France

Amiens Cathedral

WHS Score 3.42
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1.5

  • isabellemarais

2.0

  • Els Slots

2.5

  • Allan Berry
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  • Csaba Nováczky
  • Hubert
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3.0

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  • Pierre T
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  • Walter
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3.5

  • Alexander Lehmann
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4.0

  • Alexander Barabanov
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  • FrankW
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  • Ivan Rucek
  • Jakob Frenzel
  • Jean Lecaillon
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4.5

  • Aitia
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  • Rafał Kałczuga

5.0

  • Aspasia
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  • KeithBailey
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  • Rewal
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  • Zhenjun Liu

Amiens Cathedral has played an important role in the development of Gothic architecture, paving the way for the Flamboyant style.

The early 13th-century Cathedral has well-preserved its original features. It’s a very large church but with a lightness of structure. Its interior is rich in sculpted decoration and stained glass.

Community Perspective: It nowadays mostly stands out for its interior, which is like a religious art museum with fine sculptures, a floor labyrinth and religious relics such as the “head” of John the Baptist.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Amiens Cathedral (ID: 162)
Country
France
Status
Inscribed 1981 Site history
History of Amiens Cathedral
1981: Inscribed
Inscribed
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • i
  • ii
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Religious structure: Christian
  • Archaeological site: Near Eastern
Travel Information
Exact locations inscribed twice (or more)
Exact locations inscribed twice (or more)
Also part of 'Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France'
Ile-de-France Hotspot
Ile-de-France Hotspot
1h30 by train
Recent Connections
View all (38) .
Connections of Amiens Cathedral
Individual People
  • Napoleon was here
    Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul, accompanied by Joséphine de Beauharnais, visiting the cathedral and struck by the beauty and majesty of the building, is said to have pronounced this sentence: "Atheists must not be well here", on June 28, 1803. (wiki fr)
  • Edward I
    In 1279, the King of France Philip III the Bold and the King of England Edward I Plantagenet attended the translation of the relics of Saint Ulphe and Saint Firmin the Confessor into new shrines in Amiens Cathedral. (wiki fr)
Trivia
History
  • The Crusades
    The head of St. John the Baptist comes from the sack of Constantinople by the Crusaders in April 1204, during the Fourth Crusade, and was brought to Amiens in 1206. (wiki fr)
Architecture
  • Restored by Viollet-le-Duc
    "It was restored in the 19th century by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, opening up the choir with major restoration involving only the "Galerie des Sonneurs" above the façade, changing the style and aspect." (OUV)
  • Octagons
    The spire of the cathedral is made up of two octagonal floors whose base is surrounded by a balustrade. (wiki fr)
  • Gothic
  • Baroque
    The pulpit is a rather impressive baroque ensemble dating from 1773. The old rood screen was destroyed in 1755, and replaced by a baroque grille. The Baroque high altar was installed in 1751. It is surmounted by a glory, a grandiose sculpted group, occupying almost the entire apse and composed of large Baroque sculptures (in the French style) decorated with gold.

    See fr.wikipedia.org

  • Replicas within the WHS
    The statue of Jean de La Grange, damaged by erosion and pollution, was removed from the "Beau Pilier", a buttress of the north tower decorated with statues of eminent figures of the kingdom of France from the end of the 14th century, in 2003-2004 and replaced by a copy. It was restored in 2006. Since then, it has been kept at the Musée de Picardie in Amiens. - The front of the trumeau of the Saint-Honoré portal, is occupied by the statue of the Golden Virgin, a masterpiece of the 13th century. The original statue, threatened by bad weather, was transferred inside the cathedral in 1980 and replaced by a cast.

