Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste

The Cathedral of St. Jean the Baptist is a Roman Catholic cathedral of the diocese of Nimes. It is situated in Ales, sub-prefecture of the Gard in France.

The cathedral is built on the remains of an old Carolingian church, itself located on the site of a Gallo-Roman temple. The bell tower, massive square tower, has some elements of the earlier building dating from the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. It topped by a graceful bell-shaped arrow wrought iron dating from 1776. The nave is covered with cross-ribbed vaults on the height of which reaches 20 meters and the choir is surrounded by an imposing colonnade of Louis XVI style. A high dome surmounts the crossing.

The paintings and decorations (19th) of walls and vaults of the chancel and nave are unfortunately in very poor condition. In 1629, Louis XIII besieged the city, then Mecca of Protestant resistance in the Cevennes led by the Duke of Rohan, who surrendered after nine days. The Huguenots are authorized by the King to leave for Anduze with the express promise not to bear arms against the king. On June 28, 1629, Richelieu gives Protestants the peace of the Edict of Alès or through which they withdrew their strongholds but confirmed the religious guarantees of the Edict of Nantes. In 1694, to combat religion reformed by order of Louis XIV, the diocese of Alès is created. The cathedral was almost entirely rebuilt in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The last Bishop of Beausset, abandoned his post during the Revolution and the diocese has removed 29 November 1801. The parishes of the diocese were divided between the diocese of Avignon and Mende and Nimes.