UNDER THE DOME

A stirring view from under the 101-meter high dome of the Basilique de Notre-Dame de l'Immaculée Conception, Boulogne-sur-Mer. Rebuilt after the original gothic cathedral had been demolished following the French Revolution, the 19th century neo-classic sanctuary was designed by an autodidactic architect, the Abbot Benoît Haffreingue. The Jesuit abbot who believed he was called by God to rebuild the cathedral, took inspiration from both the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican and Saint-Paul's Cathedral in London. The building which became his life work, was designated as a minor basilica in 1879. It is not, however, the principal church of the diocese with which the bishop is associated, although it is more often than not referred to as a cathedral by the general public.

Vocabulary
une basilique:  a basilica
une coupole:  a dome, a cupola
un dôme:  a dome
un évêque:  a bishop
un évêché:  seat of authority of a bishop or arch-bishop; a bishop's see


iPhone photos courtesy of Ian Byrd.