The episcopal group of Fréjus constitutes a set of four exceptional monuments.
The cathedral marks the entry of the bishopric into the region in 374 and since then it has continued to change over time.
The cathedral marks the entry of the bishopric into the region in 374 and since then it has continued to change over time.
SAINT-LÉONCE CATHEDRAL
The cathedral, dominating the landscape of the old town, is one of the many monuments of Fréjus classified as Historic Monuments since 1862.
The first cathedral dedicated to the Virgin and Saint Leontius (Bishop of Fréjus 400? – 433), traces of which can be seen in the large medieval nave, was perhaps built on an ancient temple or under the Roman basilica as early as the XNUMXth century AD.
During the early Middle Ages, from the 11th century, another church was added to the north, against the previous one. This second church was parallel and contiguous to the first but also smaller. Lengthened in the 12th century, it then became the parish church, today the Saint-Etienne nave.
At that time the parish cemetery adjoined the north of this church: it was one of the first examples of a cemetery in a town in southern Gaul.
We can speak of a "double church", quite common for such monuments throughout Christendom.
The beginning of the 13th century saw a significant monumental enrichment. The Notre-Dame nave was completely rebuilt. To the west were built the piers, designed to support the bell tower located in the axis of the nave. To the east the footprint of the nave was extended by an apse, in a cul-de-four, surmounted by a tower open at the throat, similar to that of the city wall, affirming for the building a fortified aspect, and thus giving it a character rare in all Mediterranean architecture. This somewhat military aspect of the whole represents the expression of the military and temporal power exercised by the clergy.
The bell tower, restored after the Second World War, actually dates from the 13th century for its lower part and from the 16th century for the octagonal drum and the spire made of varnished "malons" from Provence. The green and ochre colors of the malons in contact with the light give the bell tower sumptuous golden reflections.
The construction in 1530 of the new entrance to the cathedral, which houses very beautiful carved wooden coffered doors, led to the removal of the old entrance which opened onto the cloister.
It gave way to the development of the tombs of 2 bishops, Mgr Barthélemy and Pierre de Camelin, development which presents two statues commissioned from a Genoese workshop. In the Saint-Etienne nave is the baroque high altar attributed to Dominique Fossati, a Marseille marble worker of the XNUMXth century.
Inside, a type of ribbed vault called "Lombard" comes straight from Lombardy (Italy) and covers the nave. In addition, the walnut woodwork stalls in the apse date from 1441. They are attributed to the Toulon sculptor Jean Flamenc.
The current organ case was built in 1991 by Pascal Quoirin in Saint-Didier in Vaucluse, and is inspired by Italian organs from the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries.
The sacristy, which already existed there in the 12th century, is covered with walnut paneling in the Louis XV style (18th century). The slate lintel above the door is carved with the coat of arms of the provost Georges Fenilis.
Finally, the altarpiece of Saint Margaret is a religious painting from the end of the Middle Ages, supported by an assembly of wooden panels. Painted in tempera, the pictorial technique consists of grinding the colors with water and then diluting (or distempering) them with warm hide glue or gum.
In the international Gothic style, the altarpiece of Saint Margaret (1454) is the work of Jacques Durandi (around 1410 – 1469), precursor of Louis Brea, Master of the primitive school of Nice. The altarpiece of Fréjus, bearing the name of the sponsor (Antoine Boneti, beneficiary) and the painter, is the only work that can be recognized with certainty as Jacques Durandi.
THE BAPTISTRY
Baptistery: baptisterium in Latin – “basin for cold baths”
The Early Christian Baptistery of Fréjus – (Listed as a Historic Monument in 1908) was built at the end of the XNUMXth or beginning of the XNUMXth century. The state of preservation of this baptistery is remarkable. Up to the level of the high windows, the structure is original. The walls are made of wine-coloured sandstone and green sandstone from the Esterel Massif, as well as bricks, mainly decorative.
As early as 374, during the Council of Valencia, a bishop was appointed for Fréjus, which proves that a significant religious community was established here, making Fréjus the oldest bishopric in the Var and the second after Lyon in France.
Baptism is a rite of passage, which explains why the baptistery is almost always a separate monument. Often octagonal, like that of Fréjus or the Lateran Baptistery in Rome, the first construction expressly dedicated to this function. It shows the seven days of the week (and of the creation of the world) plus the day of the resurrection and eternal life (mystical arithmology of the resurrection of which baptism is the anticipated symbol).
