Gorgeous! Master of Moulins' triptych
And also
The tops
The current cathedral is composed of two buildings: dukes of Bourbon's collegiate church, from the 15th century and the one raised in the 19th century in order to extend the first church.
The first stone of the new ducal Gothic monument was laid down in 1468 by duke Charles the First's widow. His son Jean II continued the site, completed by Pierre II in 1507.
And for the second church? Well, when Moulins diocese was raised in 1823, the collegiate became cathedral. But it had to be extended!
The building works were supervised by architect Millet in 1860. This one created a new nave, two aisles, a porch in the 13th century style. Good! But the choir was too long. Millet used the last bay to put up a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Moulins, the famous black Virgin.O
h! Come here... there's a treasure! Let me introduce this 15th century triptych, attributed to an anonymous artist called "master of Moulins". This painting represents the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.
The painter represented donors on wings: on the left, Pierre II of Bourbon with his motto "Hope"! On the left, duchess Anne of France with her daughter Suzanne. Dukes of Bourbon are almost everywhere, here! Look for them in the gorgeous stained-glass windows (end of 15th century)...