Cathédrale Saint-Front de Périgueux

Périgueux

A Greek-cross plan crowned with five domes that has no equivalent in France: its model is thought to be St Mark's Basilica in Venice, itself inspired by the lost church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. Built from 1120 after a fire that ravaged the previous building, plundered by the Huguenots in 1575 — who threw the relics of Saint Front into the Dordogne —, it did not officially become a cathedral until 1669. Its domes, judged too badly decayed, were hidden under a slate-covered timber roof from the 1760s before being restored and brought back to light during the works of Paul Abadie at the end of the 19th century — the same architect who would go on to build the basilica of the Sacré-Cœur in Paris, drawing its inspiration directly from Périgueux.

Getting there : Free admission

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

Ambient sound