Mende Cathedral

Mende Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Cathedral and Minor Basilica. It is the Seat of the Bishop of the Diocese of Mende, located in the Department of Lozere. The Tourist Office of the City of Mende describes the Cathedral as "A Jewel, the Nerve Center of the City." The Cathedral enshrines the Tomb of Saint Privat. Construction began in 1369 on the initiative of Pope Urban V. The Cathedral was consecrated for the first time in 1469. The Pope Urban V was a native of the region, which had been previously known as the County of Gévaudan, located within the far northern extreme of the Province of Languedoc. After the conclusion of the French Revolution in 1789 all the provincial boundaries were re-mapped. The locale around the Diocese of Mende was redrawn as the Revolutionary Department of Lozere, named after a nearby mountain peak.