Medieval marvel: Amiens Cathedral
Once off the ferry and in the car many people tend to race through Northern France, to slightly more exotic locations, but just 90 minutes drive south of Calais is an often missed treat, writes Tomas Mowlam.
The city of Amiens was the chief town of the medieval area of Picardie; it was fought over repeatedly, it suffered in WWI and WWII as well.
St. Leu is the city’s medieval quarter, renovated throughout the 1990s it is a tourist attraction in its own right, with puppet shows in the Picard language called Chés Cabotans.
But towering above St Leu and the rest of the city, is Amiens real attraction, Cathédrale Notre-Dame d’Amiens, often simply called Amiens Cathedral it is one of the biggest ever Gothic buildings.
Work started in 1220, construction was finished in 1266, and it took a further 22 years to decorate and finish. The nave vaults are 42.30 metres high, making them the highest in France.
Supported by 126 pillars it has the largest interior of any French cathedral, and the vaults and buttresses give a staggering impression of space, designed to make mortals contemplate heaven and look skyward.
Hundreds of intricate sculptures, carvings and reliefs adorn the walls with memorials to martyred saints and reminders what would happen to Christians who strayed from the flock.
It was paid for by the proceeds of the cloth industry and, fittingly, one of the most glorious parts of the church is the Drapers Chapel.
It even has a reliquary containing the head of John the Baptist a relic brought from Constantinople by Wallon de Sarton as he was returning from the Fourth Crusade.
During laser cleaning in the 1990s it was discovered that the façade was of the cathedral was painted. After painstaking research elaborate lighting techniques were developed to light up the statues, and bring them to life.
If you want to experience the wonder for yourself, then check out the Son et Lumière (sound and light) shows. With the church lit up, it gives you a spine tingling experience of how the cathedral would have looked in the 13th Century; the statues gaze down over the medieval congregation and the church dominates the surrounding town.
Check out visit-amiens.com for details of cathedral opening times and other information.
Image Credit: Cornell University Library
Discussion Area - Leave a Comment