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Noyon Cathedral
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Noyon (French)
West facade
Location	Noyon, Oise, Hauts-de-France, France
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Status	Parish church (formerly cathedral)
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architectural type	Cathedral
Style	French Gothic
Groundbreaking	12th century
Administration
Diocese	Beauvais (formerly Noyon)
Monument historique
Type	Cathédrale
Designated	1840, 1862, 1889
Reference no.	PA00114786

Noyon Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Noyon) is a Roman Catholic church located in Noyon, Oise, Hauts-de-France, France. It replaced several earlier structures, including the churches where Charlemagne and Hugh Capet were coronated. The current church, an important example of early Gothic architecture, was built primarily in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It has been repaired several times, particularly after being damaged in the French Revolution and World War I. The church served as the cathedral of the Diocese of Noyon until 1802, when the diocese was absorbed into the Diocese of Beauvais.

History

Previous structures

The first cathedral building at Noyon was likely constructed soon after Medardus moved the seat of his diocese from Saint-Quentin to Noyon in the sixth century. Near Noyon's ancient city wall, the site may have been previously been occupied by an temple or funeral monument. The first cathedral was still standing in the mid-seventh century; however, it was probably destroyed when a major fire swept Noyon in 676, contrary to a legend that the fire retreated from the cathedral when Godeberta was carried to the site and made the sign of the cross. A second cathedral was constructed after the fire. Charlemagne was coronated in this cathedral in 768. After Noyon was destroyed by vikings in 859, a third cathedral was built some time before 932. It was flanked by cloisters on the north and the bishop's palace to the south. (A fourth cathedral may have replaced the third building in the eleventh century, although modern scholarship has challenged this theory.) The relics of Saint Eligius were transferred to the cathedral in 1066, making Noyon an important medieval pilgrimage destination.

Initial construction

Construction on the current cathedral began around 1145. The choir (the east end of the current building) was built first, and was separated from the old cathedral's site by the city wall. The old cathedral likely remained in use until it and the city wall were demolished to clear space for the new cathedral's western portions.

During the first phase of construction, completed circa 1157, the outer walls and surrounding chapels of the choir's first story were erected. A second phase probably lasted until between 1165 and 1170, and included the erection of most of the choir's second level, the ambulatory circling the interior of the choir, the lower portions of the south transept, and the lower levels of the two small towers standing at the junctures of the choir and the transepts. The third phase lasted until circa 1185. By this time the worship of the chapter had moved to the new building, as the choir, transepts, and the bay of the nave closest to the choir were finished. The third phase also included the Treasury (attached to the north transept) and the now-ruinous Bishop's Chapel (attached to the south transept). The middle portion of the nave was completed by 1190, marking the fourth phase. The fifth phase coincided with a period of increased tax revenue from merchandise passing through Noyon, so the final bays of the nave were quickly completed by around 1205. Finally, the sixth phase marked the construction of the massive western towers, porch, and entrance bay. By circa 1235, the cathedral's initial construction was essentially complete.

History until 1500

The structure that would become the chapter house, abutting the north front tower, was built in the mid-thirteenth century. The cloisters adjoining the north side of the cathedral were also built during this period.

A devastating fire swept through Noyon in 1293 and heavily damaged the cathedral. The wooden roof, completely destroyed in the fire, was consequently rebuilt with a more gradual incline. The north front tower, small north choir tower, western porch, ceiling vaults, cloisters, chapter house, and portions of the north walls of the cathedral were also damaged and consequently repaired. The current appearance of the north front tower, with more elaborate detailing than its companion to the south, was instated during the repairs following the fire. Also, the two buttresses supporting the cathedral's entry porch were added at this time.

Most of the chapels currently extruding from the side aisles of the nave were constructed at different times between 1286 and 1309. Raoul II of Clermont funded the construction of five of the chapels. By 1382, another chapel and several additional chambers were built onto the north transept.

Because of the turbulence of the Hundred Years' War, the cathedral chapter left Noyon for more than a year in 1382. The cathedral itself was left unoccupied for the duration of their absence. However, the building survived the war unscathed.

By 1423, the cathedral was in need of extensive repairs, which were carried out through the remainder of the fifteenth century. These repairs included modifying five of the ceiling vaults, portions of the choir buttresses, the north choir tower, and some stonework on the north side of the choir. This campaign also included constructing the three massive buttresses extending into the cloister yard on the north side of the nave.

