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69-452: The Pont Gustave-Flaubert (English: Gustave Flaubert Bridge ) is a vertical-lift bridge over the river Seine in Rouen , Seine-Maritime, Normandy , France . It was officially opened on 25 September 2008 after four years of construction. The bridge itself cost approximately €60 million to build. Additional costs, including work to surrounding infrastructure and approach roads, brought

138-418: A few years earlier; the decoration of the portals spills over into the adjacent sections. Each portal has a column-statue between the doors, and is topped by a tympanum full of sculpture, and above that an arched voussure filled with three bands of statues. Above this a lace-like pointed gable, which rises upward in front of the windows of the claire-voie gallery as far as the rose window. A similar sculpted gable

207-538: A hurricane in 1683. In 1796, in the course of the French Revolution , the new revolutionary government nationalised the cathedral and transformed it for a time into a Temple of Reason . Some of the furniture and sculpture was sold, and the chapel railings were melted down to make cannon. In 1822 lightning started a fire that destroyed the wood and lead Renaissance spire of the central tower. The architect Jean-Antoine Alavoine proposed to replace it with

276-414: A late Gothic Flamboyant style. It received its popular name because donors to the tower were given dispensation to consume butter and milk during Lent. The dense decoration of the tower emphasises its height; tall pointed niches for sculpture, buttresses decorated with tracery, pinnacles, gables and arches. At the top, the square plan of the tower becomes an octagon, with an ornate stone crown. A bell for

345-468: A new episcopal throne, and a modern communion table and pulpit made of cast iron and gilded copper. [ The Choir stalls were put in place between 1457 and 1470 by the master woodworker Philipott Viart. A majority of the original seats are still in place, along with the carved decorations, called misericords , illustrating scenes from the Bible, as well as proverbs, fables and craftsmen at work. Unfortunately,

414-465: A new episcopal throne, and a new communion table and pulpit made of cast iron and gilded copper. Beginning in 1985, excavations were carried out beneath the church and its surroundings, which uncovered vestiges of the earlier Paleochristian buildings and foundations of the Carolingian cathedral. In 1999, during Cyclone Lothar , a copper-clad wooden turret, which weighed 26 tons, broke free from

483-419: A new spire made of cast iron. The idea of an iron spire was highly controversial; the novelist Gustave Flaubert denounced it as "the dream of a metal-worker in a delirium." The new spire, 151 meters (495 feet) tall, was not finally completed until 1882. For a short time, from 1876 to 1880, the spire made Rouen Cathedral the world's tallest building , until the completion of Cologne Cathedral . In 1905, under

552-550: A palace for the archbishop. The cathedral was enlarged by St. Ouen in 650, and visited by Charlemagne in 769. However, beginning in 841, a series of Viking raids seriously damaged the cathedral complex. The Viking leader Rollo became first Duke of the Duchy of Normandy and was baptised in the Carolingian cathedral in 915 and buried there in 933. His grandson, Richard I of Normandy , further enlarged it in 950. In

621-481: A period of more than eight hundred years, has features from Early Gothic to late Flamboyant and Renaissance architecture . It also has a place in art history as the subject of a series of impressionist paintings by Claude Monet , and in architecture history as from 1876 to 1880 , it was the tallest building in the world . Christianity was established in Rouen in about 260 by Saint Mellonius , who became

690-461: A very ornate belfry. This contains the bourdon or largest Cathedral bell, named Joan of Arc, which weighs 9.5 tons. It also houses the sixty-four smaller bells of the carillon , which was restored in 2016. It is the second-largest carillon in France. The roof of the tower is decorated with sculptures of four small suns, made of gilded lead. The Butter Tower was constructed between 1488 and 1506, in

759-399: Is placed over the rose window, just below the triangular gable of the transept roof. The embrasures of the doorway are also filled with delicate sculptural medallions. The front of the south transept and the portal of La Calende are even more packed with sculpture and decoration. The scenes in the tympanum over the portal illustrate the life of Christ, while the contreforts on either side of