Catholics did not yet baptize newborns in the 313th century. Indeed, at that time only adults received the sacrament of baptism, in order to erase all their sins, at Easter. Since they could only be forgiven once, believers waited a long time before being baptized, as was the case for the Emperor Constantine (who granted freedom of worship by the Edict of Milan in XNUMX).
It was in the Middle Ages that infant baptism became a custom.
The ceremony follows the ritual we know today, immersion, a symbolic gesture representing the absolution of sins and the birth of a new child of God.
The baptistery is decorated with granite columns that are believed to have come from ancient reuses. Five of these columns come from the Gigri Dag Massif, near the Turkish city of Ezine, (Troad granite). This is a particular granite with very beautiful dark spots, rich in black mica. Each column supports a capital in Carrara marble or Asia Minor marble (Proconnese, current Marmara Island), six of which come from Roman reuses from the 3rd and 4th centuries, only two having been sculpted in the 5th century.
The large main entrance to the baptistery dates from the 1530th century, certainly during the construction of the new entrance porch of the Episcopal Group in 1698. The current state, door and gate, date from the 1715th century, we owe them to the bishop of Fleury, bishop of Fréjus from XNUMX to XNUMX.
Its dome was restored (1922 – 1931) by Jules-Camille Formigé, chief architect of Historic Monuments, responsible for Provence from 1920.
THE CLOISTER OF FRÉJUS
The canons surrounded and assisted the bishop. With a provost at their head, they formed the Chapter. The first mention of a Chapter in Fréjus dates back to 1038. Until the beginning of the 12th century, the Chapter of Fréjus, composed of XNUMX canons and led by a provost, remained under the close supervision of the bishop, whose income and accommodation it shared. After disagreements, an arbitration separated the assets of the two partners. It was after this that the canons chose to settle to the north of the cathedral and it was at this time that the Cloister galleries were built. It served as a forecourt for the Cathedral. In the eastern wall of the gallery we can see the trace of the medieval door of the Cathedral; it is now walled up as well as the oculus above it.
On the ground floor, double marble columns receive the fall of the pointed arches. Carrara marble columns, carved from the old podium of the Amphitheatre, or marble columns from Genoa, a city that maintained intense commercial relations with Fréjus. These capitals present a simplified version of the classic Corinthian capital. To the south, a chapter house established above the vestibule of the Cathedral welcomed the canons during their deliberations.
A stone vault was planned to cover the galleries. Some traces of anchors are still visible. Certainly too heavy, it was replaced in the middle of the 1350th century (1246) by a larch frame, appreciated for its plasticity and reputed to be rot-proof, from the Boscodon forest in the Hautes-Alpes. Each of the caissons of this frame received a painted decoration. The presence of the fleur-de-lis, on one of the caissons, cannot be earlier than 1, the date on which Charles I of Anjou, brother of Saint-Louis, became Count of Provence. 1200 painted caissons in the 4 galleries of the Cloister were made. Currently 400 are still visible. The themes are varied: hybrid beings, monsters, Saints, busts, scenes from daily life, ecclesiastics... This ensemble is an exceptional example of painted decoration from the XNUMXth century, unique in a Cloister in France.
The Provost's house was located to the east of the Cloister, on the 1st floor. This western façade shows us a wall in rusticated stonework similar to that of the bell tower and chevet of the Cathedral. In the centre, a pointed arch door is sheltered by a stumping-hole, a sort of high opening which allowed stones to be thrown at the approaching enemy.
The upper floor, very mutilated, suffered greatly during the French Revolution. Sold as national property, the Cloister was then completely invaded by new constructions and was then classified as a Historic Monument in 1875. It was then that the Cloister and the old well, which overlooks an ancient Roman cistern, were restored by Jules-Camille Formigé, chief architect of Historic Monuments, between 1922 and 1931, as well as the double staircase leading to the upper floor.
The restoration of the roof of the east, west and south galleries gradually became essential to restore the monument's volume, but even more so to ensure the conservation of the painted decoration of its wooden ceiling. This work was carried out in 2008 according to the projects drawn up by the architect Francesco Flavigny.
