CATHEDRALE SAINT-MAMMES

Built from 1150 onwards and completed by the end of the century, Saint-Mammès cathedral was the cathedral of a vast diocese located between Champagne and Burgundy.
It was the last major building to follow in the footsteps of the Romanesque abbey church of Cluny, built at the end of the 11th century. Situated at the crossroads of various artistic influences, Saint-Mammès Cathedral harmoniously combines Romanesque decor and volumes with early Gothic innovations. The use of ribbed vaulting, an innovation in the region, gave the nave greater width and light than in other Cluniac buildings.
Rebuilt in 1768, the imposing neo-classical facade features two towers framing a pedimented forecourt. This is topped by two monumental statues representing the Synagogue (left) and the Church (right). Each of the three levels is punctuated by Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns or pilasters. During the French Revolution, certain decorative elements were diverted from their original symbol. For example, above the north portal (left), the bishop's mitre and crozier were transformed into a Phrygian cap and a lictor's bundle.
During your visit, let yourself be charmed by the shimmering 19th c. glazed tile roof, Renaissance works such as the Amoncourt chapel with its earthenware pavement, the bas-relief of the relics and tapestries of Saint-Mammès, or the 18th c. great organ...

Groups: All year round on request.

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Summer entertainment: from July 17 to August 21, organ auditions, Sundays at 5pm, organized by the Ass. des Amis des Orgues.

A little history:
The legend of Saint Mammès tells how he became the patron saint of the cathedral and the diocese, replacing Saint John the Evangelist.
Around 755, a pilgrim from Constantinople brought back a bone from the neck of Saint Mammès. Near Langres, he decided to rest and hung the purse containing the relics from a branch. When he wanted to take it back, he couldn't unhook it from the tree...
He went to Bishop Vandier and told him of the prodigy; the prelate, accompanied by his clergy and numerous faithful, went to the site. In spite of his efforts, the relics refused to come off "even though they held on to a simple silk cord".
It was then that a venerable old man approached the bishop and suggested that he dedicate the cathedral to Saint Mammès, claiming that Saint John the Evangelist would "not think it wrong to honor in his place his beloved son, whom he begat to the Lord by the word of his preaching".
The prelate acted on this advice and immediately dedicated his church to the saint.
The ceremony had scarcely been completed when the relics fell of their own accord and were carried back to Langres in solemn procession.
The old man was none other than Saint John the Evangelist himself...

DATAtourisme France