Antibes Cathedral

About

Notre-Dame-de-l'Immaculée-Conception Cathedral (or Notre-Dame-de-la-Platea Cathedral) is the oldest cathedral in the diocese of Antibes and the largest church in the city of Antibes, in the Alpes-Maritimes in France. Its 18th century doors are the work of the anti-wood sculptor Joseph Dolle.

History: Antibes was the seat of a bishopric from the fifth century until 1244, when the episcopal seat was transferred to Grasse. The first bishop was Saint Armentaire (or Hermantaire), monk of the abbey of Lérins, appointed by Pope Saint Leo the Great, and is quoted at the council of Vaison in 442. He built the first cathedral he dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It seems to have undergone many changes until the Carolingian era. The excavations under the Holy Spirit Chapel identified a Paleo-Christian church dating back to the fifth century. According to popular belief, the Cathedral of Antibes was built on the foundations of a temple dedicated to Diane and Minerva. In late antiquity, the cathedral consists of a double church. A buckwheat incursion is attested in 1124, however it does not seem to have led to the destruction of...