Itinerary recommended for visiting Amiens
(Distance: 6½ miles)
Starting point: Place de la Cathédrale.
THE CATHEDRAL (historical monument)
The Cathedral at Amiens is the most perfect example of Gothic architecture extant, realizing as it does to the full, the possibilities of this style. According to Viollet-le-Duc, it is pre-eminently an “ogival church.”
The Cathedral is typical, both from an architectural point of view, and also on account of its statues, which form one of the finest collections of Middle-Age sculpture. From an iconographic standpoint, this statuary constitutes one of the most complete summaries of the religious thought of past centuries.
The Cathedral (see plan, [p. 22]) covers a ground surface of about 9,000 square yards. Measured on the outside, it has a total length of about 480 feet and a width of 230 feet at the transept. It is the largest church in France.
The construction of the principal façade and nave was begun in 1220, from plans prepared by the architect, Robert de Luzarches, who was succeeded in his task by Thomas de Cormont and afterwards by his son, Renaud de Cormont.
Although no Cathedral has ever been built in entire conformity with the original plans, that of Amiens was probably completed more quickly than any other, and with less alteration of the original designs.
In 1269, fifty years after the commencement of the building operations, there only remained to be built the upper portion of the west façade and the two great rose-windows of the transept.