The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption of Montauban in the Tarn-et-Garonne, was built from 1692 to 1739, the year of his consecration.
It was Louis XIV who decided it was built to symbolize the triumph of the Catholic religion in a city that was a stronghold of Protestantism.
City blocks were razed before laying the foundation stone for the cathedral is located on the highest point of Montauban.
Classical style designed by architects Francis of Orbay, Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Robert de Cotte, the cathedral detonates its materials (stone while most of downtown's red brick) and its imposing facade "west" framed by two towers, which is adorned with a colonnade with statues.
As for the central portal, it is the highest in Europe, notably higher than that of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Inside, well lit by tall windows, a cupola can be seen on pendants and especially rich furnishings, including stalls made of the eighteenth century, an organ in walnut carved seventeenth, canopy Napoleon III or a beautifully carved pulpit.
One of the major paintings by Ingres, "The Vow of Louis XIII" is visible in the north transept.
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