1500–1790

Apart from several additions, Noyon Cathedral remained largely untouched during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This is despite the Hungarian invasion of Noyon in 1557 and a subsequent sacking of the city by the Spaniards in 1557. The chapter constructed a wooden library at the northeast corner of the cathedral complex in 1506; the building still stands today. Two final chapels, built around 1528 and 1645, joined the earlier chapels extending from the sides of the nave.

After several decades of only minor repairs, the cathedral was heavily altered in the eighteenth century. Between 1720 and 1730, the main stairs and porch were repaired, the roofing was renewed over the main vessel and several chapels, and the roofs on the western towers were completely rebuilt. The windows in the upper levels of the chapel were renovated, and the masonry in the lower portions of the choir chapels was replaced. Most dramatically, the small towers in the junctions between the choir and the transepts were rebuilt and lowered to the level of the main roof. A second building campaign, conducted around 1750, involved rebuilding nearly all the upper-level clerestory windows in the choir and replacing the choir's uppermost buttresses in a different style. Also during eighteenth century, the interior of the church was modified extensively. The first-floor windows of both transepts were filled with masonry and replaced with statue niches. Doorways were cut into the central arches; the one in the north transept is still intact today. In the choir, the rood screen was destroyed, the stalls were rebuilt, and the current Classical-style high altar was built in the cathedral's central crossing. The interiors of the choir chapels were plastered, and marble paving was installed. The distinctive iron railings around the upper passages of the cathedral's interior also date from this period.

1790–1910

Like many of France's medieval churches, Noyon Cathedral suffered immensely during the French Revolution. The Diocese of Noyon and the Noyon chapter were dissolved in 1790, and the church was closed by the National Constituent Assembly. The statuary of the cathedral's entry portals was almost completely destroyed in 1793. During this time, the building was used as a granary, stable, and dance hall. In 1797, the government put the cathedral and its attached buildings up for sale, but potential buyers balked at the extremely high cost. Church functions in the building were reestablished in December 1799, but Noyon Cathedral was a true cathedral no longer. The building instead became a parish church under the Diocese of Beauvais.

By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the cathedral was again in need of repairs. The cathedral's paving, which had been torn up during the revolution, was replaced in 1804 and 1819. Temporary measures were enacted to stabilize the walls. Extensive repairs and renovations did not begin until 1840, when Noyon Cathedral was designated a monument historique—an officially-recognized historic monument of France. The first restoration lasted until 1846 and included repairing or replacing masonry in the entry porch, the south transept, and the north side of the choir. The second restoration campaign lasted until 1870. The choir exterior, the roof, and a portal on the east side of the south transept were extensively repaired. The high clerestory windows in the choir were enlarged, and a medieval house standing against the Treasury was destroyed. By 1876, the Treasury and the chapel at the central end of the choir were renovated, and the exterior of the north transept was restored. Regrettably, from 1884 to 1895, the twelfth-century Bishop's Chapel was partially destroyed. The lower levels of the south transept, where the chapel was connected to the cathedral, were largely rebuilt. In 1905, the nave aisles roofs were rebuilt with concrete, reversing eighteenth-century construction that had covered many of the high windows. Finally, the west front towers were restored in 1907.

World War I to present

German forces occupied Noyon from August 1914 to 1917. France briefly recaptured the town that spring, only to lose it to Germans a year later. Noyon was bombarded sporadically that summer, and in late August, a battle between the Germans and the allied forces barraged the town with shells and shrapnel. By the time the French reconquered Noyon for good on August 29, 1918, the cathedral was a ruined shell. The medieval main roof was burned away, and many of the upper vaults under the roof had collapsed. The roofs over the chapels built against the aisles were destroyed. The western end of the cathedral, including the towers and the great organ, also suffered heavily from fire damage. Various buttresses were damaged or ruined, and the building's stonework was calcined, perforated, or shattered in uncountable places.

Over the next several decades, the cathedral was painstakingly restored. Fallen stonework was reintegrated wherever possible, and all new masonry closely imitated the details of the stonework it replaced. The interiors of the western towers were rebuilt, and a new roof was cast from reinforced concrete.

Architecture

Cathedral complex map

Noyon Cathedral was among the first churches constructed in the Gothic style. The choir at the Basilica of Saint-Denis, completed in 1144, marked the advent of Gothic architecture. The Gothic cathedrals built in the following several decades all included the pointed arches and large windows from Saint-Denis, but otherwise varied dramatically in detail. Sens Cathedral was the first of this experimental crop of Gothic cathedrals, followed soon after by Noyon Cathedral, Laon Cathedral, and Notre-Dame de Paris. Although the cathedral at Noyon suffered more damage over the centuries than its contemporaries, it remains an important example of early Gothic architecture.

