Saint-Corentin Cathedral

The Saint-Corentin cathedral

The Quimper audio-guided tour leads you to the Saint-Corentin cathedral, the landmark of the city and a Gothic jewel of Old Quimper.

Six centuries of construction

The beginnings of the cathedral go back to 1239, when bishop Raynaud launched the construction of the present building on the foundations of an earlier religious site, taking inspiration from the Gothic constructions of the Île-de-France. The project, of great scale, extended over six centuries. The choir, begun in 1240, was only completed in 1410, delayed by events such as the War of Succession of Brittany and the epidemic of the Black Death in the fourteenth century, a painful ordeal that should be evoked with gravity. The rest of the works was faster, and the spires, added in the nineteenth century, were the work of the architect Joseph Bigot. The cathedral remains the emblematic building of Quimper.

What there is to see

The Saint-Corentin cathedral invites contemplation through the elan of its Gothic vaults, its stained-glass windows and its two spires that dominate Old Quimper. A witness of six centuries of history and the fervour of the people of Quimper, it is the spiritual and heritage heart of the city. An essential monument, to be discovered with respect.

Practical information

The Saint-Corentin cathedral is in the heart of Old Quimper, on the square of the same name. A place of worship, it can be visited with respect for the services, according to opening hours to be checked on site.

When was the Saint-Corentin cathedral begun?

In 1239, under bishop Raynaud; its construction extended over six centuries, up to the spires of the nineteenth century.

Who created the spires of the cathedral?

The architect Joseph Bigot, in the nineteenth century, also designer of the palace of the Museum of Fine Arts.