The west side of Aix Cathedral features a Gothic façade with intricate carvings and ornate details. The exterior combines various architectural styles, with Romanesque stone walls and flat square yellowish buttresses topped with pinnacles, contrasting with the central structure of the portal. Sergey Dzyuba/Shutterstock
Aix Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of the Holy Savior (“Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur”), is located in the heart of the charming city of Aix-en-Provence in the south of France.
The site was considered sacred for thousands of years. Legends say it was a pre-Roman pagan temple, then a Roman temple, and eventually, the site of a Christian church. According to Christian tradition, St. Maximinus of Aix built a chapel on the site dedicated to the Holy Savior. The chapel was destroyed in succeeding centuries; the present cathedral replaced the chapel in the 12th century. It took almost 200 years to finish the Cathedral, which explains the varied architectural styles in Aix Cathedral today.
Aix Cathedral is mostly Gothic but also features elements from the Roman, Romanesque, and Baroque styles. One of the oldest features of the cathedral is the baptistery rotunda, older than the cathedral itself, by about 700 years. Constructed from the fifth to the sixth century, the baptistery is one of the oldest in the region, with an octagonal basin and eight marble and granite columns probably dating back to the Roman temple that once stood on the same site. There’s also the 11th-century Romanesque style on the south side of the cathedral. The north side features Baroque elements dating from the 17th century. Surprisingly, these contrasting elements blend to form a unique ensemble.
A closer look at the cathedral’s façade and bell tower reveals a gable that surmounts the entrance door and the tympanum of the central façade. The white stone façade is topped by a Gothic balustrade, which holds the centerpiece of the façade: a statue of St. Michael by Jean Paumier. The octagonal bell tower on the left is about 210 feet high. Unlike other Gothic churches that have at least two towers, Aix Cathedral only has one. Telly/Shutterstock
The portal of Aix Cathedral is in the Flamboyant Gothic style, a form of late Gothic architecture characterized by the embellishment of technical and decorative elements. It features red walnut doors, with three statues of Apostles on each side. The central pillar, located between both doors, holds a sculpture of the Virgin and Child. The doors are topped by the colorful half-circle of the tympanum. finaeva_i/Shutterstock
The interior of Aix Cathedral shows how unusual its structure is. While other cathedrals typically only have one nave, this cathedral has three, arranged with different architectural elements from past centuries. The central nave is in the Gothic style and the keystone rises to a height of approximately 66 feet, lower than all other French Gothic cathedrals. travelview/Shutterstock
On the left of the central nave is a small Baroque nave, featuring a beautiful "green and gold" organ case in the Louis XV style, built by Jean-Esprit Isnard. The organ case is made of pine, and although the case style dates back to 1745, the instrument was only added in 1855. On the opposite Epistle Wall, there is a similar organ case for aesthetic symmetrical reasons, but this one contains no instrument. Celli07/Shutterstock
The St. Lazarus Chapel holds the Triptych of the Burning Bush, painted by Nicolas Froment in the 15th century. The painting depicts the burning bush from the Book of Exodus in the Bible, and the Virgin and Child sitting atop the burning bush. travelview/Shutterstock
On the south side of the cathedral is the 12th-century Romanesque cloister, located on the site of an old Roman square. The galleries have slender columns supported by round arches overlooking a square garden. Each corner of the cloister is decorated with carvings of biblical scenes and symbols representing the four Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), such as Mark with a lion. Amy Corti/Shutterstock
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Ariane Triebswetter
Author
Ariane Triebswetter is an international freelance journalist, with a background in modern literature and classical music.
