Listen to thestoryof - Cahors

The Arc de Diane is a vestige of the Romanbaths of Cahors.This large section of the wall of an amphitheatrewas revealed during the construction of an undergroundcar park.The Cathedral of St. Etienne has two Romanesquecupolas.The frieze depicting Genesis dates from1270-1300.All around the townFrom the Arc de Diane to mediaeval houses, from the Valentré Bridge to the Cathedral,from the Jesuit College to early social housing, two thousand years of historyhave left their mark for visitors to see.1 18 Traces of antique DivonaAs there are no references or archivedocuments concerning Cahorsin antique times, ourknowledge of Divona's monumentsdepends on archaeology.The city's origin lies in the resurgentriver of Divona, Celtic goddessof subterranean waters. Theworship of Divona at this Vauclusianspring, now called the Fontainedes Chartreux, intensifiedafter the Romans founded the city,as witness the thousand Gallo-Roman coins found deep in thespring. The most impressive antiquevestige in terms of height is alarge masonry arch erroneouslycalled the "Arc de Diane" : it is infact part of the interior of the frigidarium,containing the cold poolof the Roman baths. Water wasbrought 33km by aqueduct fromsprings in the Vers valley, northeastof Cahors, and the bathscomplex covered an area of3000m2. Unlike the foundationsof a large circular temple discoverednear the hospital and coveredup again, the long stretch of amphitheatrewall uncovered duringthe Allées Fénelon archaeologicalexcavations is still visible. Thiswall, faced with small blocks ofdressed limestone with a solid rubbleinterior, must have run forover 100m east-west. A small vestigeof the Roman theatre is alsovisible beneath the Chamber ofAgriculture building opposite thestation. Fifty mosaics and objectssuch as a sarcophagus decoratedwith a hunting scene (conserved inthe Cahors Henri-Martin Museum)have also been excavatedfrom antique Divona.13 The cathedral complexTraditionally, the building of theearly Cathedral of St. Etienne andits ecclesiastical complex has beenattributed to the bishop St. Didierin the 7th C. Pope Calixtus IIconsecrated the Romanesque cathedral'stwo main altars in 1119.The nave, covered by two of thelargest cupolas in the South-West,gave on to an ambulatory with radiatingchapels. The tympanum ofthe north doorway, dating fromthe middle of the 12th C., showsthe Ascension of Christ and themartyrdom of St. Stephen(Etienne). In the 13th and 14th C.the Gothic style left its mark onthe east end, the massive westerntower and the chapel of St. Martin;and the cloister, along with thechapel of St. Gausbert, was rebuiltin the Flamboyant Gothic style,starting in 1493. Some importantvestiges of mediaeval wall paintinghave been conserved, such asthose in the western cupola andthe frieze depicting Genesis in thewestern tower. There are severalremarkable elements dating fromthe 17th and 18th C. such as thereredos of the Chapelle Profonde(late 17th C.) and the Canons'Gallery (1734). The apse wascompletely repainted in the 19thC. by Cyprien-Antoine Calmon,an artist from Cahors, at the sametime as the stained-glass windowswere installed.10 12 15 Cahors, a conservatoryof mediaeval housesThe wealth and variety of mediaevalbuildings in Cahors isconstantly being revealed as restorationwork is undertaken in the 30hectares of the Conservation Sector.