Agen Cathedral, Catholic cathedral in Agen, France

Agen Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Caprasius, is a Latin-cross church whose visible structure dates to the 12th century, with a 13th-century nave. Its Romanesque apse is extended by a Gothic single nave. The south facade, bell tower and interior floors were rebuilt by architect Gustave Bourrières from 1838 to 1847 for Bishop Jean-Aimé de Levezou de Vezins. The nave is shorter than the size of the chancel would suggest, a result of political and financial difficulties.

The visible building was begun in the 12th century as a collegiate church of canons, on the foundations of a basilica sacked by the Normans in 853 and later restored. It was sacked again in December 1561 during the Wars of Religion, then served as a fodder store from 1789 before reopening in 1796. It became Agen's cathedral in 1801, replacing Saint-Étienne, destroyed during the Revolution.

The painted decoration was entrusted to Toulouse-born Jean-Louis Bézard, winner of the Prix de Rome in 1829, who worked in the cathedral from the Virgin chapel until 1869. The clergy chose the themes, debated with abbé Deyche: the cul-de-four shows the martyrdom of the Agen martyrs, while the transept arch medallions draw on the churches of Palermo and Monreale in Sicily.

The nave is shorter than the chancel's size suggests, a result of political and financial difficulties during construction. The south facade, bell tower and interior floors were rebuilt by architect Gustave Bourrières between 1838 and 1847 at the request of Bishop Jean-Aimé de Levezou de Vezins. The painted decoration by Jean-Louis Bézard, begun in the chapel of the Virgin, continued until 1869.

The 1835 tower replaced a wooden campanile and stacks its three Gothic stages in reverse order: flamboyant at the base, rayonnant in the middle, lancet Gothic at the top. Look also at the north transept corner, where a carved cul-de-lampe carries two large formerets and a wide pointed arch.