Places to see in ( Poitiers - France ) Church of Notre Dame la Grande
Places to see in ( Poitiers - France ) Church of Notre Dame la Grande
Notre-Dame la Grande is a Roman Catholic church in Poitiers, France. Having a double status, collegial and parochial, it forms part of the Catholic diocese of Poitiers. The west front adorned with statuary is recognised as a masterpiece of Romanesque religious art. The walls inside the church are painted.
The district was already populated in Roman times. The ancient vestiges of a brick and rectangular stone construction can be located near the gutter on the northern wall of the current church.
The church is mentioned in the 10th century, under the name of Sancta Maria Maior, referring to the Romanesque church of the same name. Its position next to the Palace of the Counts of Poitou-Dukes of Aquitaine (current law courts of Poitiers), is certainly significant as from the political point of view, the bishops of Poitiers were barons of Poitou.
The whole of the building was rebuilt in the second half of the 11th century, in the period of High Romanesque, and inaugurated in 1086 by the future Pope Urban II. The plan of the church is composed of a central nave with aisles according to a frequent plan in Romanesque architecture of Poitou. The interior has the effect of a church agora on just one plane. The barrel vault has a slightly flattened silhouette, whereas the aisles are covered with a groined vault. Outside, the aisles were covered with a terrace punt
The Romanesque frescoes do not survive apart from those in the apse vault above the choir and in the crypt. Above the choir one can see an uncommon portrayal of the apocalypse: the Virgin and Child are shown in a mandorla, Christ is in majesty on the vault, between a circle and a square, then the Lamb of God is shown in a circle. All around, under the arches are the Twelve Apostles seated, as on the facade.
The church was refurnished after the Revolution. Thus, one finds there a Baroque pulpit carved from wood in the 17th century, coming from the convent, two bronze lecterns of the 16th century. The statue of Our Lady of the Keys dated from the end of the 16th or beginning of the 17th century. The tradition says that it is a copy of the miraculous statue, destroyed by the Huguenots in 1562.
Adam, Eve and Nebuchadnezzar II: above the door, a panel of high reliefs can be seen: this illustrates passages from the Bible. The selected scenes, taken from both Testaments, tell the Annunciation and the Incarnation of God on earth in the person of Jesus Christ to save humanity. From left to right may be seen the original sin, Nabuchodonosor King of Babylon, the prophets Daniel, Moses, Isaiah and Jeremiah.
In the year 1202, the English besieged the city of Poitiers. The mayor's clerk promised to deliver the city to them, on Easter Day, by providing them with the keys to the city in exchange for a large sum of money. In the night, the clerk went to the room of the mayor to steal the keys, but they had disappeared.
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Église Notre-Dame-la-Grande Poitiers Vienne
Notre-Dame-la-Grande de Poitiers est, avec les églises de Saint-Gilles et Saint-Trophime à Arles, et de Civray, dans le département de la Vienne, le spécimen le plus parfait de l'architecture grecque du Bas-Empire en France, comme Saint-Vital de Ravennes est en Italie la plus belle fleur de la couronne byzantine. La forme de Notre-Dame est celle d'une basilique antique dont le caractère est altéré par des chapelles circulaires ajoutées au chœur dans le XVe siècle.
NOTRE-DAME LA GRANDE, POITIERS, FRANCE
L'ensemble Oxyton in Notre Dame la Grande church in Poitier, France
Taken in Notre Dame church in Poitier, France as the group was practicing for a concert. What angelic voices. The group is called L'ensemble Oxyton
Notre Dame la Grande Poitiers
Notre-Dame-la-Grande est une église collégiale romane située à Poitiers (86) photographiée par Alain GOUILLARDON - ALAIN PHOTO - com-photo.fr
Eglise Notre-Dame-la-Grande de Poitiers
Notre-Dame-la-Grande, à Poitiers, est une église romane célèbre pour sa façade datant du XIIème siècle.
Notre-Dame la Grande, Poitiers, Vienne
La façade-écran de Notre-Dame-la-Grande ( Poitiers, 86 ) constitue un joyau du patrimoine roman du Poitou.
St. Pierre Cathedral in Poitiers, France
trimPoitiers notre dame la grande
11-Poitiers - Église Notre-Dame la Grande de Poitiers 02.avi
Poitiers - Église Notre-Dame la Grande de Poitiers
Places to see in ( Poitiers - France ) Eglise Sainte Radegonde
Places to see in ( Poitiers - France ) Eglise Sainte Radegonde
The Church of Sainte-Radegonde is a medieval Roman Catholic church in Poitiers, France, dating from the 6th century. It takes its name from the Frankish queen and nun, Radegund, who was buried in the church. Considered a saint, the church became a place of pilgrimage by those devoted to her heavenly intercession. The current church, constructed from the 11th to 12th centuries, was built in a combination of Romanesque and Angevin Gothic architectural styles.
