THE BASILICA OF ST CÉCILE: Construction
began on the 15th of August 1281, a few years
after the crusade against the Albigensians. The
project was initiated by Bishop Bernard de
Castanet, lord of Albi and vice-inquisitor of
France. After completion the building was
consecrated by Bishop Louis 1st of Amboise on the
23rd of April 1480. With its high walls, its
windows in the shape of loopholes, its towers and
dungeon, it is a fortress-cathedral dominating
the Albi countryside and appeared to confirm the
victory of Christianity over the Cathar heretics.
A masterpiece of Gothic Languedoc art, the
basilica features an immense single nave 100
metres long and 20 metres wide. There is no
transept. The interior is divided into 12 bays.
The contrast between the sober simplicity and
military appearance of the exterior and the
sumptuous decoration and detail within is
striking. The cathedral, the largest brick
building in the world, is one of the most visited
buildings in France. On the exterior, one can
admire the rich portique of Dominique de Florence
(circa 1392), the dungeon tower 78 meters tall
(finished in 1492, just after the inauguration of
the building itself in 1480), and the baldaquin
of the entryway (1515-1540). Amongst the
noteworthy features of the interior, the most
impressive is perhaps the gigantic mural of the
Last Judgement, painted by unknown Flemish
artists around 1475-1480. During the same period,
French sculptors were completing the Jube and
Choir, an ensemble of finely sculpted pierre that
includes a magnificent set of polychrome statues.
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The main (south) entrance to the cathedral with
the doorway constructed by Dominique de Florence
in the late 14th century
(Right)
Over the southern entrance the baldachin,
commissioned by Louis 1st of Amboise and
completed in 1535, is made up of finely sculpted
stone and is in marked contrast to the austerity
of the exterior brick walls.
(Left)
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Inside the cathedral an enormous 15th century
fresco (18 metres by 10 metres and one of the
largest in the world) painted by Flemish artists
and situated behind the altar depicts the Last
Judgement, Resurrection of the Dead and Hell with
startling realism. (Left and Below
Right)
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The great organ case, constructed between 1734
and 1736 by Christophe Moucherel (Left
and Below Right).
The following (condensed and edited) comment is
by Timothy Tikker and Ann Arbor of Michigan, USA
:
'"The organ was built 1734-36 by Christophe
Moucherel, consisting of a Grand Orgue of 18
stops, a Positif of 11 stops, a 2-stop
Récit from middle C, a 7-stop Écho
from tenor C (with a plein-jeu, a rarity in
18th-century France), and 5-stop
Pédale.
In 1747 François L'Épine and his
eldest son Jean-François repaired the
organ, also adding a Trompette and Clairon to the
Positif, a 2nd Trompette to the Grand Orgue
(replacing the 4' Flute), and a Bombarde to the
Pédale. Joseph Isnard added a 7-stop
Bombarde division to this organ in 1778-79.
In the early 19th century one of the two
Pédale 8' Flûtes was replaced with a
16' Bourdon, and the Écho lost its
mixture.
In 1824 Antoine Peyroulous of Toulouse moved one
of (the) Bombardes to the Grand Orgue, its place
being taken by a new 8' Trompette. A Clarinette
en chamade was added to the Positif complementing
the one already on Isnard's Bombarde
division.
"Changes towards romantic aesthetic began in
1804-41 with work by the Frères Claude of
Mirecourt. Various mixtures and mutations were
replaced with flutes and strings. The work was
very poorly received. Subsequent repairs were
carried out by Ventouillac & Dubois in 1847,
and Junk in 1856. Thibault Maucourt of Albi built
a new 10-stop Récit in romantic style in
1865, and modernized the couplers.
'"Théodore Puget of Toulouse made various
further changes between 1865 and 1903 (and in
the) latter year he proposed a major renovation.
This (resulted in) a 4-manual organ of 74
registers (8 of those in the Pédale being
by extension) with tubular-pneumatic action.
Received in November 1904, the organ was
considered to be Puget's masterpiece.
"By the 1950s the organ's condition had
seriously deteriorated. In 1971 Schwenkedel of
Strasbourg dismantled the organ. The first
proposal was for a new organ using the best of
the old material. But the plans changed (when) it
was realized how much of the original organ had
(not) survived. The contract for restoration by
Bartoloméo Formenteli of Pedemonte, Italy
was signed 13 May 1977.
"The plans called for reconstruction of
Moucherel's original organ, incorporating the
changes and additions by the other builders up
(to) 1825. The original GO and POS chests were
restored and the others newly built in period
style. A new console in period style was
constructed, with original key compasses and new
mechanical action."
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The Saint Cècile roodscreen dates from the
early 16th century (Right)
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The frescos on the cathedral's arched ceiling
form the largest (97 meters long by 28 meters
wide) work of Italian Renaissance painting to be
found anywhere in France. Painted in the period
1509 to 1512 by Italian artists from Bologne the
work represents saints surrounding Christ and the
Virgin. A depiction of the Last Supper can be
seen in the left hand picture. (Left
and Below Right)
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The ensuing centuries left their mark without
altering the overall character of the town or its
surroundings. The Baroque era left its mark after
the Religious Wars and some further modifications
to the town's architecture occurred during the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
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