in our time is the choirs of the cathedral .
The Moulins received the status of a diocese in 1822 . The first bishop of Moulins, Antoine de La Grange de Pons, who established his episcopal chair here in the church of Notre Dame, decided to expand the church building, the dimensions of which no longer correspond to the tasks. His successor, Bishop Pierre de Dreux-Brese, undertook large-scale construction work and completed the reconstruction.
The cathedral was consecrated on October 16, 1923 , and in 1949 the church received the title of Small Basilica .
Cathedral Interior
The Black Madonna of Moulin
The statue of the black Madonna represents the Virgin Mary seated on the throne; in her left hand the remainder of a lily broken to our time is visible; with her right hand she embraces her Son sitting on his lap. In one hand he holds the gospel to his chest, with the other hand he blesses. Senor de Bourbon brought this statue with him from the Holy Land and offered it to King Louis IX . The statue of the Virgin on the throne dates from the 11th century; in the 15th century, it was processed using the marouflage technique. Nowadays, she is in the chapel of the church, above the remarkable bas-relief of painted wood, representing the "death of the Virgin."
In the municipal archive of Moulins, a record of an amazing miracle was preserved when a statue of the Virgin Mary protected the Moulins from a fire on November 21, 1655 .
The statue was crowned with a crown on May 22, 1910 .
Mulene Master Triptych
The true treasure of the cathedral is the famous triptych “Our Lady of Glory” (circa 1501 ) of the work of the “ Mulene Master ”, stored in the sacristy of the chapter . The personality of the master for a long time remained unidentified, and now, according to the prevailing version, he was Jean Hey .
The triptych was commissioned by the Duke Pierre II and his wife Anna of France for the collegiate church of Moulins or, in the opinion of other art historians, for the personal chapel of the dukes. The central section of the triptych represents the Virgin Mary , and the other two sections show donors kneeling in the presence of their patron saints , as well as their daughter Susanna de Bourbon : Saint Peter is depicted next to the Bourbon duke Pierre II, and Anna French and her daughter are shown next to the Bourbon duke - Saint Anna . The outer surface of the triptych is decorated with the interpretation of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary , as well as grisaille .
Virgin Mary is represented sitting on the throne, and on her lap is the baby Jesus . She is surrounded by 14 angels, distributed on both sides.
Two angels support the crown above Mary’s head, six look at her with reverence, and the other two, at the bottom of the panel, hold a speech scroll : one angel points to the scroll with his finger, and the second to Mary, saying that this text refers to her. The Latin inscription reminds us of the main role of the Virgin Mary in the Catholic faith: " Hæc est illa de qua sacra canunt eulogia, sole amicta, Lunam habens sub pedis, Stellis meruit coronare duodecim " [4] .
At the center of the concentric circles visible behind Mary is the sun, illuminating the divinity of her destiny. Depicted floating in the air, her legs rest for a month. The magnificent crown, with which two angels are ready to crown Mary, is strewn with twelve stars (only seven are visible in the picture, and the other five are hidden by perspective).
The Virgin Mary is not dressed in the blue robe habitual in iconography, but in a painful red robe , symbolizing the Passion of Christ , like the Virgin of the work of Hans Memling and Jan van Eyck . This circumstance testifies to the influence of the Flemish masters on the work of the “Moulins master”. Her head is humbly lowered, the face of deep detachment is on her face, while the baby Jesus turned his eyes to the world, blessing with his right hand, which emphasizes the fact that he already understands his spiritual mission.
On the side sections donators are shown together with their holy patrons and their only heiress, Suzanne, whose face is shown to be very unfriendly. The faces of the ducal family show concentration, contrasting with the expression of St. Peter and St. Anna , which may indicate a favorable attitude of the Virgin Mary .
Mourning of Christ
The crypt, located under the main altar of the cathedral, currently serves as the burial place of the bishops of Moulins . However, in this crypt there are also the graves of the first and second wives of Duke Jean II , Jeanne of France (died in 1482) and Catherine d'Armagnac (died in 1487), and the hearts of the Bourbon dukes Jean II and Pierre II are buried [5] .
The sculptural group in the style of the fiery Gothic "Lamentation of Christ" was originally attached to the main altar , replacing the original tombstone, destroyed by the revolutionaries in 1793. According to the documents, it is impossible to establish the origin of this group, however, it was allegedly transported here from the old church of the Carmelite Order in Moulins [6] . Nowadays, the sculptural group is placed in the side chapel of the cathedral.
This sculptural composition is significantly different from the frequently encountered groups, "Position in the Coffin." It depicts a procession of characters passing in front of the dead Christ, whose body is located with his head to the right. The composition is composed of eight characters: the lying Christ , his mother the Virgin , supported by the apostle John , the holy virgin holding the gospel , Mary Magdalene with a cup of essential oil in her hands, wiping away tears of Mary Kleopova , Nicodemus (at the feet) and another disciple of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea . The voluminous robes of the characters, in some places even lined with fur and mourning costumes indirectly testify to the Bourguignon trace in this masterpiece. A characteristic feature of Bourbon art are grooves that extend the outer corners of the eyes of the characters [6] .
See also
- Moulin
- Duchy of Bourbon
Notes
- ↑ France, 1500. Entre Moyen Âge et Renaissance . - Paris: RMN, 2011 .-- S. 160.
- ↑ 1 2 Card of the Moulins Cathedral on Structurae
- ↑ Jean Locquin. Nevers et Moulins . - Paris: H. Laurens, 1913.
- ↑ “This is the one that praises the sacred blessings, clothed in the sun and under its feet the moon; she deserves to be crowned with twelve stars. " Revelation XII, 1
- ↑ Simon Coiffer de Moret. Histoire du Bourbonnais et des Bourbons qui l'ont possédé . - LG Michaid, 1816.
- ↑ 1 2 Jacques Baudoin. La sculpture flamboyante en Auvergne, Bourbonnais, Forez . - Éditions créer, 1998. - T. 5. - ISBN 9782909797380 .