The cathedral Notre-Dame and Saint Paul

History

The site of Saint-Paul-Three-Castles was inhabited as of Prehistory. The Neolithic era (- 6.000 with - 2.500 before J. - C.) there is well represented by the important site of the Mills which extended at least on 4 ha in south-west from the current city. A population was installed indeed on a terrace overhanging the plain of the Rhone extending to south-west from the current city. This civilization, known as chasséenne is characterized by the installation of the sedentarisation and the development of the activities of breeding and agriculture.

Curiously, one finds few traces of the age of the Bronze and the age of Iron, whereas it is name of a Gallic tribe of the time, Tricastini, that those come from the Roman city, Augusta Tricastinorum, (It was high under the Empire Romain d' Auguste with the row of chief town of the Narbonnese) and of Tricastin.  It seems that they built a city on the hill of Barri (of the Celt “Bar” meaning rampart) appreciable for its justifiable position dominating the valley of the Rhone. This oppidum (strengthened habitat height) became capital of Tricastini of the IV ème century at the end of I er century before J.C., before the Roman occupation.

The city was indeed founded in Ier century after J. - C., like new capital of Tricastini passed under Roman domination. Of a surface of more than 42 ha, it was comparable with the most prestigious cities of the South of the Narbonnese.

At the Lower Empire, the power of Rome weakens. And with the IV ème century whereas Gaule Roman is christianized, the city became seat of one évêché and was renamed Civitas Tricastinorum.
At the end of antiquity, the urban fabric of Augusta Tricastinorum retracts to be fixed around the current hill of the Castle. A first episcopal group settles in the neighbourhoods of the Midsummer's Day district; some architectural elements mark in particular the site of the funerary church.

The importance of the city does not decrease with the Middle Ages and it is starting from XIIe century that the Cathedral is built, one of the most beautiful examples of the Romanesque art of Provence, in the middle of the girded city of stone a defensive rampart of the South.

Saint-Paul-Three-castles must face rough religious fights during the modern time, like all Dauphiné. Destruction and rebuildings modify little by little its face at the XVIIe century, while the private mansions flower at the XVIIIe century.

The name of Saint-Paul-Three-Castles, which caused many interpretations often full with imagination, comes in fact from the bad translation, based on a whimsical etymology, old name of the city: Saint-Paul-in-Tricastin. The word “Tricastin”, name of the canton resulting from that of the Gallic tribe which lived this region, was included/understood like a Latin expression meaning “three castles” (tricastri). The blazon of the city represents a tower with three keeps raised of a crown, accompanied by the currency: “Tricastinensis civitas”: “quoted of Tricastins”.

The cathedral

On this site, located just outside a vast ancient urban enclosure, rose before a funerary basilica which sheltered the tomb of Saint Paul, bishop of V ème century and owner of the city. It was dedicated to the apostles and to martyrs.
The seat cathédral was originally located at the center of the ancient city (Augusta Tricastinorum). During the high-means-age, the episcopal city gathered on the slopes of the hill of the castle and was surrounded by the current rampart.

A cemetery extended until in the current court from the town hall. The cathedral Notre-Dame and Saint Paul was set up between 1120 and the beginning of the XIII ème century. It was built outside the Gallo-Roman city, in the middle of the medieval city.

The construction of the cathedral proceeded of is in west. The project of decoration, strongly inspired of antiquity remained unfinished (sculptures of the high parts of the nave stopped at the beginning of the central span, high part of the western frontage).

The cathedral is built in an average very neat calcareous stone apparatus of Restitut Saint. Many stones carry the marks of the drudges who cut them.

Built in a funerary zone, the cathedral was probably high with the site of the tomb of the bishop Saint Paul (IV ème century?). Évêché was removed with the revolution.

External decoration gives a clear preference to the side méridionnal turned towards the city: triple ancient arcade of inspiration on the nave, pediment antiquisant on the transept.

The southern side of the church is dominated by the Gothic frontages of a vault and porch. The scene of the mutilated Romance tympanum repsésentait the worship of the magi.

Decentred on the arm méridionnal of the transept, the bell-tower was altered with the XVII ème and XIX ème centuries.
Among the many marks of drudges, stones carved in spare face appear of the characters, the animals, the signs of the zodiac.

The Western frontage strikes by its volume and its sobriety. The central gate is surrounded by two grooved pilasters and semi-columns.

Decoration remained unfinished was to end in a crowning with pediment.

The decoration of the door in full-clotheshanger takes again that of the entry méridionnale.

As much of churches of the area, the cathedral presents a blind northern side. The northern arm of the transept is simply decorated with bands lombardes.

In the east, the bedside is made of an apse with cut sides surrounded by two absidioles semicircular open on the arms of the transept.

There still, the decoration appears very localised and excavated (around blind bays and of the window of the apse, on the pilasters and the cornice).

The building of basilical plan is composed of a central nave of three spans and two sides, of a covering transept and three apses.

The interior, of vast dimensions, illustrates the rigour and the majesty of Romance constructions (length of the nave: 28m, width: 24,90m, height of the vault: 19m).
The light penetrates in the building by the openings bored in the Western frontage and by the high windows of the central nave and the transept southern side.
The central nave is arched in cradle. the communication with the side aisles in half-cradle is done by large arcades in pelin-clotheshanger. The side aisles did not receive that a decoration very frustrates.

The carved decoration is remarkable in particular on the level of the high stage of the last span of the central nave: a false-triforium (or distorts platform) is decorated flanked niches of small columns.

The lower cornice is decorated with oves, pearls, sheets of acanthus and beux rinceaux.
The plank which runs to the lower part appears a curtain whose folds are tended at the ends by characters vétus with the antique. The following span separated by two half-colonnesest remained unfinished. The decoration is stopped as of the second span.

With the angles of the nave the symbols are of 

tétramorphe: the eagle 

of Jean, the lion of Marc, the bull of Luc and the angel of Matthieu.

With the return of the cornice which surmounts them, of the human masks and zoomorphes.

Vis-a-vis the entry méridionnale, one of the pillars of the nave presents a carved decoration very mutilated end of the Romance time: the resurrection of died and the last judgement.

The transept crossing is covered with a cupola on horns.

In the chorus, the vault in half dome is rythmée of 4 veins punts in the axis of columns with grooved or torsagés barrels and capitals of Corinthian inspiration.

The ground of presbyterium, paving stone of a Romance mosaic representing among the reasons for rinceaux, from interlacing and plants, the symbols of the evangelists (disappeared) and the town of Jerusalem, teaches us that the current church in replaced the preceding one whose ground was raised.

Gothic murals decorate several arcs and pillars.
The sides are flanked vaults raised subsequently. In the south, the Gothic vault Notre-Dame the episcopal one, was built in 1460 per Etienne Genevès, the only bishop originating in the city, in the honor of the Virgin Mary.

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