Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Beauvais

Beauvais

A Gothic building project pushed to the very limit of what was possible: this cathedral has the tallest Gothic choir in the world, 48.5 m under the vault, 15 m higher than that of Notre-Dame de Paris. In 1284, part of the vaults of this newly completed choir collapsed. Far from giving up, the builders then raised a lantern tower at the transept crossing aiming for 153 m — the tallest human structure of its time. Finished in 1569, it collapsed four years later, on Ascension Day 1573 itself, just after a procession had left the church. With funds now lacking to finance a nave, Beauvais cathedral remains, seven centuries later, permanently unfinished — a soaring choir with no nave, like an architect's dream cut short. The choir was rebuilt by doubling the pillars; the cause of the 1573 collapse is still debated, and is sought on the side of the crossing's slenderness rather than the foundations.

Getting there : Free access

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

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