Cathedral of Saint Pierre

The Cathedral of Saint Pierre, Montpellier

Saint Peter's Cathedral was originally the chapel of a Benedictine Monastery founded in 1364 by Pope Urban V.

It became a cathedral after the Bishop transferred his See from Maguelone to Montpellier in 1536.

The cathedral is notable for the towers at each corner of the nave which make it appear more like a fortress than a place of worship.

One of the facades possesses ramparts, battlements and a machiolation, i.e. a projected gallery through which missiles could be thrown.

The entrance is through a huge porch with a vaulted roof supported by two cylindrical pillars.

The interior comprises a single nave with fourteen side chapels and is richly decorated.

The cathedral was attacked by protestant dissidents on several occasions during France's religious wars.

In 1561 Catholic dignataries who had taken refuge in the cathedral were murdered by a Protestant mob.

The cathedral was then completely looted as were its convents and monasteries. Ironically some of its treasures were recovered by the city's Protestant consuls.

In 1562 the cathedral was stripped of its bells and railings as a Protestant population, anxious for munitions, prepared to face a Catholic relief army.

In 1567 the cathedral was again attacked by a Protestant mob. This time one of its towers was demolished by a Calvinist troop.

Rooftop view of the Cathedral of Saint Pierre. Image published under the GNU Free Documenttaion License, Version 1.2 or later

Louis XIII reconquered Montpellier in 1622 whereupon the damaged facade of the cathedral and the pavement of its nave were restored.

Further restoration work was undertaken by the architect Jean-Antoine Giral in the 18th century.

During the twenty years from 1855 to 1875 the clocktower was reconstructed and several chapels  were added. The windows in the transept and choir also date from the early 1870s.

The cathedral's most notable work of art is the "Fall of Simon the Magician (1657)" by Sebastian Bourdon. Simon, an early heretic, was rebuked by Saint Peter for practicing magic. He fell to his death in the Forum when he attempted to levitate.

The Benedictine monastery formerly attached to the cathedral became the Montpellier school of medicine in 1795.

 

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