Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Noyon

Noyon

Few sanctuaries have seen so much of the history of France pass through them. In the 6th century, Saint Medard transferred the episcopal see from Saint-Quentin, too exposed to raids, to Noyon. A century later, the most famous of his successors was Saint Eligius (Éloi), the goldsmith turned adviser to King Dagobert and bishop of Noyon from 641 to 660: the patron saint of goldsmiths and blacksmiths, hero of the popular song, led the Church of Noyon and evangelised the north of the kingdom, leaving the town a treasury of relics and a lasting devotion. In this Carolingian cathedral, Charlemagne was crowned King of Neustria in 768; in 987, it was again at Noyon that Hugh Capet was elected King of the Franks, founding the Capetian dynasty. After a great fire in 1131, the chapter undertook around 1145 a daring reconstruction: Notre-Dame de Noyon became one of the very first Gothic cathedrals in France, with its four-storey elevation and its east end with radiating chapels, a building campaign contemporary with Saint-Denis and earlier than Notre-Dame de Paris. Restored in the 20th century, it preserves a rare canonical precinct — cloister, chapter house, half-timbered library and rood-screen building, selected in 2024 by the Mission Patrimoine. Beneath its light-filled vaults still lingers the memory of good Saint Eligius and of the two coronations that made kings.

Getting there : Place du Parvis, in the centre of Noyon. Noyon railway station 10 minutes' walk away; town-centre car parks. Canonical precinct (cloister, chapter house, rood-screen building) around the cathedral.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound