Cloître de la Cathédrale

Located in the heart of the former canonical quarter, the cloister bears witness to the importance of the chapter. This community of canons, who elected the bishop, constituted a rich and influential collective seigneury. Initially consisting of four galleries surrounding a garden, it was an enclosed space devoted to the contemplation and even burial of canons. The Gothic galleries were rib-vaulted and decorated with hooked or foliate capitals. Bays overlooking the garden were fitted with infills that were still visible in the early 19th century. The south gallery floor was occupied by the tithe loft; the east gallery floor (rebuilt in 1748) by the chapter library.

During the French Revolution, two of the four galleries were destroyed; after several changes of use, it was used as an elementary school until 1980. Following major restoration work, the Marcel Arland municipal library moved in in 1987.

Since 1991, the courtyard has been the setting for a contemporary work by François Bouillon: "Y d'If". Like a reliquary from another era, the central well contains a piece of yew in the shape of a "Y"; this letter, where three directions converge, can symbolize the Trinity or purity. The spiral, evoking infinity, is punctuated by an increasing number of "Ys" as one moves away from the center.

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