St. Andrew's Church, Bayonne

St. Andrew's Church is a neo-Gothic Roman Catholic parish church in central Bayonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France. It is dedicated to saint Andrew the Apostle.

St. Andrew's Church, Byonne
French: église Saint-André de Bayonne
Basque: San Andres eliza / Done Ander eliza (Baiona)
Religion
AffiliationRoman Catholic Church
ProvinceDiocese of Bayonne, Lescar and Oloron
RiteRoman
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusParish church
StatusActive
Location
LocationBayonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques,  France
Geographic coordinates43°29′26″N 1°28′15″W / 43.49056°N 1.47083°W / 43.49056; -1.47083
Architecture
Typechurch
StyleNeo-Gothic
Groundbreaking1856
Completed1869
Specifications
Spire(s)0 (formerly 2)
Spire height74 meters (formerly)

History edit

The church was designed by architects Hippolyte Durand[1] and Hippolyte Guichenné and built in the neo-Gothic style in the Petit Bayonne [fr] neighborhood between 1856 and 1869, under Napoléon III's reign.[2] It was built on the site of a former Jansenist high school. Its construction was mainly funded by a bequest (several donations totalling more than 5 million Francs) from banker Jacques Taurin de Lormand, who died in 1847. The town council allocated additional money for ending the works and purchasing furniture. The church was consecrated on March 7, 1862. The Capuchins' Church neighboring St Andrew's was demolished.

On December 13, 1895, the vault partly collapsed on the organ lofts because the ground was swampy. The 74-meter-high spires, which were too heavy, were demolished in 1901[3] and replaced by the two current belfry towers in 1903.[2]

Architecture edit

In the shape of a Latin cross, the church's design was inspired from the 13th-century Gothic churches with two front towers and an imposing rosette over the doors. It has three ribbed naves.

The inside of the church features a painting by Léon Bonnat (1833-1922) of Bayonne, which represents the Assumption of Mary. Another painting by Joseph Pascau (1875-1944) of Bayonne shows the Holy Family. The pipe organ was donated by Napoléon III in 1862 and inaugurated on April 9, 1836. It was made by Georges Wenner [fr] and Jean-Jacob Götty of Bordeaux, with 32 stops and 3 manuals.[4] The organ was registered as an official Historical Monument object in 2002.[5][6][7]

References edit

  1. ^ Emmanuel Planes (May 25, 2013). "L'histoire des flèches perdues des églises". Sud Ouest (in French). Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "L'église Saint-André" (in French). Basque Museum, Bayonne. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  3. ^ "Pays basque 1900". paysbasque1900.com (in French). Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  4. ^ "Orgue de Bayonne, église Saint-André". orgue-aquitaine.fr (in French). Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  5. ^ Base Palissy: Partie instrumentale de l'orgue de l'église Saint-André, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  6. ^ Base Palissy: Le buffet de l'orgue de l'église Saint-André, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  7. ^ "L'église Saint-André". bayonne-baysbasque.com (in French). Retrieved September 5, 2018.

Bibliography edit

  • Édouard Ducéré (1976). Dictionnaire historique de Bayonne (in French). Vol. II. Bayonne: Laffitte.

External links edit