Consecrated by Pope Urbain II in 1096, the Bordeaux Cathedral was built in the shape of a Latin cross with a unique nave that is over 124 meters (406 feet) long. One of the first Roman buildings in France, nothing remains today from the original construction except one of the nave's interior walls. The royal door dates back to the first half of the 13th Century, while the apse and transept are from the 14th and 15th Centuries. The marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine with Louis VII, future king of France, was held in this cathedral in 1137. The organ is particularly noteworthy, and concerts are held regularly. The cathedral holds the title of Historic Monument in France, and is also inscribed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO since December 2, 1998.
The Great Synagogue of Bordeaux first began construction in the 19th Century. During World War II, it was desecrated when it was used as a prison for Jewish people before deportation to concentration camps. After a lengthy restoration, today it is recognized as an official historic monument by the French government. The synagogue, which is one of the largest in France, has impressive stained glass windows and Middle Eastern architectural accents. It can easily accommodate around 1500 devotees at a time.
The design of the Eglise Notre Dame was the work of Pierre Duplessy, who was the king's architect as well as Bordeaux's great urbanist. Because of the proximity of another convent, the Dominicans (in the early days of the religious establishment) began to open the edifice to the east, in the opposite direction of the usual orientation of churches. In 1700, the king authorized the construction of the vaulting, limiting the thickness to 16 centimeter (six inches) in order to ensure the canons could not be mounted and threaten the Château Trompette. The organ, added in 1785, is the church's crown jewel.
This church of the historical center-city is only a few steps from the Chartreuse cemetery. Built in 1611, it was originally called the "chapelle des Chartreux" and was consecrated by the Cardinal of Sourdis in 1620. Its most arresting characteristic is its facade, inspired by the Italian style of the era, but the overall style is Baroque. On either side of the altar, the marble statues of the Virgin and of the archangel Gabriel by Bernini & Sons are particularly remarkable.
The St-Louis-des-Chartrons parish was established in 1791 through a decree by the Constituent Assembly. It became known as the place of worship of the Carmes which, because of the generally negative state of their affairs, was destroyed in 1875. The present-day church, designed by the architect Charles-Louis Brun, was completed in 1880. The facade features four buttresses that end in small steeples on the platform supporting the towers, all of which testifies to a typically Gothic style. You'll also notice the triple-tiered knave, as well as the beautiful stained glass window.