THE EPISCOPAL PALACE
The first residence of the bishop was built to the south of the Cathedral in the 12th century. This episcopal residence underwent alterations in the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, which was required by the installation of a chapter of XNUMX canons with the bishop. The bishop remained alone after the separation from the canons and his residence became a real fortified castle.
Jacques Duèze (bishop from 1300 to 1329), future Pope John XXII, transformed the castle into a palace. The construction of the episcopal chapel dedicated to Saint Andrew dates from this period (first mention in 1303). It was restored in 1856 during the episcopate of Msg Jordany (bishop from 1855 to 1876) who left his coat of arms on the mosaic floor. The vault simulates a sky strewn with golden stars and is reminiscent of the ceiling of the Sainte Chapelle in Paris. It was listed as a Historic Monument in 1908.
The palace was abandoned by the Bishop of Fleury (bishop from 1699 to 1715), famous for having also been tutor and then minister of Louis XV.
From the archives of this period, which are very damaged, we have obtained a furniture inventory at the death of Msg de Castellane (bishop from 1715 to 1739), which dates from 1738 – 1740, which gives us a very precise description of the places.
On the ground floor we found: service function, carriage house, food warehouse, bakery, servants' rooms, laundry, prison (the bishop has his own court), stables and reserves.
The first floor, meanwhile, served the service rooms, kitchen and offices, the bread room, the servants' dining room, then at the front: the reception rooms and dining room, living room and bedrooms for the bishop's guests, for his court and for his secretary, latrine, the bishop's access to the cathedral (still visible in the last bay).
Accessing the 2nd floor, the bishop's private rooms were installed in the southwest corner as well as the bedrooms for his relatives. The chapel is still visible today, in the south wing, as well as a tower above.
Sold as national property during the revolution, the City of Fréjus bought it and returned it to the church after the restoration (1823). The Bishop of Richery (bishop from 1823 to 1829) opted for a radical renovation. Everything was destroyed except for the buildings to the east. Only a third of the original palace remained. It was the architect of the Var department, Lantoin, who drew up the plans for the new episcopal palace. After the separation of church and state in 1905, the City of Fréjus asked to recover its property, which was done and the palace officially became the town hall of Fréjus in 1912.
The bishopric of Fréjus – Toulon has been located in Toulon since 1958.
The cathedral, dominating the landscape of the old town, is one of the many monuments of Fréjus classified as Historic Monuments since 1862.
The first cathedral dedicated to the Virgin and Saint Leontius (Bishop of Fréjus 400? – 433), traces of which can be seen in the large medieval nave, was perhaps built on an ancient temple or under the Roman basilica as early as the XNUMXth century AD.
During the early Middle Ages, from the 11th century, another church was added to the north, against the previous one. This second church was parallel and contiguous to the first but also smaller. Lengthened in the 12th century, it then became the parish church, today the Saint-Etienne nave.
At that time the parish cemetery adjoined the north of this church: it was one of the first examples of a cemetery in a town in southern Gaul.
We can speak of a "double church", quite common for such monuments throughout Christendom.
The beginning of the 13th century saw a significant monumental enrichment. The Notre-Dame nave was completely rebuilt. To the west were built the piers, designed to support the bell tower located in the axis of the nave. To the east the footprint of the nave was extended by an apse, in a cul-de-four, surmounted by a tower open at the throat, similar to that of the city wall, affirming for the building a fortified aspect, and thus giving it a character rare in all Mediterranean architecture. This somewhat military aspect of the whole represents the expression of the military and temporal power exercised by the clergy.
The bell tower, restored after the Second World War, actually dates from the 13th century for its lower part and from the 16th century for the octagonal drum and the spire made of varnished "malons" from Provence. The green and ochre colors of the malons in contact with the light give the bell tower sumptuous golden reflections.
The construction in 1530 of the new entrance to the cathedral, which houses very beautiful carved wooden coffered doors, led to the removal of the old entrance which opened onto the cloister.
It gave way to the development of the tombs of 2 bishops, Mgr Barthélemy and Pierre de Camelin, development which presents two statues commissioned from a Genoese workshop. In the Saint-Etienne nave is the baroque high altar attributed to Dominique Fossati, a Marseille marble worker of the XNUMXth century.
