Old Cambrai Cathedral

The ancient cathedral of Cambrai ( Ancienne Cathédrale Notre- Dame de Cambrai ) was a powerful Gothic basilica with components from the Romanesque in Cambrai, northern France. She was the Episcopal Church of the Archdiocese of Cambrai until its destruction during the French Revolution. Today, no residues are present from her. Its function went in 1804 to the former abbey church of Saint Sepulchre over.

History and Architecture

The first St. Mary's Church in the same place is attested for the year 525. 580 the seat of the diocese of Arras was moved. It was followed by several more new buildings. The last previous building was destroyed in 1148 by fire. Then began, interrupted several times by fires and other events that centuries of architectural history of the Gothic cathedral.

The oldest visible part was the Romanesque west front. Above him stood the youngest part of the openwork late Gothic spire, which was built only from 1360. He especially owed ​​the cathedral the nickname " Miracle of the Netherlands " ( Merveille des Pays -Bas ).

The nave was built in the early Gothic, the elongated high ambulatory with radiating chapels in high Gothic style with rich buttresses. Unusual were the transepts, which were also designed as a fully trained choirs dealing with chapels.

Since 1450 the cathedral was home to the Byzantine icon of Mary Notre- Dame de Grâce, which was highly revered and preserved in the new cathedral since the beginning of the 19th century; there it was inserted into an altar construction, which is modeled on the west wing of the old cathedral.

During the Renaissance Cathedral of Cambrai was one of the major European musical centers. On it, the famous composer Guillaume Fay you had († 1474 ), as well as, inter alia, Nicholas Grenon († 1456 ), Hayne van Ghizeghem († 1497 ), Jacob Obrecht († 1505), Loyset Compère († 1518), Laurent de Vos († 1580) and Philippe de Monte ( † 1603).

During the French Revolution, the cathedral was completed in 1791 supplied to the public service, but in the following year suffered damage and was from 1793 used as a granary. In 1796 it was purchased by a merchant who sold their stones as building material. After the turn of the century began plans to preserve the remaining residues. 1809 collapsed the famous spire. In the following decade, the building disappeared completely.