Sospel Cathedral
Encyclopedia
Sospel Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the town of Sospel
, France
.
It was formerly the seat of the Bishopric of Sospel, created in 1378 from the Diocese of Ventimiglia during the Great Schism
and abolished under the Concordat of 1801
. It is now in the Diocese of Nice.
Apart from a belltower of either the 11th or the 13th century, from the Lombard
period of Sospel's history, the cathedral was built between 1642 and 1762, and is claimed to be the largest building in the Alpes-Maritimes
http://www.villaamiel.com/images/SecretSospel.pdf. The Renaissance
façade is from 1642, and contains in two niches the statues of the town's protectors, Saint Hippolytus
and Saint Absende. Inside, the principal feature is the altarpiece
in carved wood in three panels, containing the figure of the "Immaculate Virgin of Sospel". It is by the artist François Brea, of a family of artists from Nice
, from the 15th or early 16th century.
Sospel
Sospel is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France near the Italian border and not far from Monte Carlo.-History:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It was formerly the seat of the Bishopric of Sospel, created in 1378 from the Diocese of Ventimiglia during the Great Schism
Western Schism
The Western Schism or Papal Schism was a split within the Catholic Church from 1378 to 1417. Two men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope. Driven by politics rather than any theological disagreement, the schism was ended by the Council of Constance . The simultaneous claims to the papal chair...
and abolished under the Concordat of 1801
Concordat of 1801
The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII, signed on 15 July 1801. It solidified the Roman Catholic Church as the majority church of France and brought back most of its civil status....
. It is now in the Diocese of Nice.
Apart from a belltower of either the 11th or the 13th century, from the Lombard
Lombard League
The Lombard League was an alliance formed around 1167, which at its apex included most of the cities of northern Italy , including, among others, Crema, Cremona, Mantua, Piacenza, Bergamo, Brescia, Milan, Genoa, Bologna, Padua, Modena, Reggio Emilia, Treviso, Venice, Vercelli, Vicenza, Verona,...
period of Sospel's history, the cathedral was built between 1642 and 1762, and is claimed to be the largest building in the Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes is a department in the extreme southeast corner of France.- History : was created by Octavian as a Roman military district in 14 BC, and became a full Roman province in the middle of the 1st century with its capital first at Cemenelum and subsequently at Embrun...
http://www.villaamiel.com/images/SecretSospel.pdf. The Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
façade is from 1642, and contains in two niches the statues of the town's protectors, Saint Hippolytus
Saint Hippolytus
Saint Hippolytus is usually understood to mean Hippolytus of Rome, a Roman priest celebrated in a common feast with Pope Pontian on 13 August as having both won the martyr's crown after being exiled to Sardinia after a period in which the priest had opposed the pope.Most, if not all, of what appear...
and Saint Absende. Inside, the principal feature is the altarpiece
Altarpiece
An altarpiece is a picture or relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the altar of a church. The altarpiece is often made up of two or more separate panels created using a technique known as panel painting. It is then called a diptych, triptych or polyptych for two,...
in carved wood in three panels, containing the figure of the "Immaculate Virgin of Sospel". It is by the artist François Brea, of a family of artists from Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, from the 15th or early 16th century.