Ancien grand Séminaire

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

The old grand seminary comprises the chapel of Saint-Jean l'Evangéliste as well as the gallery forming a cloister, leaning against the cathedral. This gallery formed a quadrilateral of which only three sides remain, the west side having been demolished in 1826 for the enlargement of the seminary. These enclosure walls of the old cemetery of Saint-Jean comprise an uninterrupted succession of juxtaposed arcatures each of which is a tomb. These arcatures form niches and contain most interesting Latin or Romanesque inscriptions. The tombs date from the mid-14th century and present a unique arrangement in France. This gallery gives access to the spiral staircase which serves the roofs of the cathedral, to the chapter house as well as to all the dependencies situated to the north and east of the monument. The chapel, called La Funeraria, opens onto the east gallery of the cloister. It was completed around 1396. It is a building with a single nave, without lateral chapels, vaulted with ribs, with corbels adorned with foliage and human heads. Its name of Funeraria comes from the Spanish custom according to which the deceased were placed in their coffins there for one night before being put in the tomb.