    See fr.wikipedia.org

Damaged
  • Destroyed by Hurricanes or Typhoons
    "Only a few of the original stained glass windows still remain; many were removed during the remodeling of the cathedral in the 18th century. Others were destroyed when the church was sacked by the Protestant Huguenots in 1561, by hurricanes in 1627 and 1705; by the explosion of a powder mill in 1675." (wiki en)
  • Damaged in World War I
    In July 1918, during the last German offensive in the west, the cathedral fell under fire from the German imperial troops, despite the intervention of the Pope with Emperor Wilhelm II. On April 4, a shell pierced the roof of the choir, without causing much damage. On the 25th of the same month, three shells hit the building. A buttress was then destroyed, the vault of the south aisle of the choir was pierced as well as the paving. A third shell destroyed the first bay of the south triforium and ripped open the organ bellows. A few days later, the vault of the Chapel of the Annunciation was pierced by a shell, the first flying buttress to the south of the apse was destroyed by another and a third hit the exterior of the cathedral near the sacristy.

    See fr.wikipedia.org

World Heritage Process
Religion and Belief
  • 12 Apostles
    On May 22, 1533, Bishop François de Halluin placed in a gilded silver reliquary, pieces of the True Cross, relics from the Holy Sepulchre, the table of the Last Supper, Saint Honoré, the apostle Saint Thomas, Saint Acheul, and the dalmatic of Thomas Becket; this reliquary was placed at the top of the spire, below the iron cross.

    See fr.wikipedia.org

  • Cathedrals
    Bas Cat de Notre Dame
  • Christian Pilgrimage Sites
    As part of the Route of Santiago de Compostela, but also because of the head of John the Baptist that became one of the most important relics in the North of France in the Middle Ages. (wiki fr)
  • Relics from John the Baptist
    The "head" was brought back as booty from Constantinople in 1206 from 4th crusade and was a partial raison d'etre for the cathedral's construction. Later "lost" but 19th century replica resides in a chapel.
  • Cephalophore statues
    Amiens Cathedral Western entrance- decapitated martyrs Victoricus and Gentian

    See www.alamy.com

  • Cadaver tombs
    Below the funerary monument of Jean de Sachy, Death is represented in the form of a decomposing corpse lying in a shroud suspended in the shape of a hammock.

    See fr.wikipedia.org

  • Legends and Folk Myths
    In the centre of the central portal, on the trumeau between the two door leaves, there is a statue of Christ the Savior, the "Beau-Dieu d'Amiens", a magnificent representation of Christ. According to legend, the sculptor had no inspiration to create the statue. God appeared to him in the middle of the night. The next morning, the sculptor was found dead, with the statue of the Beau Dieu at his side. (wiki fr)
  • Marian Shrines
    Amiens Cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. (wiki fr)
  • Religious Relics
    Apart from the head of John the Baptist, the cathedral also holds the relics of the saints Fermin, Honoratus of Amiens, Ulphia, Theudosia of Amiens and Marie-Nicolas-Antoine Daveluy, one of the Korean Martyrs. (wiki fr)
Human Activity
  • Textiles
    The creation of wealth linked to the trade in drapery and woad explains why in the cathedral, the axial chapel of the Virgin was originally dedicated to "Our Lady the draper" (Notre-Dame drapière). (wiki fr)
Constructions
  • Tombs
    "(...) the cathedral houses two bronze tombs, which are extremely rare testimonies to 13th century foundry techniques: that of Geoffroy d'Eu and especially that of Evrard de Fouilloy (+ 1222), the bishop who in 1220 undertook the reconstruction of Notre-Dame d'Amiens." (AB Ev 1981)

    See fr.wikipedia.org

  • Prison
    Belfry was used as a prison in the 13th century (Wells, Heaven on Earth, p258).
  • Prayer Labyrinth
    The Labyrinth of Amiens Cathedral is an octagonal church labyrinth formed by the pavement of the nave. It was laid in 1288 in the middle of the nave by the master builder Renaud de Cormont.

    See fr.wikipedia.org

  • Historical Organs
    The great organ of Amiens Cathedral, built in 1422, is one of the oldest and highest in France (17 m above the ground).

    See fr.wikipedia.org

  • Sundial
    On the south face of the south tower of the west façade, at the level of the western buttress, we can see a sundial, surmounted by the statue of an angel.

