Issue No. 25

Auch
Auch, the capital city of the Gers, was the
birthplace of the musketeer D’Artagnan,
made famous by Alexander Dumas in The
Three Musketeers, immortalised on film and
still a symbol of loyalty, military prowess and
honour. You’ll find his statue on the Grand
Escaliers, the monumental limestone staircase
which links the lower and upper towns.
At the top of the stairs is the Cathedral of
Notre-Dame. On the Route of St James, it
was the last stop before the Pyrénées for
pilgrims on their way to Spain.
Building began in the Gothic style in 1489
and continued until 1678 by which time
more of a Renaissance style took over. The
stained glass windows created in the 1500s
are extraordinary. Designed by Arnaut de
Moles (born around 1465), these are not your
average religious windows but feature
unusual topics such as the Greek Sybilles who
are shown presenting the coming of Christ –
and even more unusually there are naked
bodies galore. The colours are pure and fresh,
vibrant as the day they were made with glass
from Paris, transported by horse and cart,
each pane of glass sealed in wax to prevent
breakage.
Unusually there are two organs in the
cathedral, the original enormous organ was
built in 1694. A smaller organ takes centre
stage. Donated by Napoleon III as thanks for
the Archbishop being his wife’s confessor in
Paris. The locals say it’s hard to say no to the
gift of an emperor even though they prefer
the original.