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Thursday, May 10, 2012

Aix-en-Provence, France - Aix Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur d'Aix)

Aix Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur d'Aix) is a Roman Catholic cathedral and the seat of the Archbishop of Aix. It was built and rebuilt over the years (12th to 19th century) and is a little bit Romanesque, a little bit Gothic, and includes NeoGothic elements. (wikipedia)

The cathedral has several historical points of interest:
It was
   built on an ancient Roman road, the Via Aurelia,
   built on top of a Roman temple dedicated to Apollo, and
   the first church on the site was founded by Saint Maximinus of Aix, who arrived in Provence from Palestine with Mary Magdalene on a boat belonging to Lazarus.
For more info see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aix_Cathedral





The façade features four statues by Jean Mone, made in 1512-1513.
The Gothic bell tower rises high overhead.
Interesting round windows.
Gated windows with well worn blocks.
I found this statement while researching the cathedral: "Aix Cathedral features prominently in the urban fantasy novel "Ysabel" by fantasy author Guy Gavriel Kay."  I haven't read the book but just might give it a try.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aix_Cathedral 

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