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828-568: The Château de Gaillon , The first major project of the period was a new tower to match the old Saint-Romaine tower, built almost three centuries earlier. Work on the tower had begun in 1488, under master builder Guillaume Pontifs, but under Cardinal d'Amboise in 1496 the project was taken over 1496 by Jacques Le Roux, who had a more ambitious plan with Renaissance touches. The Pope authorised Cardinal d'Amboise to grant dispensations to consume milk and butter during Lent , in exchange for contributions to

897-773: The Pont de Normandie Bridge and the Millau Viaduct . The contract for the bridge construction, without the approaching viaducts , was €60 million. It was won by Quille, a subsidiary of Bouygues , in association with the Eiffel company , Eiffage and the Belgian firm Victor Buyck . The déclaration d'utilité publique passed in September 2001. Work began in June 2004 and the installation of "butterflies" (supporting trusses ) at

966-452: The Port of Rouen . Near its base at the right bank is an old port area undergoing redevelopment . The Maritime, Fluvial and Harbour Museum of Rouen is in this area. The left bank is a brownfield site that will probably be sold for redevelopment. Several types of structure were considered. The essential requirement was to construct a Seine river crossing which allowed large vessels access to

1035-462: The bascule and swing-span bridges . Generally speaking, they cost less to build for longer moveable spans. The counterweights in a vertical lift are only required to be equal to the weight of the deck, whereas bascule bridge counterweights must weigh several times as much as the span being lifted. As a result, heavier materials can be used in the deck, and so this type of bridge is especially suited for heavy railroad use. The biggest disadvantage to

1104-527: The 1020s, the archbishop Robert began to rebuild the church in the Romanesque style, beginning with a new choir, crypt and ambulatory , and then a new transept . The Romanesque cathedral was consecrated by the archbishop Maurille on October 1, 1063, in the presence of William, Duke of Normandy, soon to become William the Conqueror after his conquest of England in 1066. The project for a cathedral in

1173-445: The 13th century four smaller towers, or tourelles, with spires, were added atop the buttresses that were built to support the west front, two on either side of the central portal below. In the 14th century, to enrich the decoration even further, three gables were attached to the west front below each of the tourelles. The gables were filled with sculpture; over the north portal, statues of the first archbishops, apostles and saints, and on

1242-476: The 14th century. The central sculptural element of the tympanum, or arch over the portal, is a Tree of Jesse , a traditional depiction of the family tree of Christ. At the top is the Virgin Mary, with a halo of sun and stars. The arches above the tympanum of the portal are filled with sculpture of prophets, sibyls , or fortune-tellers, and patriarchs. The portals on either side of the central portal followed

1311-515: The 1956 re-opening to repair damage suffered during the war. The high altar was added, topped by an 18th-century Rococo statue of Christ made of gilded lead made by Clodion , which had previously been part of the 18th-century altar screen, as well as two kneeling angels, made by Caffieri in 1766, and previously in the Church of Saint-Vincent de Rouen, which was destroyed in 1944. The Choir also received modern screens by 20th-century artist Raymond Subes,

1380-651: The Butter Tower, named Georges d'Amboise in honor of the Cardinal, was completed in 1501. It cracked in 1786 and was melted down during the French Revolution. A central lantern tower over the transept is a tradition of Gothic architecture in Normandy. The lantern tower with its flèche, or spire is placed over the transept, almost in the centre of the cathedral, and is 151 meters high, the tallest of

1449-656: The Catedral in 1944 destroyed the other five chapels on the south side of the nave; only the Chapel of Sainte-Catherine survived intact. At the east end of the cathedral is the Chapel of the Virgin, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was constructed by master builder Jean Davi beginning in 1302, when the veneration of the Virgin began to play a larger role in Christian theology, and replaced a more modest earlier chapel. Following

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1518-512: The Cathedral beyond the choir, is the chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which extends well east of the choir and apse. It has very high buttresses, topped by pinnacles containing statues, and high lancet windows topped by gables, which are topped with statues. Above all these is the 'Golden Virgin", a gilded statue of The Virgin Mary made by Nicolas Quesnel in 1541. Smaller chapels, accessed by

1587-521: The Choir is different from that of the nave, being more in the High Gothic style of the 13th century, with three levels. The pillars of the arcade are circular, crowned with capitals decorated with stylised foliage and crochets. Above the arcade is the triforium, or enclosed gallery, and above that the high windows, which form a half-circle. The center of the Choir was substantially refurbished before

