Cathedral
of St André
In the south of the old town is the Cathedral of St André, which is
comparable in size with Notre-Dame in Paris. The nave, built in the 12th
C, was altered in the 13th and 15th centuries; the choir and transepts
date from the 14th century. The west front is plain, since it was too
close to the town walls. The finest feature of the exterior is the north
doorway, richly decorated with sculpture (Last Supper, Ascension, Christ
in Majesty) and flanked by two tall towers.
Also on the north side is the Porte Royale, with fine 13th century
sculptural decoration (five figures of Apostles on each side of the
doorway, Resurrection of the Dead on the lintel, Last Judgment in the
tympanum).
Opposite the west front of the cathedral is the former Archbishop's Palace
(18th C), now the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall), with a handsome staircase
hall and finely appointed rooms.
Place
de la Bourse
In Bordeaux, on the banks of the Garonne, is the Place de la Bourse, built
between 1730 and 1755 by members of the Gabriel family of architects. The
square is flanked by two pavilion-like buildings, the Bourse (Stock
Exchange) and the Musée des Douanes (Customs Museum: history of the port
of Bordeaux, with ship models and nautical instruments, etc. In the center
of the square is the Fountain of the Three Graces.
Pont
de Pierre
The 486m/530yd long Pont de Pierre (1813-1821) spans the Garonne with its
17 arches. At its west end is the 18th C Porte de Bourgogne or Porte des
Salinières. Still farther west is the Grosse Cloche, a gate tower of the
13th and 15th centuries.
Saint-Seurin Basilica
In Bordeaux, some 500m/550yd south of the Palais Gallien is the church of
St-Seurin (12th-15th C; facade 19th C). On the south side, under a
protective porch, is a doorway (13th-14th C) richly decorated with statues.
The entrance to the church is on the west front, which has an 11th C porch
preserved from an earlier building. In the choir are a stone abbot's
throne and fine stalls, both dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. The
left-hand choir chapel has a large Late Gothic reredos with 12 alabaster
reliefs and a 14th century Virgin. In the 11th C crypt are reliquaries and
sarcophagi of the sixth and seventh centuries. Pont de Pierre
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Cathedral
of St André
Place
de la Bourse
Pont
de Pierre
