Saint Peter's Cathedral of Vannes Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Vannes
Vannes Cathedral
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic Church
Province	Bishop of Vannes
Region	Morbihan
Rite	Roman
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Cathedral,basilica minor (5 June, 1870)
Status	Active
Location
Location	Vannes,France
Interactive map of Saint Peter's Cathedral of Vannes Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Vannes
Coordinates	47°39′29″N2°45′25″W / 47.658°N 2.757°W /47.658; -2.757
Architecture
Type	church
Style	Gothic,Romanesque
Groundbreaking	11th century
Completed	18th century

Vannes Cathedral (French:Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Vannes) is aRoman Catholicchurch dedicated toSaint Peter inVannes,Brittany,France. Thecathedral is the seat of theBishop of Vannes.

The presentGothic church was erected on the site of the formerRomanesque cathedral. Its construction lasted from the 15th to the 19th centuries; if the length of the existence of the 13th century Romanesquebell tower is included, a total of seven centuries of construction.

The cathedral was declared abasilica minor byPope Pius IX on 5 June 1870.^[1]

The first building was erected around 1020 in Romanesque style. Built out ofgranite and continuously modified by adding new structures, the cathedral is an extremely composite building. The rebuilding in Gothic style dates mainly from the 15th and 16th centuries. In this period thenave and the ornate gateway at the northern end of the north transept – whose twelve niches, according to Breton custom, were supposed to accommodate theApostles – were built high. The northern tower is the main remnant of the former Romanesque building, while thevaults and thechoir were built between 1771 and 1774.

The horizontal dimensions of the building can be derived from theground plan. (Data on the heights are not available for the moment). The building is one of the largest on the French Atlantic coast.

Thefaçade was carved in 1857 in a neo-Gothic style. Outside, in front of the central pillar of the large gate, stands a statue of theDominican friarSt. Vincent Ferrer, fromValencia. His activities in the 15th century greatly influencedChristianity in Vannes. The northern façade opens onto the garden of thecloister (ruins from the 16th century) and theRue des chanoines ("Street of the Canons") through the beautiful portal at the top of the northtransept, built in aFlamboyant late Gothic style (1514), and decorated with twelve niches designed to house statues of the twelve apostles. The cross, visible close to the northern façade, dates back to the 15th century and was brought from thecemetery.

During theMiddle Ages, the floor of the cathedral had been covered bytombstones. For hygienic reasons, only the tradition of burying thebishops in their episcopal church has been preserved. However, some tombstones have been returned and can be seen today. The cathedral has only retainedtombs dating back to the 17th century. Two bishops' tombs can be found in thecrypt under the choir.

The building contains the following features:

• Chapel of the Ancient Baptismal Fonts (pos. 1 ground plan): this chapel is too small for actualbaptizing to take place, but carries the spirit of baptism. The feeling is further enhanced by thestained glass window, displaying motifs of baptism.
• St. Anne's Chapel (pos. 2):Saint Anne is the patroness saint of Brittany. Here, as inNantes Cathedral, she enjoys special attention, especially with her statue. The stained glass window shows thepilgrimage ofSainte-Anne-d'Auray, other important events of her life, and one of theBlessed Virgin.
• Chapel of the Rosary of the Saints Hearts (pos. 3): the stained glass window is one of the first showing the Sacred Heart ofParay. It is related to the window above the choir.
• Chapel of the Blessed Pierre René Roque (pos. 4): BlessedPierre René Roque (1758-1796)[1] was apriest, born in Vannes, known for his strong devotion to religion. He was condemned to death andguillotined for bringingcommunion to a dying man; he was beatified in 1934. He is buried under the altar.

