while, one of the townsmen mounted astride upon the horse, holding a bottle, a glass and a napkin. This man then filled the glass, presented it to the statue of the king, swallowed it, wiped off the month of the statue and threw the glass into the square below. The crowd rushed to catch it. A prize of a hundred crowns was offered to any one who could catch it without breaking it, but no one ever succeeded in doing so. . . . The ceremony ended by placing a branch of laurel in the hand of King Grallon.”
Not all the legends connected with the cathedral are as benign as that of King Grallon. The ballad of the three red monks collected by Hersart de la Villemarque is localized either in the cathedral of Quimper or in one of the neighboring churches, possibly the abbey of Locmaria, the architecture of which has been referred to in an earlier paper. This tale still lives, and I heard it told not long ago of a Spanish cathedral in almost precisely the same form as is found in the very ancient Breton legend. As I am not acquainted with the Breton language, I
presented him with a portion of the royal chateau, in which was built the first cathedral of Quimper. In memory of this event a statue of King Grallon was set up on the gable of the cathedral between the two towers. Below it was placed a rhyming inscription in flamboyant French, comparing Grallon to Constantine and St. Corentin to Pope Sylvester. In 1793 the statue and inscription were destroyed by the revolutionists. In 1858 the statue which at present exists was erected in the place of the old one, but the inscription was never replaced.
Before the Revolution the statue of King Grallon was the object of a curious and picturesque ceremony, an account of which was written by Cambry in 1794. This has been reprinted by Le Men in his excellent monograph on the Cathedral of Quimper, from whom I translate:
“Every year at Quimper on the feast of Ste. Cecile at two o’clock in the afternoon, the entire clergy of the cathedral mounted on the platform between the two towers of the cathedral where was the statue of King Grallon. There was sung a hymn with full chorus, accompanied by musicians. Mean
ANOTHER VIEW OF THE SPIRES FROM THE BISHOP’S GARDEN
The false gable of the fagade here appears between the towers. Remains of the ancient cloister can be seen in the lower edge of the picture. The design of the flamboyant tracery of the windows of the nave is of interest.
VIEW OF THE CATHEDRAL OF QUIMPER FROM THE EAST
The design of the ambulatory chapels is unusual. The exterior wall is straight and unbroken, even by buttresses. The division walls are carried up to form a double set of struts placed close together. The flying buttresses are of a single flight.
Not all the legends connected with the cathedral are as benign as that of King Grallon. The ballad of the three red monks collected by Hersart de la Villemarque is localized either in the cathedral of Quimper or in one of the neighboring churches, possibly the abbey of Locmaria, the architecture of which has been referred to in an earlier paper. This tale still lives, and I heard it told not long ago of a Spanish cathedral in almost precisely the same form as is found in the very ancient Breton legend. As I am not acquainted with the Breton language, I
presented him with a portion of the royal chateau, in which was built the first cathedral of Quimper. In memory of this event a statue of King Grallon was set up on the gable of the cathedral between the two towers. Below it was placed a rhyming inscription in flamboyant French, comparing Grallon to Constantine and St. Corentin to Pope Sylvester. In 1793 the statue and inscription were destroyed by the revolutionists. In 1858 the statue which at present exists was erected in the place of the old one, but the inscription was never replaced.
Before the Revolution the statue of King Grallon was the object of a curious and picturesque ceremony, an account of which was written by Cambry in 1794. This has been reprinted by Le Men in his excellent monograph on the Cathedral of Quimper, from whom I translate:
“Every year at Quimper on the feast of Ste. Cecile at two o’clock in the afternoon, the entire clergy of the cathedral mounted on the platform between the two towers of the cathedral where was the statue of King Grallon. There was sung a hymn with full chorus, accompanied by musicians. Mean
ANOTHER VIEW OF THE SPIRES FROM THE BISHOP’S GARDEN
The false gable of the fagade here appears between the towers. Remains of the ancient cloister can be seen in the lower edge of the picture. The design of the flamboyant tracery of the windows of the nave is of interest.
VIEW OF THE CATHEDRAL OF QUIMPER FROM THE EAST
The design of the ambulatory chapels is unusual. The exterior wall is straight and unbroken, even by buttresses. The division walls are carried up to form a double set of struts placed close together. The flying buttresses are of a single flight.