Le Mans Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Saint-Julien du Mans) is a cathedral in the French city of Le Mans, consisting of a Romanesque nave and a Gothic choir. Thanks mainly to its Gothic choir, the cathedral is among the most important religious buildings in France. Its patron saint is Julian of Le Mans. Around 1100, a Romanesque cathedral was built in Le Mans on the site of an older one. This Romanesque cathedral was ravaged by fire in 1134 and 1137, and then restored in late Romanesque style. The nave's transept and vaults date from this period. The same period saw the construction of the beautiful south portal of the nave, which is decorated with sculpture in the style of the west facade of Chartres cathedral. After Le Mans came to the French crown in 1214, the chapter obtained permission from the king to build a new cathedral whose choir would extend well beyond the Roman city wall. As with Bourges cathedral, the difference in level necessitated the construction of a crypt under the choir. Construction of the choir then lasted from 1217 to 1254, and it was not until the fourteenth century that construction of the Gothic transept began. This is of a very different layout to the choir. It is strangely single-aisled and joins the choir in a somewhat awkward way. The south transept was completed around 1390, followed by the north transept. Work stopped around 1430; the Gothic nave never materialised.
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