1656-521: The Magnificent. In 1185 he demolished the Romanesque nave and began building the western end of the sanctuary. He had completed the west front and first traverses when the work was interrupted by a major fire on Easter eve in 1200, which destroyed a large part of the town and seriously damaged the unfinished church and its furnishings. Gautier quickly repaired the damage and resumed the work, which

1725-476: The Port of Rouen, upstream. These various unsatisfactory solutions led the client to consider the fact that large ships only needed access beyond the bridge 20 to 30 times a year, so that three kinds of moveable bridge were considered: All these potential solutions have their advantages and disadvantages. In particular, moveable bridges totally cut the traffic flow when they are open to river traffic. However, in

1794-523: The Saint-Romain tower. The bells melted, leaving molten remains on the floor. Following World War II, a major restoration effort began to repair war damage by the Service of Historic Monuments, concluding in 1956. Then a new campaign began to consolidate the structure and to restore the statuary of the west front, including putting back four statues that had been moved elsewhere. In 2016, the project

1863-459: The Seine when raised. It is thus the tallest lift bridge in the world.. The total length, including the approach viaducts, is 670 m (2,200 ft). The dual decks, each of which is 120 m (390 ft) long and weighs 1,300 tonnes (1,300 long tons; 1,400 short tons), is supported by four pylons (arranged in pairs) piled into the Seine riverbed. It takes twelve minutes fully to raise or lower

1932-480: The arches of the vaults. All these levels provided the necessary width to support the upper walls. After the fire of 1200, the master builder Jean d'Andeli began to revise the plans, following the design used in High Gothic cathedrals, which had only three levels. He made a compromise; he preserved the tribunes but he installed a narrow coursiere or passageway atop the arches of the tribune, which wound around

2001-432: The bridge will rise far less. Owners of boats have said they will not take the risk of being stuck on the other side of the bridge in case of bridge failure. A new Pleasure Terminal has also already been built downstream. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Media related to Pont Gustave-Flaubert at Wikimedia Commons Vertical-lift bridge The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as

2070-432: The buttresses on the north and south sides of the nave. They are filled with art, sculpture and stained glass given by wealthy donors and the guilds of the city. Some of the chapels are very plain, while others are adorned with paintings and sculptures from the 17th and 18th centuries. The Chapel of Sainte-Catherine is distinguished by its highly ornate lambris with painted panels of the life of Saint Brice. The bombardment of

2139-422: The city's prominent religious brotherhoods and corporations. In 1280 the surrounding spaces and buildings were modified to permit the construction of portals on the north and south transepts. The next addition was a response to the growing role of the Virgin Mary in church doctrine; the small axial chapel at the east end of the apse was replaced by a much larger chapel dedicated to her, begun in 1302. The west front

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2208-485: The city. Nonetheless, in the weeks before D-Day in Normandy, the cathedral was hit twice by Allied bombs. In April 1944, seven bombs dropped by the British Royal Air Force hit the building, narrowly missing a key pillar of the lantern tower, and damaging much of the south aisle and destroying two windows. In June 1944, a few days before D-Day, bombs dropped by the U.S. Army Air Force set fire to

2277-546: The clergy, and in the Middle Ages was separated from the nave by an elaborate screen. It was constructed slightly later than the nave, in the middle of the 13th century, and the style is more unified than in the nave. The beginning of the choir is marked by the retable of the main altar, and the throne of the Archbishop. Beyond that to the east are the stalls where the members of the clergy were seated. The elevation of

2346-566: The decoration. The Saint-Romain tower, on the left facing the west front, was begun in 1145 as part of the original Gothic cathedral. The top of the tower, more decorative, was added in the 15th century. Like the Butter tower on the right side, it is separated from and slightly behind the main block of the west front. The ground level has no windows, and contains the Baptistry. Above is a tall vaulted space with are four levels of bays, topped by