    See upload.wikimedia.org

WHS on Other Lists
  • Ramsar Wetlands
    Marais et tourbières des vallées de la Somme et de l’Avre
Timeline
WHS Hotspots
Science and Technology
  • Astronomy and Astrology
    The Zodiac of Amiens Cathedral is a set of bas-reliefs located on the foundations of the great façade of Notre-Dame Cathedral at the level of the Saint-Firmin portal (north portal, left). It is presented as a series of medallions, sculpted in the form of quatrefoils, and presents an agricultural calendar which establishes a correspondence between the signs of the zodiac and the work of the months.

    See fr.wikipedia.org

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Community Reviews

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First published: 22/05/19.

Jakob Frenzel

Amiens Cathedral

Amiens Cathedral (Inscribed)

Amiens Cathedral by Jakob Frenzel

July 2018 - Roadtrip to Normandy.

What a cathedral. In this trip we visited many cathedrals and cannot decide, which one was the most beautiful. But Amiens was the first french cathedral and definitely ranges on top. The whole city is strongly linked to grand guerre and artwork depicts old fotos of soldiers on the house walls. When we were there, the city was covered in umbrellas, also nice. After visiting Amiens there are many WW I tentative sites nearby to visit. We went first east to Albert, before going further West.

 

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First published: 12/06/16.

Tom Livesey

Amiens Cathedral

Amiens Cathedral (Inscribed)

Photo by Jurre

I went to Amiens with 3 friends in April 2016, driving from Calais after having passed through the "Chunnel". The area close to the Eurotunnel’s southern end is rich in World Heritage Sites. Options included the city of Bruges, the 56 Belfries of of Belgium and France or even the 108 component parts of the Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin.

Seeing mounds of slag or individual bell-towers wasn’t quite enough to excite us, though, so the city of Amiens was chosen as our primary port of call.

We spent both our nights there in the city’s historic centre, drinking by the attractive Somme riverside.

The cathedral is imposing, impressive, clean and free to enter. We enjoyed the "stone encyclopaedia" on its main façade and the 42 metre high nave.

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First published: 14/03/16.

Hubert

Amiens Cathedral

Amiens Cathedral (Inscribed)

Amiens Cathedral by Hubert

Amiens was one of five Gothic cathedrals on the WH list, which we visited on our trip through northern France in summer 2015, so it can be said that I have physically experienced the over-representation of this category. Having said that, I must admit that the Amiens Cathedral was my favourite Gothic cathedral.

The exterior is very similar to the cathedral in Reims: the impressive size, the elaborate sculptures on the west portal, the striking rose window. The construction of both cathedrals started around the same time in the early 13th century. But the real surprise was the interior, in particular how bright it is, an excellent example for light-flooded Gothic architecture. Amiens has the highest nave of all WHS cathedrals, but it is also a filigree and elegant construction. And there are a lot of notable artworks: the wood carvings of the choir stalls, many polychrome sculptures, and the marble pulpit. The floor is tiled in striking black-and-white geometric patterns. In the centre of the pattern is the labyrinth. Unlike in Chartres, it is not the original from the Middle Ages because it was destroyed during the French Revolution. The new labyrinth was built true to the original at the beginning of the 19th century. But the big plus in Amiens: the labyrinth is not covered with chairs, it is visible!

We also visited the light show at night that recreates the original colours of the façade. It was much better than expected. The colours were projected onto the …

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First published: 29/09/15.

Anonymous

Amiens Cathedral

Amiens Cathedral (Inscribed)

Photo by Jurre

My wife and I took a train to Amiens from Paris in July to watch the end of Stage 5 of the Tour de Paris. We arrived early enough to walk around the town center and spend om time in the cathedral.

As a history teacher I knew of the history of the cathedral (its height, the cracks, the chain, etc) but it was thrilling to see them.

While it is sad that the cathedral has lost most of its stained glass to the World Wars the fact that most of the glass is now clear makes the cathedral much more illuminated than others and really accents the height of the structure.

