Nevers Cathedral

Nevers Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Cyr-et-Sainte-Julitte de Nevers) is a Roman Catholic church located in the town of Nevers, Nièvre, France, and dedicated to Saints Cyricus and Julitta. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Nevers. It is a national monument. The cathedral was designated a basilica in the mid-19th century.

History
Nevers was one of the pilgrimage sites on route to Santiago de Compostela. The original cathedral was dedicated to Saints Gervasius and Protasius before being rebuilt in the early ninth century by Bishop Jerome. The present cathedral is a combination of two buildings, and possesses two apses. The apse and transept at the west end are the remains of a Romanesque church, built in the 11th century, on the Carolingian foundations.

Architecture
After the building suffered a series of fires in the 13th century, the Gothic nave and eastern apse were added to the still standing Romanesque parts. There is no transept at the eastern end. The lateral portal on the south side belongs to the late 15th century; the massive and elaborately decorated Bohier tower which rises beside it to the early 16th century. The gothic nave and chevet were seriously damaged by bombing in July 1944 but later restored.

The cathedral preserves a polychrome oak triumphal cross dating from about 1200. The cross bears a Christus carved in walnut. At each end are medallions with symbols representing the four evangelists.

Burials

 * Yolande II, Countess of Nevers
 * Henriette of Cleves