Maguelone Cathedral

Maguelone Cathedrale
Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Maguelone
Maguelone Cathedrale
43°31′00″N 3°53′31″E / 43.516689°N 03.891907°E / 43.516689; 03.891907
CountryFrance
DenominationRoman Catholic Church
Previous denominationHérault, Languedoc-Roussillon
Websitewww.compagnons-de-maguelone.org
History
StatusCathedral
DedicationSt Peter and St Paul
Consecrated1054
Architecture
Functional statusPreserved
Heritage designationMonument historique
Designated1840
Architectural typeChurch
StyleRomanesque, Gothic
Closed1632
Administration
DioceseMaguelone (until 1563)
Montpellier

Maguelone Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Maguelone ; Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Maguelone) is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral located around 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Montpellier in the Hérault department of southern France. The building stands on an isthmus between the Étang de l'Arnel lake and the Mediterranean Sea in the Gulf of Lion, which was once the site of the original city of Maguelone, opposite the present-day town of Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone.

Maguelone Cathedral was once the episcopal seat of the former Bishop of Maguelone until 1563, when the see was transferred to the newly created Bishopric of Montpellier. The cathedral, constructed when the see was returned here in the 11th century from Substantion by Bishop Arnaud (1030-1060), is a Romanesque fortified building. Although parts, such as the towers, have been demolished, the main body of the building remains functional and is a registered national monument. It is run by a dedicated preservation society, les Compagnons de Maguelone, and is used for both religious and secular purposes.