Like others I found the statues to be amazing the and the WWI memorials to be quite touching.

Unfortunately,didn't get to linger long after the race as several open air restaurants looked quite good and the prices were much lower than Paris.

Hope to return.

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First published: 15/06/15.

Anonymous

Amiens Cathedral

Amiens Cathedral (Inscribed)

Photo by Jurre

Al Mettel was a popular American artist who made his living and financed his travels from his art. Among his specialties were churches, including many of the most significant of France. One of those he painted as the Cathedral of Amiens in a view from a river bridge. As far back as I can remember that picture hung in my room, usually over my bed. I still have it some 60 years later. It's one of my most cherished possessions, although it's of no great monetary value.

Art became life in 1989 when I was traveling in Europe in the early winter. It was cold and foggy on the train from Bruxelles to Paris and we stopped briefly in Amiens. I looked out the window and immediately recognized the Cathedral from the picture in my room. I hurriedly got off the train and slowly made my way through the damp fog to the church which looked almost surreal in the golden light from the street lamps along my way. By the time I got to the Cathedral it was closed and deserted. I walked around it twice, took a few pictures, and made my way back to the train station to wait for the next train to Paris.

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First published: 13/09/12.

Anonymous

Amiens Cathedral

Amiens Cathedral (Inscribed)

Photo by Jurre

My brother and I visited Amiens in Sept. 2011 as a 2 day stopover as part of our WW1 Battlefields tour. We were fortunate enough to be shown around this magnificent Cathedrale. We were also lucky enough to be shown around the internal balcony and out on the roof. The floor takes on a different perspective about 20 metres up. I have no religious interest at all but found this cathedral fascinating, the architecture and the sheer size were most impressive. From the right angle you can see the bend in the timber spire, and the laser light show is worth a look too.

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First published: 07/09/12.

Clyde

Amiens Cathedral

Amiens Cathedral (Inscribed)

Amiens Cathedral by Clyde

I visited this WHS in Summer 2011. The flying buttresses of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens were immediately visible from far away as I approached Amiens by car. The West front of the cathedral with the rose window is amazing and has several gothic sculptures. It is also the tallest complete cathedral in France. Worth visiting together with the Amiens belfry (also a WHS).

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First published: 09/02/12.

Anonymous

Amiens Cathedral

Amiens Cathedral (Inscribed)

Photo by Jurre

I'm sorry to inform our Austrian friend above that there are not at least 20 other cathedrals in France very similar to Amiens . In fact only Chartres and Reims compare in terms of the quantity and quality of statuary on the facade . Only Reims and Bourges compare in terms of vastness of interior space. There are 7 ' plus grande Cathedrales de France ' as the french call them - " Reims, Chartres, Amiens , Bourges , Albi , Strasbourg , Rouen " .

There are many fine ones other than those , but they're mostly about half the size and have suffered over the ceunturies more . The flamboyant window tracery in Amiens is shared only by two other Cathedrals , those of Beauvais and Evreux . The remarkable symbolic quatrefoil carvings on the stylobate ( the bit above the steps and below the porches ! ) are only repeated at one other cathedral - Auxerre -( OK , and a little bit at Metz too - but that's it ! ) . Amiens is France's and Europe's most elegant Cathedral . The fact that it has lost 80 per cent of it's stained glass does not detract from this . Not as immediatley dramatic inside as Reims or Angers - it (to me anyway ) is France's finest building - period !

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First published: 08/01/10.

Ian Cade

Amiens Cathedral

Amiens Cathedral (Inscribed)

Amiens Cathedral by Ian Cade

I was very impressed with this cathedral. It had been a few years since I visited a huge French gothic cathedral and therefore I wasn’t suffering from the fatigue that could easily spoil a trip to this site. The cathedral is huge and surprisingly uniform, as it was built in a very swift amount of time for a Gothic cathedral.

The interior is massive and contains some fine sculptures and great stained glass. Also I was happy to see the labyrinth on the floor has remained uncovered, as several other cathedrals I have visited have frustratingly places chairs over their own versions.

