Amiens Cathedral 
Amiens Cathedral facade. Photo by hllr.
A glimpse of the cathedral from Amiens' picturesque town square.
Photo by Stewart Leiwakabessy.
East end of the cathedral. Photo by Stewart Leiwakabessy.
Central portal, full of medieval sculpture. Photo by Stewart Leiwakabessy.
Left portal. Photo by Stewart Leiwakabessy.
Views of the breathaking Gothic interior. Photos by Andrea Kirkby.
The labyrinth of Amiens Cathedral. Photo by hllr.
Carved choir stall. Photo by André Mouraux
Amiens Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens) is the tallest Gothic church and the largest cathedral in France.
Along with the cathedrals of Chartres and Reims, Amiens is a member of the illustrious triad of "High Gothic" or "Classical" French cathedrals built in the 13th century.
Amiens Cathedral was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, based on "the coherence of its plan, the beauty of its three-tier interior elevation and the particularly fine display of sculptures on the principal facade and in the south transept."
History
Amiens has been the seat of a bishop since c.340 AD, and a church has stood on this site since at least 850. Several successive edifices were built, the last one being a Romanesque version begun in 1137 and consecrated in 1152.
The original purpose of the grand Gothic Amiens Cathedral was to house the head of St. John the Baptist, brought back from the Crusades in 1206. A fire destroyed the original cathedral in 1218.
Contruction on a new cathedral began in 1220. The towering nave was completed by 1236, and by 1269, only the tops of the towers remained unfinished.
This quick completion gave Amiens Cathedral an usual harmony of style, one of its most celebrated characteristics. It is pure, unadulterated High Gothic, little influenced by later architectural fads.
The only subsequent change to the cathedral's appearance was the addition of two unequal towers, the south one in 1366 and the north one in 1402. The renowned architect Viollet-le-Duc restored the cathedral in the 1850s.
Amiens Cathedral has been admired throughout its life, but it was the English art critic John Ruskin (1819-1900) who is best known for waxing lyrical about its perfection. Ruskin declared that Amiens was: "Gothic, clear of Roman tradition and of Arabian taint, Gothic pure, authoritative, unsurpassable, and unaccusable... not only the best, but the very first thing done perfectly in its manner by northern Christendom."
UNESCO agreed with Ruskin's sentiments, and designated Amiens Cathedral a World Heritage Site in 1981. Thankfully, the cathedral escaped destruction in World War II. In 1996, the Portail de la Mère-Dieu (Portal of the Mother of God), to the right of the entrance, was restored at enormous expense.
What to See
The breathtaking west front has recently been cleaned by a laser scrub, revealing traces of the polychromatic paint that once brought the sculptures to life. Two galleries rise above the entrance doors; the upper one has 22 statues of kings. The large rose window in the center dates from the 16th century.
The facade is pierced by three portals, each spectacularly decorated with sculptures of biblical figures and saints. The center portal, the Beau-Dieu, features a serene Christ figure. The left (north) portal is dedicated to St. Firmin, Amiens' first bishop; the right (south) portal to the Virgin Mary. The statue of the Madonna on the south portal, known as the Golden Virgin, is considered the finest sculpture on the cathedral; it was used as the model for many later Madonna statues throughout Europe.
Every night during the summer and at Christmastime, a multicolor laser light show provides a vivid idea of what it must have looked like to medieval visitors, for whom this was their only way of "reading" the Bible. The light show is accompanied by atmospheric music and an explanation of the various sculptures (in French).
In contrast to the elaborately decorated exterior, the interior of Amiens Cathedral is beauty in simplicity—all vertical lines stretching to the tall ceiling in a light and calm space. Slender pillars (126 of them) hold the interior aloft.
The plan of Amiens Cathedral is like that of the other Classical cathedrals at Chartres and Reims: a three-aisled nave with a twin-towered west facade, a three-aisled transept, a five-aisled choir, an ambulatory, and radiating chapels.
As at Chartres, there is a large labyrinth on the floor of the nave, but this one is made of straight lines instead of curved ones. Installed in 1288, it bears an inscription naming the master builders of the cathedral. Elsewhere, the floor is tiled in striking black-and-white geometric patterns.
The choir stalls were carved in the early 16th century, and are stunning works of art with some 3,500 figures. Also notable is the Flamboyant Gothic choir screen, which depicts the life of St. Firmin, Amiens' first bishop, on the right.
Fine views of the cathedral's roof and the city can be had by climbing the front towers (see below for hours and fee). Try to arrange to visit on a Sunday and attend mass at 10:15, when there's glorious Gregorian chanting to add to the medieval atmosphere.
| Names: | Amiens Cathedral; Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens |
| Type of site: | Roman Catholic cathedral |
| Architecture: | High Gothic |
| Size: | 141m (463 ft.) long; 7,700 sq m area; 200 000 cu m volume; 112.7 m tall; 29.30 m wide at transept |
| Records: | Largest cathedral in France; tallest Gothic church |
| Location: | Place Notre-Dame, Amiens |
| Phone: | 03-22-80-03-41 |
| Hours: | Easter-Oct daily 8:30am-6:45pm; Nov-Mar daily 8:30am-5:15pm (until 6pm Sat) |
| Services: | Sunday mass at 10:15am, with Gregorian chanting |
| Cost: | Free |
| Tower: | MWF 3-4:30pm; Sat, Sun 2-5:15pm, €2.50 |
| Tours: | Daily 10:45am and 4:30pm, €5.50, free for children under 19. |
| Light show: | Daily June 15-30 at 10:45pm; July at 10:30pm; Aug at 10pm; Sept at 9:45pm; Dec 15-Jan 6 8pm. Free. |
Location Map
Location map and satellite view of Amiens Cathedral. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our France Map or get our Google Earth download.
Sources
- Bernhard Schütz, Great Cathedrals, 34-37.
- Rough Guide France
- Frommer's France
- Amiens Cathedral - UNESCO World Heritage List
- Amiens Cathedral - Structurae
- Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens - Cathédrales de France
- The complete guide to Picardy - Independent.co.uk, April 12, 2003
- The Amiens Cathedral Project – Columbia University (many captioned photos and drawings)
- Amiens Cathedral – Beloit University