2415-585: The disambulatory, are fit between the buttresses north and south of the Virgin Mary Chapel. In addition, the Sacristy and the Revestiaire are attached to the south side of chevet. The nave is the portion of the cathedral where the churchgoers are seated, extending from the west front to the transept and choir. It is covered with four-part rib vaults , supported by colonettes with reach down

2484-490: The end, a lift bridge was chosen. The bridge is a lift bridge with a bridge span of 120 m (390 ft) and a total height of 86 m (282 ft). It is the third tallest building in Rouen, after Rouen Cathedral and the Archives Tower . The air draft (clearance) is 7 m (23 ft) when the deck is down, which still allows the passage of barges and smaller craft. It is 55 m (180 ft) above

2553-460: The first bishop. The first church is believed to have been under or close to the present cathedral. In 395, a large basilica with three naves was built at the same site. In 755, the archbishop Rémy , the son of the Frankish statesman and military leader Charles Martel , established the first Chapter of the cathedral and constructed several courtyards and buildings around the church, including

2622-570: The flèche, or spire of the cathedral, a lead-covered wooden spire over the lantern tower, fell. It was replaced within a few months in exactly the same form and with the same materials. In the late 16th century the cathedral was badly damaged during the French Wars of Religion : in 1562 the Calvinists attacked the furniture, tombs, stained-glass windows and statuary. The cathedral was again struck by lightning in 1625 and 1642, then damaged by

2691-460: The gathering of souls, Christ in majesty, and the stoning of Stephen. The portal to the Traces of pigment and gilding on the sculpture indicate that all the sculpture was originally brightly colored. The towering buttresses on either side of the central portal were installed in the 14th century to strengthen the west front, and were covered with galleries of sculpture to merge them into the rest of

2760-593: The lift section. The lift section is expected to open around 30 times a year, in particular for the Rouen Armarda and for cruise ships who dock in the city centre (near the William the Conqueror Bridge ). Traffic is projected at 50,000 vehicles a day, relieving central Rouen of around a quarter of the 190,000 trucks that cross the river each day. Some have questioned its usefulness and believe that

2829-400: The nave. The west front was first built in the 12th century, entirely redone in the 13th century, and then totally redone again at the end of the 14th century, each time become more lavishly decorated. The main, or central portal, was originally dedicated to St. Romain in the 12th century, but was rededicated to the Virgin Mary when the facade was remade on a grander scale at the beginning of

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2898-405: The nave. The high clerestory windows of the central nave look out over the roofs of the collateral aisles, and bring more light to the interior. The transept is unusually large and brightly lit thanks to the large rose windows on the north and south and the large windows below them in the triforium of each transept. Overhead, the interior of the lantern tower is visible. The walls of the inside of

2967-549: The new Gothic style was first launched by the Archbishop of Rouen, Hugues of Amiens, who had attended the consecration in 1144 of the Basilica of Saint-Denis , the first Gothic structure, with its emphasis upon filling the interior with light. In 1145, he began constructing a tower, now called the Tower Saint-Roman, in the new Gothic style. A complete reconstruction of the cathedral was begun by his successor, Gautier

3036-600: The new law separating church and state, the Cathedral became the property of the French government, which then granted to the Catholic Church its exclusive use. At the beginning of World War II in 1939, remembering the damage caused to French cathedrals in World War I, the Cathedral authorities protected the sculpture of the cathedral with sandbags and removed the old stained glass and transported it to sites far from

3105-412: The north and south facades are richly decorated with tracery, composed of pointed stone arches and sculpture in niches and in the small quadrille panels of the south transept. In the northwest corner is a stairway from 1471 which gave access to the cathedral library. It was updated with Neo-Gothic landings in the 18th century. The Choir is the section of the cathedral at the east which was reserved for

3174-492: The pillars. He then made the arches of the tribune wider and taller, allowing more light from the windows of the collateral aisles to enter the nave. These modifications were possible thanks to another new technology, the flying buttress , which reaches over the collateral aisles to provide support to the upper nave walls, allowing them to be thinner and the windows to be larger. The collateral aisles at Rouen are fourteen metres high compared with twenty-eight metres high vault in

