Nantes Cathedral, Gothic cathedral in Nantes, France.
Nantes Cathedral is a Gothic structure in the city with two towers rising 63 meters high and a nave stretching 103 meters long. Large stained glass windows fill the interior, shaping how light moves through the sacred space.
Construction began in 1434 under Duke John V of Brittany and Bishop Jean de Malestroit, continuing across more than 4 centuries. This extended timeline reflects the complex challenges the project faced over medieval and early modern periods.
In the south transept stands the tomb of Duke Francis II of Brittany and his second wife, Margaret of Foix, both dead in 1488. Anne of Brittany commissioned it at the end of the 15th century; Michel Colombe and Jérôme Pacherot carved it in white polychrome marble, and it was set up at the Nantes Carmelites in 1507. After the convent was sold following the Revolution, the tomb was dismantled and moved into the cathedral in 1817.
The west facade opens onto place Saint-Pierre, while the north side faces place de la Duchesse Anne, so the building can be approached from either square. The choir was only finished in 1891 because the old Romanesque church and the city walls had to be cleared first, which explains the long, staggered plan inside. During multi-year restoration campaigns, services move to the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-l'Immaculée-Conception.
The 2020 arson destroyed the 1621 Jacques Girardet organ and the west rose window of 1498, given by Queen Anne and showing her with her mother. The same fire caused damage estimated at over 40 million euros. The volunteer who confessed was later arrested for the murder of Father Olivier Maire in 2021.
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