Lombez Cathedral, Gothic cathedral in Lombez, France
Lombez Cathedral is a historical monument in the Meridional Gothic style, featuring a distinctive five-tiered octagonal bell tower constructed from pink and white stones. The tower rises prominently above the rest of the building and defines the cathedral's appearance.
The Diocese of Lombez was created in 1317 by Pope John XXII, and the present brick cathedral was built after that date, starting with the bell tower and the first bay of the nave. The last abbot, Arnaud Roger, became the first bishop; his successor Jacques Colonna brought the poet Petrarch to Lombez in 1330. The diocese was suppressed by the Concordat of 1801 and its territory divided between Bayonne and Toulouse.
The three stained-glass panels in the chevet, made by followers of Arnaud de Moles in the 15th–16th centuries and restored in the 19th, show scenes from the Life of Christ and the Passion. The rest of the glass is 19th-century. A plaque right of the plain west entrance records Petrarch's 1330 visit, arranged by bishop Jacques Colonna, who made him an honorary canon in 1335.
The west entrance is plain, with a small roundel above and a Flamboyant stone doorway; a plaque to its right records Petrarch's 1330 visit. Inside, the 12th-century lead baptismal font stands below the tower, while the 18th-century organ is at the west end and the 17th-century walnut choir stalls are in the choir. The three 15th–16th-century glass panels are in the chevet.
Inside the cathedral stands a 12th-century baptismal font that combines religious figures in its lower section with secular scenes rendered in antique style on the upper part. This pairing of the sacred and the everyday reveals the artistic interests of the medieval period.
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