AMIENS CATHEDRAL

It's impossible to visit Amiens without admiring this grand dame, one of the jewels of French heritage. A superb, gigantic stone edifice, it is enthroned in the center of Amiens, a location and a Gothic style that make it emblematic of the city. It is one of six French cathedrals to be listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, where it has been since 1981. In 2020, the cathedral celebrated the 800th anniversary of the laying of its foundation stone.

It is the largest cathedral in France, and the largest Gothic building of the Middle Ages. The exceptional dimensions of this monument leave visitors speechless twice: first when they stand in front of its imposing façade, then when they enter the interior and face its breathtaking verticality.

Just a few figures to give you an idea of the sheer size of the building: the spire is 112 m high (it's one of the oldest wooden and lead spires in Europe), the nave vault 43 m, the total length 145 m and the interior volume around 200,000^m3- twice that of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. You could fit three average-sized churches inside! Of course, this gigantic scale posed a number of problems during construction, especially as the cathedral wasn't built in the middle of nowhere: from the outset, it was understood that the cathedral would be part of the urban fabric of Amiens. To obtain the necessary space, the church of Saint-Firmin-le-Confesseur and the Hôtel-Dieu had to be demolished. The building's initiator was Evrard de Fouilloy, bishop of Amiens, who found his eternal resting place here, and whose bronze recumbent statue can be found in the nave. The town's prosperity gave the bishop the means to build a place to match his ambitions. Specializing in textile production, Amiens grew rich on the drapery and woad (the plant from which the famous Amiens blue is made) trades. In addition to the resources of the archbishopric, a host of private donors demonstrated great generosity.

Work began in 1220, under the direction of architect Robert de Luzarches. What makes Amiens Cathedral so special is its homogeneity. Unlike other cathedrals, where several architectural styles overlap, this one gives the impression of having been built all at once. This stylistic coherence is partly explained by the fact that it took just 50 years to complete the main structure. After the death of Robert de Luzarches, the work was entrusted to Thomas de Cormont, then to his son, Renaud de Cormont. Amiens Cathedral thus belongs to the classical Gothic style, in the tradition of the great French cathedrals of the ^13th century. Another aspect of the cathedral that sets it apart from earlier buildings is its apparent transparency. Inside, the windows are very high and occupy almost the entire lateral surface. The choir, in particular, is bathed in light thanks to its triforium. Unlike the nave, which is blind, the choir's triforium has open bays. Here, the masonry has been made more discreet to let the light in, and where stone used to dominate, glass has taken over. While the effect is striking for today's visitor, you have to imagine the impact this explosion of light could have had in the Middle Ages.

Inside and out, there's so much to see that you'll never know where to look. In the cathedral, you can admire the two ^13th-century bronze recumbent statues, the labyrinth that served as an initiation course for the faithful, the 110 carved wooden stalls that served as chairs for the cathedral's canons, and the famous high relief of St. John the Baptist depicting episodes from the saint's life. But Amiens Cathedral is most famous for its medieval sculptures, of which it is literally bursting at the seams. Its western façade features three gigantic portals built between 1220 and 1230. On the lower levels of the façade, the multitude of details and the myriad of characters appearing in the small sculpted scenes are overlooked, as the eye is drawn to the imposing figures that dominate the portals. The center portal, which is also the largest, features the sculpture of Le Beau Dieu, a ^13th-century marvel depicting Christ blessing with his right hand. Its majestic bearing and serene attitude have earned this representation the name of Beau Dieu. Restored in the ^19th century, the sculptures on the façade have been magnificently preserved.

Free " Chroma "show: performed from mid-July to mid-September and at dusk in December. Lasting 50 minutes, it comprises 20 minutes of sound and light and 30 minutes of polychromy, evoking the history of Notre-Dame and the city of Amiens through color. The façade is transformed into a gigantic screen, to the delight of locals, tourists and visiting families alike. An internationally renowned event not to be missed, especially as it's free and well worth an extra evening in Amiens!