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The Cathedral of Amiens

Art and culture Sites and monuments Picardy Medieval / Renaissance

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“Amiens, the cathedral in colours”

For about a dozen years now, illuminations and a show “Amiens, the cathedral in colours” present the polychromy of the Gothic gates and restore the medieval colours. © Hemis.fr
The “Beau-Dieu of Amiens”

At the centre of the central portal, there is a statue of Christ the Saviour, the “Beau-Dieu of Amiens”, a very beautiful representation of the Messiah. © Hemis.fr
Western facade

It is distinguished by the coherency of its plan, the beauty of its elevation and of the wing of the south transept. © Hemis.fr
Labyrinth of Notre-Dame d'Amiens cathedral

In the Middle Ages some pilgrims traversed the labyrinth on their knees, like a Way of the Cross. © Wi1234
Illuminated façade of Amiens cathedral

The Cathedral of Amiens, almost twice as large as Notre-Dame in Paris, is one of the largest structures in Christendom. © Hemis.fr

The Notre-Dame of Amiens Cathedral in the heart of Picardy is one of the largest typical Gothic churches of the 13th-century France.

The Cathedral of Amiens, almost twice as large as Notre-Dame in Paris, is one of the largest structures in Christendom.

An immense edifice

This immense structure, which seems to be moored to the banks of the Somme for all eternity, was built over the course of sixty years, while it took close to two centuries to build other structures of the same period! That is probably why Notre-Dame of Amiens has an extremely rare homogeneous style.

A rare homogeneity

It is distinguished by the coherency of its plan, the beauty of its elevation and of the wing of the south transept. Amiens was to become a reference for the construction of other cathedrals: its apse in particular was copied until the end of the middle Ages. The style of the seven radial chapels opening on to the double deambulatory of the choir inspired many builders.

The Cathedral miraculously saved

At the very end of the 15th century, Pierre Tarisel, Master Mason, realized that a catastrophe was imminent and would cause the church to collapse. He remembered the disaster that occurred in 1284 at the Saint-Pierre Cathedral of Beauvais, where the choir collapsed.

Within two years, the Amiens Cathedral was saved through emergency work to reinforce the buttresses of the nave. Almost the entire edifice was encircled with a chain of Spanish iron, the best available at the time, and it is still in place today.

In the 19^th century, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc restored the building. He added at the top of the large façade the Bell Ringers' gallery, which connects the two towers. The work of the architect, who restored Notre-Dame de Paris, was limited here to the angle turrets, the balustrades of the summit of the towers and the gargoyles.

The Cathedral miraculously survived the massive bombardments that almost completely destroyed Amiens in May 1940.

Not to be missed

The sculptures of the main façade and its three portals - Saint Firmin, Beau Dieu and Mère Dieu. At the centre of the central portal, there is a statue of Christ the Saviour, the “Beau-Dieu of Amiens”, a very beautiful representation of the Messiah.
On the Mère Dieu portal (main façade), statues represent three important episodes in the life of the Virgin Mary: the Annunciation, the Visitation and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. On the same portal, the representations of the Queen of Sheba, King Solomon, Herod the Great and the three magi are remarkable.
The magnificent stalls of the choir were installed at the beginning of the 16th century.
“Amiens, the Cathedral in Colours.” For about a dozen years now, illuminations and a show “Amiens, the cathedral in colours” present the polychromy of the Gothic gates and restore the medieval colours.