The Cathedral of Our Lady, also known as Notre-Dame de Tournai in French and Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Doornik in Dutch, is a Roman Catholic cathedral and the main church of the Diocese of Tournai in Tournai, Belgium. It was named a major heritage site in Wallonia in 1936. It became a World Heritage Site in 2000.
History
Tournai Cathedral was the center of a religious area called a diocese since the late 6th century. The cathedral, made of blue-gray stone, is built on high ground near the south side of the Scheldt River, which splits the city of Tournai into two nearly equal parts. Construction began in the 12th century on older foundations, and the building includes work from three different design periods. The heavy, serious style of the Romanesque nave contrasts strongly with the transitional design of the transept and the fully Gothic style of the choir. The transept is the most unique part of the cathedral, featuring five bell towers and semicircular ends.
The nave was mostly built in the early 12th century. It shows early signs of the Gothic style, with a second-tier gallery between the ground-level arches and the upper section called the triforium. Pillars between the round-arched windows in the upper part of the nave help support the 18th-century vaulting, which replaced the original wooden ceiling.
The transept arms, built around the middle of the 12th century, have semicircular ends, a design likely inspired by churches in the Rhine region. This style influenced areas in northern France, such as Noyon and Soissons. The square towers next to the transept arms are 83 meters (about 272 feet) tall. These towers have different details, with some parts showing round arches and others showing pointed arches.
In the 13th century, Bishop Gautier de Marvis had the earlier Romanesque choir removed to replace it with a larger Gothic choir, modeled after Amiens Cathedral. Construction of the new choir started in 1242 and finished in 1255. Although plans existed to rebuild the rest of the cathedral in the same Gothic style, these plans were never carried out. Later additions included a western entrance and a large Gothic chapel built next to one of the side aisles, which caused the original walls and windows of that area to disappear.
The rood screen, a Renaissance masterpiece by Flemish sculptor Cornelis Floris, was created in 1573. The stained-glass windows were made by Arnold of Nijmegen in 1507.
In August 1999, a strong tornado damaged the cathedral. Inspections found serious structural issues, and the cathedral has been undergoing major repairs and archaeological studies since then. The Brunin Tower was stabilized in 2003.
In 2000, UNESCO recognized the cultural importance of Tournai Cathedral by designating it a World Heritage Site.
Bells
Tournai Cathedral has five bells named Marc, Marie-Nicolas, Marie-Étienne, Marie-Gasparine (also called Marie-Pontoise by Tournaisians), and Catherine. Marie-Gasparine and Marie-Étienne are called bourdon bells because they make deep sounds. Marie-Gasparine is the largest of the five bells. It was made in 1843 and weighs 9 tons.
Gallery
- An aerial view of the structure
- The nave, which is the main part of the church, facing the choir
- A reconstruction showing the original Romanesque choir (front) and two towers that were never built (back)
- A floor plan of the building
- A painting about souls in purgatory by Rubens, created around 1635
- A rose window designed by Benvignat and Capronier in the 1800s and a pipe organ made by Ducroquet in 1854
- Stained-glass windows