Church Dome

Church Dome

Notre Dame de la Victoire de Lépante in Saint-Raphaël on the French Riviera.

The building of the church Notre Dame de la Victoire de Lépante has a lot to do with the growth of Saint-Raphaël in the 19th century. In fact, at that time, Saint-Raphaël was developing and becoming a real seaside resort. The old church, San Rafeù was getting too cramped to accommodate the newcomers.

The church was built in a Roman Byzantine style. The dome was inspired by Sainte-Sophie in Istanbul. The church façade shows the Archangle Raphaël, symbol of the commune. For the most part it is built in pink sandstone from the Estérel and covers an area of 850 m2 and is 35 m high.

Inaugurated in 1887, the church owes its name to a famous sea battle won by Christian forces against the Turkish (Ottoman) fleet on 5th October, 1571.

The Church Notre Dame de la Victoire de Lépante was elevated to the rank of Basilica by the Vatican in February 2004. After that of Saint-Maximin, it is now the second one in the Fréjus-Toulon diocese.

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Related shots can be found at:
French Riviera and
Western Meditteranean.

Church Dome belongs to the following groups:

European Everyday Life (add the place!), Heritage in Stone and Photographic France Available for sale as

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