The church was established as a mortuary chapel in the 6th century to hold the remains of the nuns of St. Mary Abbey, later the Abbey of the Holy Cross, which had been founded in Poitiers by Radegund in 552 as the first monastery for women in the Frankish Empire. Due to its function, the chapel was built outside the city walls, which gave it its initial name, the Church of St. Mary outside the Walls (French: Sainte-Marie-hors-les-murs). Upon Radegund's death and subsequent burial there in 587, however, the chapel was renamed to be placed under her patronage.
The remains of the saintly foundress were exhumed by order of Abbess Béliarde in 1012 for public veneration, and the entire church was rebuilt after a major fire in 1083. The reconstruction expanded the structure, including both a chevet and the foundations of a bell tower when it was dedicated in 1099. By this time, the chapel had become both a parish and collegiate church, staffed by a community of canons whose prior was appointed by the abbess.
The church is built in the shape of a Latin cross. This was a style which became popular in the 11th century, particularly for pilgrimage shrines. It consists of a central nave with radiating chapels. This allowed for both private space for prayer by the clergy of the church and open space for the pilgrims visiting it.
The church has had a series of organs since the Middle Ages. After the devastation of the church during the French Revolution, it was not until 1894 that an organ was again installed in the church. Though it survived damage caused by bombardment during World War II, this organ was irreparably damaged by poorly done renovations in 1991. It was replaced in 1997 by an entirely new organ.
The church comprises a low relief porch of the eleventh century, a Pieta seventeenth century and the capitals of the Romanesque choir. A series of 16 stained glass windows partially dating from the 13th century recounts the life of Radegund. They were restored in the 19th century.
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Notre Dame La Grande de Poitiers
En été, 2015, c'était magnifique.
Église Notre Dame la Grande de Poitiers
Lieux Sacrés
Poitiers Notre Dame la Grande
Cette vidéo traite de Poitiers Notre Dame la Grande
POITIERS Eglise Notre-Dame-la-Grande
Découvrir l'Eglise en diaporama. Musique de Thierry TREMELET
Places to see in ( Poitiers - France )
Places to see in ( Poitiers - France )
Poitiers is a city in western France. Its Romanesque church of Église Notre-Dame la Grande is known for its intricately carved facade, which illustrates episodes from the Bible. At Christmas and on summer evenings, the church features a colorful light show. The Palace of Poitiers, now home to the city's courthouse, features the Salle des Pas Perdus, a cavernous assembly hall with massive fireplaces.
Poitiers is a classic French provincial city. Capital of the Poitou area of western France, and county-town of the Vienne department, it is a historic city that has conserved much of its old world charm. A traditional stopping spot on the route from Paris to Bordeaux, southwest France and Spain, it is a city that has catered for passing travellers since Roman times.
Defensively located on a hilltop beside a main route, Roman Poitiers, known as Limonum, was one of the major cities in western Gaul, and possibly the capital of the area; however little remains of classical Roman Poitiers. On the other hand, Poitiers is home to one of the oldest churches in Europe, the fourth century Baptistry, built during the Gallo-Roman period. Today a small archaeological museum, the Baptistry is decorated inside with some of the earliest mural paintings in France.
It was in the Middle Ages that Poitiers really came into its own again; and there are several impressive buildings dating from this time. Most important is the church of Notre Dame la Grande, which was consecrated in the year 1086. With its ornately decorated facade, Notre Dame la Grande is one of the finest examples of western French Romanesque architecture.
Poitiers also has a fine early gothic cathedral, built in the 12th century on the instigation of King Henry II of England and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine. The cathedral has some beautiful mediaeval stained glass windows. There are two other interesting mediaeval churches in Poitiers, the church of Saint Hilaire, a classic but unusual 11th century Romanesque church, and the church of Sainte Radegonde, which has an interesting crypt
Poitiers' main museum is the Musée Sainte Croix, close to the town centre. Housed in a modern building from the 1970s, the museum has a collection of historic and archaeological artefacts, as well as an art gallery with a collection of mostly French paintings and sculpture from the 19th and 20th centuries, including works by Rodin, Bonnard and Sisley.
