Re: Re: reorganisation and destruction of irish catholic churches

Re Roodscreens in greater French churches.

The greatest is at the Cathedral of Albi, which retains not only its Flamboyant Gothic roodsreen but also a complete choir enclosure en suite with it.

The Cathedral at St Bernard-des-Comminges retains a wood first French Renaissance screen and stalls.

The Cathedral at Limsoges retains its early Renaissance stone roodscreen/jube but it has been repositioned to form a quasi gallery at the western end by the 18th century clergy.

The Cathedral of Rodez has a beautiful pure Flamboyant jube repositioned in one transept; there was some talk, years ago, about reinstalling it in the proper place at the entrance to the choir.

Although not a cathedral, the church of St Etienne du Mont in Paris has an extraordinary cantilivered arch jube designed by de Lorme, I think.

The Madeleine at Troyes has a very beautiful Flamboyant jube seemingly suspended by an anti gravity device.

There are also quite a few in the parish churches of Britanny, which have been left more in tact and unmolested than elswhere in France.

Most were destroyed by the clergy more with an eye to prevailing fashion than pastoral care, some had been got at in the Wars of Religion by the blinkered iconoclasts, the Hugenots, and the rest were done for at the bloody revolution.