© OT Orange
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Orange Cathedral
The cathedral of our lady of Nazareth
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Sights & sites
The cathedral of our lady of Nazareth, or Notre Dame de Nazareth, lies in the centre of Orange not far from the river.
The outside of the cathedral is quite plain, but inside you'll find some really lovely stained glass windows and beautifully painted walls, gilded arches and columns.
The cathedral dates from the fourth century.
During the French revolution 32 nuns were martyred here by guillotine, as they refused to sign an oath of allegiance to the leaders of the Revolution.
Each of them now has a different feast day to remember them by and you can find a painting of the nuns on the south west wall of the cathedral.
Visitor comments
- "This church is slowly being restored. It has beautiful stained glass windows and striking frontal section. However, a most interesting and often missed painting can be seen here on the far southwestern wall. It is a painting of the nuns who were martyred in Orange. The painting seems to have been truncated on its' right side. You can see nuns approaching a set of steps going up to a tall wooden structure. Perhaps the town's people thought it too terrifying to show the guillotine. A short paragraph (in French) explains the event but by Googling "Martyrs of Orange" you can read the whole sad story in English" - Trip Advisor
- "The Cathedral is not easy identified as it has been built into centuries-old streetscape, but once you find it, go and visit. It is a place of worship still and, during the 16th century, was taken over by Calvinists before the Catholic church resumed its control. The ceilings, high windows and wall paintings have suffered over time but show a different style of major church to the later Gothic styles. Worth visiting for worship and history." - Trip Advisor
- "An interesting, if strange building. As an organ enthusiast, I was disappointed to find that it did not have an organ.." - Trip Advisor
