Bayeux Cathedral

Cathedral of Our Lady of Bayeux
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux
Cathedral of Our Lady of Bayeux; Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux
	Bayeux Cathedral
Basic information
Location	Bayeux, France
Geographic coordinates	49°16′32″N 0°42′12″W / 49.27556°N 0.70333°WCoordinates: 49°16′32″N 0°42′12″W / 49.27556°N 0.70333°W
Affiliation	Roman Catholic Church
Rite	Roman
District	Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Cathedral
Architectural description
Architectural type	Church
Architectural style	Norman-Romanesque

UBI HAROLD SACRAMENTUM FECIT WILLELMO DUCI (Where Harold made an oath to Duke William). This scene, which is stated in the previous scene on the Tapestry to have taken place at Bagia (Bayeux, probably in Bayeux Cathedral), shows Harold touching two altars with the enthroned Duke looking on and is central to the Norman Conquest of England. (Bayeux Tapestry)

Bayeux Cathedral, also known as Cathedral of Our Lady of Bayeux (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux), is a Roman Catholic church located in the town of Bayeux in Normandy, France. A national monument, it is the seat of the Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux and was the original home of the Bayeux Tapestry. The cathedral is in the Norman-Romanesque architectural tradition.

The site is an ancient one and was once occupied by Roman sanctuaries. The present cathedral was consecrated on 14 July 1077 in the presence of William, Duke of Normandy and King of England. It was here that William forced Harold Godwinson to take the oath, the breaking of which led to the Norman conquest of England.

Architecture[edit]

Following serious damage to the Cathedral in the 12th Century, the Cathedral was rebuilt in the Gothic style which is most notable in the crossing tower, transepts and east end. However, despite the crossing tower having been started in the 15th Century, it was not completed until the 19th Century.