Inside, a type of ribbed vault called "Lombard" comes straight from Lombardy (Italy) and covers the nave. In addition, the walnut woodwork stalls in the apse date from 1441. They are attributed to the Toulon sculptor Jean Flamenc.
The current organ case was built in 1991 by Pascal Quoirin in Saint-Didier in Vaucluse, and is inspired by Italian organs from the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries.
The sacristy, which already existed there in the 12th century, is covered with walnut paneling in the Louis XV style (18th century). The slate lintel above the door is carved with the coat of arms of the provost Georges Fenilis.
Finally, the altarpiece of Saint Margaret is a religious painting from the end of the Middle Ages, supported by an assembly of wooden panels. Painted in tempera, the pictorial technique consists of grinding the colors with water and then diluting (or distempering) them with warm hide glue or gum.
In the international Gothic style, the altarpiece of Saint Margaret (1454) is the work of Jacques Durandi (around 1410 – 1469), precursor of Louis Brea, Master of the primitive school of Nice. The altarpiece of Fréjus, bearing the name of the sponsor (Antoine Boneti, beneficiary) and the painter, is the only work that can be recognized with certainty as Jacques Durandi.
THE BAPTISTRY
Baptistery: baptisterium in Latin – “basin for cold baths”
The Early Christian Baptistery of Fréjus – (Listed as a Historic Monument in 1908) was built at the end of the XNUMXth or beginning of the XNUMXth century. The state of preservation of this baptistery is remarkable. Up to the level of the high windows, the structure is original. The walls are made of wine-coloured sandstone and green sandstone from the Esterel Massif, as well as bricks, mainly decorative.
As early as 374, during the Council of Valencia, a bishop was appointed for Fréjus, which proves that a significant religious community was established here, making Fréjus the oldest bishopric in the Var and the second after Lyon in France.
Baptism is a rite of passage, which explains why the baptistery is almost always a separate monument. Often octagonal, like that of Fréjus or the Lateran Baptistery in Rome, the first construction expressly dedicated to this function. It shows the seven days of the week (and of the creation of the world) plus the day of the resurrection and eternal life (mystical arithmology of the resurrection of which baptism is the anticipated symbol).
Catholics did not yet baptize newborns in the 313th century. Indeed, at that time only adults received the sacrament of baptism, in order to erase all their sins, at Easter. Since they could only be forgiven once, believers waited a long time before being baptized, as was the case for the Emperor Constantine (who granted freedom of worship by the Edict of Milan in XNUMX).
It was in the Middle Ages that infant baptism became a custom.
The ceremony follows the ritual we know today, immersion, a symbolic gesture representing the absolution of sins and the birth of a new child of God.
The baptistery is decorated with granite columns that are believed to have come from ancient reuses. Five of these columns come from the Gigri Dag Massif, near the Turkish city of Ezine, (Troad granite). This is a particular granite with very beautiful dark spots, rich in black mica. Each column supports a capital in Carrara marble or Asia Minor marble (Proconnese, current Marmara Island), six of which come from Roman reuses from the 3rd and 4th centuries, only two having been sculpted in the 5th century.
The large main entrance to the baptistery dates from the 1530th century, certainly during the construction of the new entrance porch of the Episcopal Group in 1698. The current state, door and gate, date from the 1715th century, we owe them to the bishop of Fleury, bishop of Fréjus from XNUMX to XNUMX.
Its dome was restored (1922 – 1931) by Jules-Camille Formigé, chief architect of Historic Monuments, responsible for Provence from 1920.
THE CLOISTER OF FRÉJUS
The canons surrounded and assisted the bishop. With a provost at their head, they formed the Chapter. The first mention of a Chapter in Fréjus dates back to 1038. Until the beginning of the 12th century, the Chapter of Fréjus, composed of XNUMX canons and led by a provost, remained under the close supervision of the bishop, whose income and accommodation it shared. After disagreements, an arbitration separated the assets of the two partners. It was after this that the canons chose to settle to the north of the cathedral and it was at this time that the Cloister galleries were built. It served as a forecourt for the Cathedral. In the eastern wall of the gallery we can see the trace of the medieval door of the Cathedral; it is now walled up as well as the oculus above it.