• St. Gwenaël's Chapel, south entrance (pos. 5):Saint Gwenaël[2] took part in theevangelization of theWest Diocese in the 6th century. In the stained glass window he is represented in the company of BlessedFrançoise d'Amboise,duchess of Brittany and the founder of the firstconvent of theCarmelites in Vannes.
• The Liturgical Choir: the threeFossati altars date back to the 18th century. The statues ofSaints Peter andPaul are placed above the two small altars.
• Our Lady of Lourdes' Chapel, southtransept (pos. 6): this is the place of the old door of theDukes of Brittany. The stained glass window shows theFirst Communion of Françoise d'Amboise. Above the window is Saint Peter, to the left a painting of the ascent ofSaint Petronilla[3][4] to Heaven. Before theFrench Revolution, this was the site of the tomb of St. Gwenaël. To the right of the altar Mme. Francheville is buried, a local mystic.
• Ambulatory (pos. 7): theambulatory is very large to accommodate thepilgrims that used to pray at the tomb of St. Vincent Ferrer in the Middle Ages. A marble tablet indicates the affiliation of the cathedral toSt. Peter's Basilica inRome. The cathedral in Vannes also carries the title of Basilica.
• The Treasury (pos. 8): this room was constructed in about 1782 in a part of the Romanesque choir. The walls are covered with beautiful woodwork and panelling. The shelves contain books ontheology and religious history. The most remarkable item is a box made of wood and covered with paintedparchment of southern origin. It dates back to the 12th century and is decorated with scenes of daily life. Among the other notable objects of the treasury are a gold cross and two ivory sticks.

• Portal of the Canons, north transept (pos. 13):St. Vincent Ferrer's tomb was located here until 1956. There is still a stained glass window depicting him. There are also two paintings, one by Gosse (1945) and one by Mauzaise (1831). The former shows the death of the saint and the latter depicts him preaching toinfidels. This is the place where baptism is currently celebrated.
• Our Lady of Mercy Chapel (pos. 14): here there is a painting of theVirgin and child by Delaval (1836). There is also a stained glass window showingSaint Yves. He enjoys a special position in all Breton churches, as a patron saint of the BretonRectors, and also as the main defender of the independence of the Breton churches against the royal power.
• St. Vincent Ferrer's Chapel (pos. 15): this was formerly the chapel of theHoly Sacrament, but since 1956 it has housed therelics of Saint Vincent Ferrer, including hisskull.
• St. Anthony's Chapel, north entrance (pos. 16): here there is a painting by Vincent from 1830 depictingJesus Christ on the Cross,Saint John, the Holy Virgin and SaintMary Magdalene.
• Chapel of St. Mériadec and St. Patern (pos. 18): the stained glass window here representsSaint Meriadec[5] andSaint Patern, the firstBishop of Vannes. There are also paintings, one by Rivoulon from 1846, "Litanies of the Holy Virgin", and one by Destouches from 1819 of theResurrection of SaintLazarus.
• Romanesque tower (pos. 19): this is the only structure left from the Romanesque cathedral. It accommodates the four bells of the church.

Positions 9, 10, 11, 13 and 17 are the Blessed Sacrament Chapel (closed to visitors), the Chapel of Our Ladyde Pitié, the Chapel in theapse, theCalvary and the Chapel of St. Louis respectively.

In the novels ofAlexandre Dumas, themusketeerAramis appears at one point as Bishop of Vannes and logically must have served in this very cathedral.

• Isabella of Scotland, Duchess of Brittany
• St.Vincent Ferrer

Wikimedia Commons has media related toCathédrale Saint-Pierre de Vannes.

• Monum.fr(in French)
• Tourism site(in French)
• Ministère de Culture: archive photographs(in French)
• Structurae: images only

• Roman Catholic cathedrals in France
• Medieval French architecture
• Roman Catholic churches completed in 1774
• Basilica churches in France
• Gothic architecture in France
• Churches in Morbihan
• Vannes
• Monuments historiques of Morbihan
• 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France

• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Webarchive template wayback links
• Articles with French-language sources (fr)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles containing French-language text
• Pages using infobox mapframe without shape links in Wikidata
• Coordinates on Wikidata
• Commons category link is on Wikidata
• Pages using the Kartographer extension