3243-587: The portals contain niches filled with angels and prophets The quadrille medallions around of the portal illustrate the Book of Genesis and are filled with an array of fantastic animals. Scenes of the Last Judgement fill the space over the tympanum. At the very top, over the rose window, is another gable filled with sculpture of the crowning of the Virgin Mary. The dominant feature of the Chevet, or east end of

3312-579: The residential and business areas of central Rouen. The bridge is near the interchange of the Autoroute de Normandie (A13) , at its southern approach, via the RN338, A150 autoroute (from Barentin and Dieppe ) and the slip road which connects the A29 and A28 . This link was intended to help the western districts of Rouen while providing the necessary connections to the industrial and commercial areas, and

3381-415: The roofs of the aisles and nave are both decorated with balustrades and pinnacles. Two portals, on the north and the south, heavily decorated, give access to the transept at the meeting point between the nave and the choir. On the north is the portail des librairies, and to the south the portail de la Calende. The north portal is similar in its plan to the north transept portal of Notre-Dame-de-Paris , built

3450-553: The same format, with sculpture in the tympanum vividly illustrating Biblical stories. The central portal, facing the building, is dedicated to John the Evangelist , and the sculpture in the tympanum above illustrates the baptism of Christ, the passage of Saint John; the dance of Salome ; the feast of Herod ; and the beheading of John the Baptist . The portal to the right is devoted to Saint Stephen , and its sculpture illustrates

3519-482: The south, kings and prophets from the Old Testament. Flying buttresses along the north and south sides of the cathedral reach up over the roof of the side aisles to support the upper walls of the nave. The space between the buttresses on the lower level is filled with lateral chapels. Because of the support of the buttresses, the upper walls of the nave are able to be entirely filled with windows. The edges of

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3588-446: The style of the 14th century, the windows fill the entire upper portion of the walls, while the lower walls are covered with elaborate tracery and sculpture. Traces of gilding and pigment on the walls show that the chapel was originally brightly colored. The central feature of the chapel is an enormous altar, made in the 17th century, framing a painting of the Virgin surrounded by carved and sculptural decoration. The chapel also contains

3657-425: The three towers. The first two levels of the lantern tower were built in the 13th century. The original Gothic spire was destroyed by fire in 1514, and rebuilt in 1544 in wood and lead by the master builder Robert Becquet. The next builder, Rouland Le Roux, consolidated the first two levels of the lantern tower and added flamboyant decoration and sculpture. Another fire in 1822 destroyed the lead and wood spire, which

3726-576: The tomb of Cardinal Georges d'Amboise , the principal patron of the Gothic cathedral, and his nephew and successor, Cardinal Georges II d'Amboise. It is placed against the south wall. The nephew, Georges II, moved the statue of his uncle to the side of the tomb and placed his own in the central position. The baldaquin or upper portion of the tomb is lavishly decorated with sculpture of the Apostles, in pairs, separated by Sibyls and Biblical kings. The top of

3795-475: The top of the lift towers. See List of vertical-lift bridges . Rouen Cathedral Rouen Cathedral ( French : Cathédrale primatiale Notre-Dame de l'Assomption de Rouen ) is a Catholic church in Rouen , Normandy , France . It is the see of the Archbishop of Rouen , Primate of Normandy . It is famous for its three towers, each in a different style. The cathedral, built and rebuilt over

3864-418: The top of the stanchions was completed on 16 and 17 August 2006; the approaches were completed on 21 and 22 August 2006. On 14 April 2007, the barque Belem, which had been docked for a month, went under the bridge, after initial tests that allowed the bridge to lift enough to let her pass. A crowd from Rouen was present to celebrate the event. The bridge is named after the writer Gustave Flaubert . The name

3933-475: The total cost to €137 million. Construction began in June 2004. Rouen City Council named the bridge after the 19th-century novelist Gustave Flaubert , who was born and died in Rouen. The design team, included the engineering firm Arcadis NV and the consultancy firm Eurodim. The specialist machinery was designed by Aymeric Zublena , one of the architects of the Stade de France , and Michel Virlogeux , designer of

4002-412: The tower and fell partly into the church, damaging the choir. On 11 July 2024, the central spire of the cathedral caught fire during renovation works. The fire was brought under control the same day by a team of some 70 firefighters and 40 fire engines. The west front of the Cathedral, with its three portals, is the traditional entrance to the Cathedral. The portals are aligned with the three aisles of

