Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

The huge 18th century abbey church became the new cathedral of Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Vaast d'Arras in 1804. It replaced the old Gothic cathedral Notre-Dame-en-Cité in the west of the city which was destroyed, and since 1825 the vast monastery buildings of the abbey have housed the Arras Fine Arts Museum.

According to tradition the abbey was founded under the name of Saint-Vincent in 589 by Queen Brunehaut. The abbey has suffered several destructions in its history, the last of which took place in the 19th century.

This abbey was founded in 1138 by the Earl of Pallars, for his own son who became the leader of the abbey. A few years later, the abbey welcomeed Louis VII, on his way to Compostela. The 14th century turned out to be very prosperous for the abbey, which accommodated at this time close to a hundred monks of the order of the Prémontrés. The 15th century saw the decline of the abbey, which experienced a succession of events: the Black Death, the Hundred Years War and then the wars of religion. The Revolution also affected the abbey, which was pillaged, burnt down and finally sold in 1791.

The Carmelites acquired a piece of land in 1620, at the "Riez du château", near the new walls of the Porte de Gand, in order to establish their convent there. The church was completed in 1623, but was destroyed by fire in 1645. The present church was rebuilt between 1646 and 1669.

The monastery is the only establishment of the Carthusian order in Auvergne. Today in ruins, it nevertheless preserves particularly interesting remains and constitutes an essential milestone in the understanding of the evolution of the architecture of the Carthusian order.

Built from the 10th century, the qualifier "le Vieux" added following the construction of the Abbey aux Hommes in the 11th century. The church was disused in 1793, and was not given back to worship until 1802. The nave was destroyed by bombing in 1944.

The Old Church of Our Lady is a Romanesque church dating from the beginning of the 11th century, making it one of the oldest building in the town of Rochefort. The church has been restored in 1977 by the municipality, the Geographical Society, which was looking for premises for its permanent exhibitions, had a museum set up there: the Musée Archéologique de la Vieille Paroisse.

First mention of the church in the 11th century, work was undertaken in the 14th century following the war. In the 10th century, the nave is again undergoing work. Finally, in the XVIIth century, the facade is reworked but keeps its flamboyant gothic style.

The current building was built in 1298, and its construction spanned 6 centuries, although there were some interruptions. In 1317, the Church became cathedral, but problems of financing delayed the enlargement. It was in the 16th century that the biggest works are finally carried out, by clearing the building of the attached houses. The building was also embellished, and the bell tower and its 60m high spire were erected. In the 19th century, the building was restored by Viollet-le-Duc and Prosper MÈrimÈe. Currently, this building no longer has the title of cathedral; it has once again become a parish church.

The old church is located almost opposite the new church of the same name, in the heart of downtown Espalion. On the site of the old hospice of Espalion, the church was built towards the end of the 15th century and into the 16th century, with the cingregation being celebrated from 1478. The church was decommissioned in 1883, after the consecration of the new Saint John the Baptist Church. Its northwest facade was transformed in 1884 by the architect of Rodez Gonzague Grinda, replacing the choir. The city hall and municipal services moved into the building from 1897 to 1948, when the city hall was transferred to the premises that housed the courthouse. The old church remained without affectation until in 1975, the collections of arts and popular traditions of Rouergue gathered by Joseph Vaylet were installed there (Joseph-Vaylet museum). In 1980, the Diving museum was also established there.