Cathédrale Saint-Castor

The Cathédrale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Castor, usually called Saint-Castor (it was first dedicated to the Virgin as Sainte Marie, and later became Notre Dame), is the cathedral of Nîmes. It stands on the Place aux Herbes, in the old centre not far from the Maison Carrée and the Arènes de Nîmes, and it is a quieter, more modest monument than the great Roman buildings that draw most visitors. Its consecration is dated to 1096, and the dedication to Saint Castor, a bishop of the region, was added later, after the French Revolution.

The building has a complicated history, and most of what stands is the product of rebuilding. Wars of Religion in the sixteenth century hit Nîmes hard because the city had a large Protestant population. In September 1567 came the episode known as the Michelade, a day of violence in which Catholics were massacred and churches attacked, and the cathedral lost much of its structure and the bell tower was targeted. The nave was rebuilt in the seventeenth century, and in the nineteenth century the architect Henri Revoil carried out a restoration that gave the interior and facade the form seen today.

What survives from the medieval period is the most interesting part. The Romanesque west front keeps a long carved frieze of biblical scenes, thought to be among the notable examples of twelfth-century sculpture in the south of France, and a section of the old bell tower still stands. The frieze is easiest to read in the morning, when the light falls across it. Inside, the cathedral holds a Gallo-Roman marble sarcophagus, a reminder that Nîmes was an important Roman city, and 17th-century organs. The tomb of Bishop Cohon, one of the bishops of Nîmes in the seventeenth century, is among its monuments, and paintings by regional artists decorate the chapels.

The cathedral is usually open on most days, with a midday closure, and entry is free, which makes it a comfortable stop of fifteen to thirty minutes. It is still a place of worship, so quiet and modest dress are appropriate during services.

A visit pairs naturally with a walk through the old town, whose narrow streets, squares and small shops lie around the cathedral. The Musée de la Romanité, with its collection from the Roman era, and the Jardin de la Fontaine are within a short walk, and visitors interested in the layers of Nîmes' history will find the cathedral a useful counterpoint to the ancient monuments. It is a quiet reminder of Nîmes’ religious past.