Built with a cruciform layout, Noyon Cathedral consists of the traditional choir, transepts, and nave. The ends of the choir and transepts are all rounded, while the nave is fronted by two massive towers. Single aisles flank the sides of the nave and form an ambulatory around the back of the choir; the transepts have no side aisles. Small chapels project beyond the exterior walls of the aisles, although only those in the choir are original.

Noyon Cathedral is slightly smaller than Laon Cathedral—its nearby contemporary—but smaller than Notre-Dame de Paris and many later cathedrals. At Noyon, the transepts and choirs each contain three bays, not including their apses. The nave contains ten bays, with an additional entrance bay at the west end under the towers. In total, the cathedral is 103 metres (338 ft) long with a maximum interior height of 22.7 metres (74 ft).

Vertical elevation The ceilings are composed of quadripartite (four-part) rib vaults.

Cathedral complex

The remains of the medieval cloister, constructed beginning in the mid-thirteenth century, stand around a courtyard north of the cathedral. West of the cloister, the Chapter House (Salle du Chapitre) abuts the cathedral's north tower. East of the cloister stand the former chapter prison and a series of sacristies, erected primarily in the fourteenth century. Further east, the two-story Treasury (Salle du Trésor) is directly attached to the cathedral's north transept. This building, the original sacristy, was constructed in the twelfth century. At the northeast corner of the cathedral complex stands the Chapter Library (Libraurie du Chapitre), a wooden structure built in 1506.

The Bishop's Chapel was the first structure to incorporate double lancet windows with a round window directly above. This configuration was refined in later buildings, particularly Chartres Cathedral, and soon became one of the primary motifs in Gothic architecture.

• 
  Cloister
• 
  Chapter House
• 
  Treasury and Library
• 
  Bishop's Chapel

The nave's flying buttresses were among the first constructed outside the Paris region.

A subterranean chamber, the caveau phonocamptique, sits under the high altar located in the cathedral's central crossing. Constructed in the fifteenth century, the chamber is 3.5 metres (11 ft) by 4.5 metres (15 ft) in size. Sixty-four clay vases, embedded in the walls, amplified certain frequencies of choral singing in the cathedral above. The chamber was sealed off when the cathedral was repaved in 1743; today, it can only be accessed by moving a marble floor slab directly behind the altar.

Organs

Main organ

The cathedral's first documented main pipe organ was in place by 1688. A new organ, built by the firm of Philippe Le Picard, was dedicated in 1702 and restored in 1750. The instrument was rebuilt in the Romantic style in 1840, 1850, and 1900. During World War I, the organ pipes were raided in 1917, and the rest of the instrument was destroyed by the fires that ravaged the cathedral in 1918. After the major damage to the cathedral was repaired, the city of Noyon purchased a concert organ for the cathedral in 1941, although it was not installed until 1950. The current great organ, suspended on the cathedral's west wall over the central doorway, was inaugurated in April 2005. Originally constructed by Merklin in 1898 for a church in Agen, the organ was rebuilt by the firm of Henri Saby. The console of the current organ includes three 58-note keyboards and a 32-note pedalboard.

The smaller organ in the cathedral's choir was originally built by Selmersheim in 1704. In 1928, it was converted to electro-pneumatic action and housed in new neo-Gothic casing. The organ was restored in 1952 and rebuilt in 1988–1989.

Art and objects

Most of the cathedral's statuary, including the stonework on the entry portals, was destroyed in the French Revolution and never restored. One notable exception is a life-sized, seated Virgin and Child now located in the cathedral cloister. It was likely part of an ensemble of figures. A statue of Moses at the The Cloisters in New York City is almost certainly from the cathedral; tests of its stone indicate that it was cut from rock quarried near Noyon. Additionally, several other statues of similar age and scale may have rounded out the ensemble, although their stone was likely quarried further from Noyon. One, a statue thought to portray Aaron, is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A large fragment of a statue hypothesized to depict John the Baptist is located at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. A final identified statue of untested stone composition was previously part of the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection at Lugano.

None of the cathedral's medieval stained glass remains intact. The Treasury, adjoining the cathedral, housed a mid-thirteenth-century window dedicated to Saint Pantaleon; fragments of this window survive today in the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin in the choir.

Among the cathedral treasures is the Bell of St. Godeberthe, dating from the seventh century. Crafted of hammered metal sheets, the bell predates the creation of bells using lost-wax casting.

• 
  Chapel of the Blessed Virgin
• 
  16th-century mural
• 
  Moses from the west portals
• 
  Aaron from the west portals

External links

• Art Atlas
• Sacred Destinations
• Mapping Gothic France