On the ground floor, double marble columns receive the fall of the pointed arches. Carrara marble columns, carved from the old podium of the Amphitheatre, or marble columns from Genoa, a city that maintained intense commercial relations with Fréjus. These capitals present a simplified version of the classic Corinthian capital. To the south, a chapter house established above the vestibule of the Cathedral welcomed the canons during their deliberations.
A stone vault was planned to cover the galleries. Some traces of anchors are still visible. Certainly too heavy, it was replaced in the middle of the 1350th century (1246) by a larch frame, appreciated for its plasticity and reputed to be rot-proof, from the Boscodon forest in the Hautes-Alpes. Each of the caissons of this frame received a painted decoration. The presence of the fleur-de-lis, on one of the caissons, cannot be earlier than 1, the date on which Charles I of Anjou, brother of Saint-Louis, became Count of Provence. 1200 painted caissons in the 4 galleries of the Cloister were made. Currently 400 are still visible. The themes are varied: hybrid beings, monsters, Saints, busts, scenes from daily life, ecclesiastics... This ensemble is an exceptional example of painted decoration from the XNUMXth century, unique in a Cloister in France.
The Provost's house was located to the east of the Cloister, on the 1st floor. This western façade shows us a wall in rusticated stonework similar to that of the bell tower and chevet of the Cathedral. In the centre, a pointed arch door is sheltered by a stumping-hole, a sort of high opening which allowed stones to be thrown at the approaching enemy.
The upper floor, very mutilated, suffered greatly during the French Revolution. Sold as national property, the Cloister was then completely invaded by new constructions and was then classified as a Historic Monument in 1875. It was then that the Cloister and the old well, which overlooks an ancient Roman cistern, were restored by Jules-Camille Formigé, chief architect of Historic Monuments, between 1922 and 1931, as well as the double staircase leading to the upper floor.
The restoration of the roof of the east, west and south galleries gradually became essential to restore the monument's volume, but even more so to ensure the conservation of the painted decoration of its wooden ceiling. This work was carried out in 2008 according to the projects drawn up by the architect Francesco Flavigny.
THE EPISCOPAL PALACE
The first residence of the bishop was built to the south of the Cathedral in the 12th century. This episcopal residence underwent alterations in the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, which was required by the installation of a chapter of XNUMX canons with the bishop. The bishop remained alone after the separation from the canons and his residence became a real fortified castle.
Jacques Duèze (bishop from 1300 to 1329), future Pope John XXII, transformed the castle into a palace. The construction of the episcopal chapel dedicated to Saint Andrew dates from this period (first mention in 1303). It was restored in 1856 during the episcopate of Msg Jordany (bishop from 1855 to 1876) who left his coat of arms on the mosaic floor. The vault simulates a sky strewn with golden stars and is reminiscent of the ceiling of the Sainte Chapelle in Paris. It was listed as a Historic Monument in 1908.
The palace was abandoned by the Bishop of Fleury (bishop from 1699 to 1715), famous for having also been tutor and then minister of Louis XV.
From the archives of this period, which are very damaged, we have obtained a furniture inventory at the death of Msg de Castellane (bishop from 1715 to 1739), which dates from 1738 – 1740, which gives us a very precise description of the places.
On the ground floor we found: service function, carriage house, food warehouse, bakery, servants' rooms, laundry, prison (the bishop has his own court), stables and reserves.
The first floor, meanwhile, served the service rooms, kitchen and offices, the bread room, the servants' dining room, then at the front: the reception rooms and dining room, living room and bedrooms for the bishop's guests, for his court and for his secretary, latrine, the bishop's access to the cathedral (still visible in the last bay).
Accessing the 2nd floor, the bishop's private rooms were installed in the southwest corner as well as the bedrooms for his relatives. The chapel is still visible today, in the south wing, as well as a tower above.
Sold as national property during the revolution, the City of Fréjus bought it and returned it to the church after the restoration (1823). The Bishop of Richery (bishop from 1823 to 1829) opted for a radical renovation. Everything was destroyed except for the buildings to the east. Only a third of the original palace remained. It was the architect of the Var department, Lantoin, who drew up the plans for the new episcopal palace. After the separation of church and state in 1905, the City of Fréjus asked to recover its property, which was done and the palace officially became the town hall of Fréjus in 1912.
The bishopric of Fréjus – Toulon has been located in Toulon since 1958.
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