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Saint-Pierre
de
Poitiers
Cathedral
is
a
Roman
Catholic
cathedral
located
in
Poitiers,
in
the
Vienne
department
and
the
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
region.
It
is
the
seat
of
the
archdiocese
of
Poitiers.
In
addition
to
its
title
of
archiepiscopal
church,
it
has
had
the
rank
of
minor
basilica
since
March
1,
1912.
Less
well
known
than
the
Notre-Dame-la-Grande
church,
this
immense
stone
vessel
is
nevertheless
the
largest
religious
building
in
the
city
and
a
landmark
visible
from
afar
in
the
urban
landscape.
Built
on
the
initiative
of
Eleanor
of
Aquitaine
and
Henry
II
Plantagenêt
from
1160,
consecrated
in
1379,
it
is
in
the
Angevin
Gothic
style
(use
of
curved
vaults
on
a
square
plan)
and
is
similar
to
the
hall
churches
by
its
division
into
three
vessels
of
almost
equal
height.
The
façade,
flanked
by
two
unfinished
towers,
borrows
elements
from
the
stylistic
grammar
of
northern
France.
The
interior
preserves
stalls
from
the
13th
century
and
a
collection
of
historiated
stained-glass
windows
dating
from
the
12th
and
13th
centuries,
including
a
Crucifixion,
one
of
the
peaks
of
French
medieval
stained
glass
art.
The
current
cathedral
was
begun
in
the
second
half
of
the
twelfth
century,
around
1162
according
to
Abbé
Auber;
it
was
financed
by
the
bishop
and
the
cathedral
chapter
but
also
perhaps
by
the
Duchess
of
Aquitaine,
Eleanor
of
Aquitaine
(1122-1204),
and
her
husband
Henry
II
of
England
Plantagenêt
(1133-1189),
as
by
all
the
faithful.
The
construction
was
long
because
the
church
was
not
definitively
consecrated
until
October
17,
1379.
The
construction
was
carried
out
in
seven
successive
campaigns.
They
did
not
follow
a
predefined
plan,
which
explains
many
repentances
and
resumptions
during
the
construction
site.
Indeed,
the
initial
party,
an
Angevin
Gothic
with
curved
vaults,
appeared
more
and
more
archaic
as
the
work
lengthened.
The
desire
to
build
up
to
date
clashed
with
the
constructive
choices
made
during
previous
work.
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