Perhaps the most impressive thing for me was the incredible mass of sculptures on the western facade (the ‘main entrance’). It was a truly superb ensemble, the finest Gothic sculptural grouping I have seen and that was what set it apart from the many other gothic cathedrals I have visited.

Amiens itself is a nice city, but not especially pretty, however it had a very friendly atmosphere and some nice shops and cafes. Of particular note was the very friendly cafe Jean Trogneux on the square overlooking the western façade of the Cathedral.

I missed the light show (Son et lumière) which lights up the cathedral’s statues to reveal their original colourings. When I first heard of this I thought it was something of a tourist trap however from the images I have seen it looks magnificent and also shows the cathedral in its original Polychromatic light that …

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First published: 09/05/08.

Anonymous

Amiens Cathedral

Amiens Cathedral (Inscribed)

Photo by Jurre

A must see in Amiens, France is the niche in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, the largest Cathedral in France, where the relic: the head of John the Baptist is displayed. The relic was brought back from Constantinople (modern Istanbul) in 1206 after the sacking of the city by the Fourth Crusade. The face is mummy like and covered by a large polished crystal to preserve it for deterioration. The authenticity has not been studied by scientist but it has been venerated since the 13th century by a steady stream of pilgrims. This relic at the very least has historical and artistic value as well as being a testament to the faith of the people who found religious significance in its presence. The People of the 21st century may be skeptics or repulsed, but the people of by-gone generations were more simple in their faith. They used such objects to enliven their faith. This alone gives this relic significance. The fact that it has endured in Amiens Cathedral for more then 9 centuries, surviving the French Revolution and two World Wars makes it worth a visit. The cathedral is breathtaking; the architecture is inspiring; and when we were there an Australia Anglican coir was singing sacred songs, which gave it an angelic sound to match the beautiful artifacts.

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First published: 01/08/06.

Klaus Freisinger

Amiens Cathedral

Amiens Cathedral (Inscribed)

Photo by Jurre

Like some other reviewers here, I´ve seen my share of big cathedrals, and sometimes they seem to blur in memory. What´s unique about the one in Amiens ? Not that much, although it is very big and definitely beautiful. I just can´t say why it would merit WH status, since there must be at least twenty very similar cathedrals in France alone.

Having said that, when you are anywhere in the area, you should go to Amiens, since the town is very nice and pleasant and it gives you the benefit of seeing three WH sites for the price of one, so to speak: besides the cathedral, the belfry, which is just a few minutes walk from the cathedral, is part of the "Belfries of Belgium and France", and - something I only noticed on a plaque inside the church - the cathedral is also part of the "Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France"!

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First published: 27/05/06.

Els Slots

Amiens Cathedral

Amiens Cathedral (Inscribed)

Amiens Cathedral by Els Slots

Amiens was an important town in the Middle Ages, but nowadays is rather inconspicuous. It has a lot of modern buildings (and a second WHS, the Belfry). The 13th-century Cathedral is located in a built-up area, among shopping streets. It's in good condition. The facade is its most striking point: with many fine sculptural details, especially above the doors.

The inside of the church is like a religious art museum. There's for example a fascinating sculpture of a weeping angel (which became a popular postcard for soldiers in WWI). Also remarkable is the alleged head of John the Baptist. This relic was brought from Constantinople by Wallon de Sarton as he was returning from the Fourth Crusade.

After visiting this site, I wondered how many Gothic cathedrals the List can handle. And which one is the oldest / purest / biggest / most beautiful? In his Comparative Study Of Gothic Churches, carried out for ICOMOS in 1988, the distinguished Swiss expert Professor Peter Kurmann identified no less than 15 churches eligible for a priority list (and that doesn't include the ones inscribed pre-1988, like Amiens and Chartres). So there are still more of those to come.

From his report, we also learn that the cathedrals of Seville, Milan and Cologne are the largest Gothic cathedrals in the world. I would say that Amiens' unique selling point lies in its sculptures.

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