- Saint-Pierre Church
Saint-Pierre Church or "église Saint-Pierre", is a church in the centre of
Caen ,France .The actual church's construction lasted from early 13th to 16th centuries. The
spire was destroyed in 1944, and has since been rebuilt.Located right in the center of town, a stone's throw from the Aubanel printing museum, the Place Saint Pierre, cobbled with shingle stones, is the church square for the parish church that bears the same name. Saint-Pierre had been rebuilt in 1385, thanks to a donation from the Cardinal Pierre de Près. Unfortunately we cannot enter and admire the panelling, the altarpiece, the pulpit or the paintings, one of which is the "Adoration of the Shepherds" by Simon de Chalons. But its façade, in flamboyant Provençal Gothic, is the most embellished of all of Avignon's churches and its doors alone merit a look.The DoorsIn solid walnut, 4 metres high, they open into the only nave of the church. The pier that separates the two doors has a remarkable sculpted canopy under which stands a lovely virgin with child attributed to Jean Péru.
Michel Lopis, a rich merchant, paid for the doors of Saint-Pierre. Antoine Volard, "woodworker", a native of the Dauphiné, was hired to build them, for "60 gold crowns with the king's hallmark ".
Each leaf of the doors has two porticos, with figures in relief under an arch in three dimensions.
The left leafSt Gerome and St Julien The right leafthe Virgin and the Angel of the Annunciation
Each impost is also richly decorated with fruit baskets and putti.
External links
* [http://www.ville-caen.fr/Infos_mairie/projets/stPierre/ Saint-Pierre Church history] fr icon
* [http://mishami.image.pbase.com/v3/88/431488/1/49695794.CaenCathedral.jpgÉglise Saint Pierre]
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