Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux - Cathédrale Notre-Dame

This was the center of the former diocese, founded by the legendary Saint Restitut, who had travelled to France with the "Three Marys". Two of his successors were Saint Torquatus and Saint Paul, after whom the town later was named. A church was erected over their tombs. A cathedral dedicated to the Virgin and Saint Paul that existed mid 9th century (and sometimes connected to Charlemagne) got destroyed when the Saracen and in the 920s Hungarian troops raided the area.

The cathedral, seen here, was erected from 1120 on. Around 1180 the nave was completed, it was consecrated in the early 13th century. Severely damaged during the Wars of Religions it lost the importance, when after the Concordat of 1801 the long history of the "Diocese of Tricastin" ended. Since then the cathedral serves the parish.

Jean-Maurice Rouquette ("Provence Romane") describes this cathedral as the "perfect example" for the "art roman provençal", the specific style of Romanesque architecture that developed in this region.

When during the late 19th century the altar was moved out of the apse and the old floor level was excavated this mosaic was found. In 1999 a second part was found. Though most details were destroyed some parts can be preserved and are now displayed.

The center part depicts JERUSALEM.

Now this may well be the "Heavenly Jerusalem", the biblical "New Jerusalem", but there is as well a theory, that this is a picture of the "real Jerusalem".

The apse was built 1120/1150. Since 638 Jerusalem was under Muslim control. In 1095 Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus requested military support against the Seljuk Turks.

Following that Pope Urban II hold a speech on November 27 1095 during the Council of Clermont. This speech was the starting point of the First Crusade. From then on armies of crusaders walked down the valley of the Rhone - and passed through this area.

This mosaic may have shown them - like a banner - where they all were heading to.

In case this theory is right - the large church can only be the "Church of the Holy Sepulchre" founded by Constantine the Great and completed in 335. It got severely damaged in the early 11th century but rebuilt some decades later. The "Church of the Holy Sepulchre" was taken by the crusaders on 15 July 1099.

No crusader could consider his "pilgimage" complete unless he had prayed as a pilgrim at the Holy Sepulchre. So this had a highly symbolic value.