While the sights and monuments of old Poitiers illustrate the city's historic past, the same cannot be said for the most popular tourist attraction just ourside Poitiers. This is the Futuroscope, a future-themed hi-tech theme park located at Jaunay Clan, one of the northern suburbs of Poitiers. Opened in 1984, the Futuroscope has grown from a few futuristic pavillions round an Imax cinema, to become the world's most sophisticated cinema theme park. It has giant screens, IMAX and 3-D and 4-D shows, some of them using technology that is unique in the world, all in all over twenty future-themed attractions. Among the latest attractions is a high-tech aquatic evening show by Cirque du Soleil, that started in Feb 2016.
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CATHEDRAL OF ST PETER (ST PIERRE), POITIERS, FRANCE
Places to see in ( Poitiers - France )
Places to see in ( Poitiers - France )
Poitiers is a riverside city in western France. Its Romanesque church of Église Notre-Dame-la-Grande is known for its intricately carved facade, which illustrates episodes from the Bible. At Christmas and on summer evenings, the church features a colorful light show. The Palace of Poitiers, home to the city's courthouse, features the Salle des Pas Perdus, a cavernous assembly hall with massive fireplaces.
Poitiers is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and also of the Poitou-Charentes region. Poitiers is a major university centre. The centre of town is picturesque and its streets include predominant historical architecture, especially religious architecture and especially from the Romanesque period. Two major military battles took place near the city: in 732, the Battle of Poitiers (also known as the Battle of Tours), in which the Franks commanded by Charles Martel halted the expansion of the Umayyad Caliphate, and in 1356, the Battle of Poitiers, a key victory for the English forces during the Hundred Years' War. This battle's consequences partly provoked the Jacquerie.
The city of Poitiers is strategically situated on the Seuil du Poitou, a shallow gap between the Armorican and the Central Massif. The Seuil du Poitou connects the Aquitaine Basin to the South to the Paris Basin to the North. This area is an important geographic crossroads in France and Western Europe. Poitiers's primary site sits on a vast promontory between the valleys of the Boivre and the Clain. The old town occupies the slopes and the summit of a plateau which rises 130 feet (40 m) above the streams which surround it on three sides. Thus Poitiers benefits from a very strong tactical situation. This was an especially important factor before and throughout the Middle Ages.
Inhabitants of Poitiers are referred as Pictaviens (male) and Pictaviennes (female) from Pictavis, which was the ancient name for the town. It is not uncommon for inhabitants of Poitiers to call themselves Poitevins or Poitevines, although this denomination can be used for anyone from the Poitou province.
Historic churches, in particular Romanesque church buildings, are the main attraction inside Poitiers itself. The town's centre is picturesque, with generally well-preserved architecture and a recently re-zoned pedestrian area. There are numerous shops, cafes and restaurants in the town centre. Since 1987, Poitiers' tourist industry has indirectly benefited from the Futuroscope theme-park and research park in nearby Chasseneuil-du-Poitou. The centre of town receives visits in complement to the theme-park and benefits from a larger proportion of European tourists, notably from the United Kingdom. In conjunction, Poitiers' tourism has directly benefited from the TGV high-speed rail link to Paris.
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La capitale du Poitou: Une soirée à Poitiers
Une promenade du soir pour une ville ancienne et merveilleuse, un lieu d'art et d'histoire. On voit les églises St. Hilaire le Grand et Ste. Radegonde, le baptistère St. Jean et la cathédrale St. Pierre.
Evening at Poitiers, Poitou's Capital
An evening walk through an old and wonderful town, a place full of art and history. You can see the churches St. Hilairy the Great and St. Radegonde, the baptistery of St. John (supposedly the oldest church building in France) and the cathedral of St. Peter.
Ein Abend in Poitiers, der Hauptstadt des Poitous
Ein abendlicher Spaziergang durch eine ganz wunderbare, uralte Stadt, einen Ort voller Kunst und Geschichte. Man sieht dort die Kirchen Sankt Hilarius und Sankt Radegonde, das Baptisterium Sankt Johannes (das als ältester Kirchenbau in Frankreich gilt) und die Kathedrale Sankt Peter.
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City in France
Poitiers is a city in western France. Its Romanesque church of Église Notre-Dame la Grande is known for its intricately carved facade, which illustrates episodes from the Bible.
At Christmas and on summer evenings, the church features a colorful light show. The Palace of Poitiers, now home to the city's courthouse, features the Salle des Pas Perdus, a cavernous assembly hall with massive fireplaces.
POITIERS Top 37 Tourist Places | Poitiers Tourism
Things to do in POITIERS - Places to Visit in Poitiers
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POITIERS Top 37 Tourist Places - Poitiers, France, Europe