4071-424: The tower. The new tower soon took on the nickname of the Butter Tower, though the money collected paid only a portion of the cost. As the new tower was being built, the west front of the Cathedral showed weaknesses and began to tilt. Cardinal d'Amboise ordered its complete reconstruction. This was carried out by master builder Rouilland Le Roux, nephew of Jacques Le Roux, in a lavishly ornate Flamboyant style. It

4140-638: The upper portions of the stalls were destroyed during the Revolution. The remains of four Dukes of Normandy are placed in the simple tombs with their images on either side of the choir. These are the tombs of Rollo , a Viking and the first Duke of Normandy; William Longsword , the son of Rollo (died 942); Henry the Young King (died 1183); and a tomb with the heart of Richard the Lionheart , Duke of Normandy and King of England (died 1199); his body

4209-478: The vertical-lift bridge (in comparison with many other designs) is the height restriction for vessels passing under it, due to the deck remaining suspended above the passageway. Most vertical-lift bridges use towers, each equipped with counterweights. An example of this kind was built in Portland, Oregon, United States in 1912. Another design uses balance beams to lift the deck, with pivoting bascules located on

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4278-429: The walls to the massive pillars on the ground floor. The first four traverses of the nave, on the west, completed by 1200, followed the original elevation plan of the late 13th century; an arcade of pillars on the ground floor, which opened into the collateral aisles; above that a tribune, or wide passageway; above that the triforium, a narrow passageway; and above that the clerestory, the high windows which reached up into

4347-432: Was also given new decoration between 1370 and 1450. Beginning in 1468 a highly ornamental new top, made of iron and covered with stone tiles, in the late Gothic Flamboyant style was added to the tower of Saint-Romaine. Cardinal-Archbishop Georges d'Amboise (1494-1510) had a major influence on the church architecture. He incorporated into the Gothic design new Renaissance features, as he had done in his own residence,

4416-508: Was buried at Fontevraud Abbey in Anjou . The original tomb of Rollo was destroyed during the bombing of 1944, and was replaced by a copy of the tomb of Henry the Young King made in the 19th century. The remains of Rollo and his son William Longsword were transferred from the first cathedral to the Romanesque cathedral in 1063, shortly after it was built, then to the Gothic cathedral when it was completed. Eighteen small chapels are placed between

4485-505: Was covered with layers of lacelike stone tracery , and hundreds of sculpted figures were added to the arch and niches of the portals. To stabilise the new facade, he added two massive buttresses, also richly decorated with sculpture. In addition to his changes to the Cathedral, the Cardinal and his architect reconstructed and decorated the Palace of the Archbishop close by, adding a new reception hall, galleries, gardens and fountains. In 1514

4554-476: Was directed by his master mason, Jean d'Andeli. The nave was sufficiently complete by 1204 for King Philip II of France to be received there to celebrate the annexation of Normandy to the Kingdom of France. By 1207 the main altar was in place in the choir. The first architectural addition to the new church was a series of small chapels between the buttresses on the north and south sides of the nave, requested by

4623-420: Was finally chosen on 15 December 2006 by Rouen City Council of Rouen, after consultation with the people of Rouen who had a choice between Flaubert and René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle . It was previously known as "the sixth bridge". Two general routes were considered: The western route was dismissed because of the hilly, afforested terrain, and the second route chosen because of its greater proximity to

4692-442: Was finished and the scaffolding which had covered much of the cathedral for a half-century was finally removed. Prior to the re-opening of the Cathedral in 1956, the choir , damaged by the bombing during the war, was given a substantial renewal. This included a new high altar topped by an 18th-century Rococo statue of Christ made of gilded made by Clodion , which had previously been on the altar screen, as well as new choir screens,

4761-408: Was then replaced, after much controversy, by the architect Jean-Antoine Alavoine with one of iron and copper, finished in 1882. He surrounded the new spire with four smaller spirelets, made of copper. One of these fell during a hurricane in 1999, going through the roof and damaging the choir stalls below. On 11 July 2024, the main spire caught fire, though it was quickly brought under control. In

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