Cathédrale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Vaast d'Arras

Arras

A Neoclassical nave of solemn austerity, rebuilt stone by stone from the ruins of 1918.

Originally built as the abbey church of the powerful abbey of Saint-Vaast, to designs by the architect Pierre Contant d'Ivry, it became the cathedral of Arras in 1804 after the destruction, under the Revolution, of the former cathedral of Notre-Dame-en-Cité. It was restored between 1920 and 1934 using modern reinforced-concrete techniques. Its treasury preserves the reliquary of the Holy Candle, object of the famous Marian miracle of 1105. Its classical architecture, vast and unadorned, stands in contrast to the Flamboyant Gothic of the other great churches of the North.

Getting there : Listed as a monument historique (Mérimée reference PA00107964); cathedral treasury open to visitors; free admission

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

Ambient sound