Amiens Cathedral

Amiens Cathedral

Amiens Cathedral is one of the most glorious examples of mature gothic.

History

Amiens is a wealthy town in northern France, close to Belgium, in the Picardy region. Under the present cathedral, previously, there were two churches: before a Romanesque and after a Gothic, destroyed by a fire in 1218. After this fire, the bishop Evrard de Fouilloy built this cathedral in 1220. The work ended in 1288.

The patron saint is S. Firmino, mythical bishop and martyr of the fifth century, but is also venerated S. John Baptist because in the cathedral is preserved his skull. Amiens cathedral is more fortunate than many of the coeval churches because during the French Revolution, when was ordered the destruction of all the images of kings and saints, local authorities protected those of the cathedral. Later, the cathedral escaped the bombing of the two world wars, so its rich sculptural heritage has arrived to our present day virtually intact, though partially modified by the mediocre restorations of the nineteenth century.

We can analyze its plant, its façade, and its interior.

Plant

This cathedral, like medieval churches, is printed east to west. This means that the main door is to the east while the altar is to the west. The form is a Latin cross. We can recognize a narthex, which is the entrance foyer, and two lateral towers. There are 3 naves: a central nave and two side aisles. The naves are interrupted by the transept that is tripartite. After the transept, there is the choir (reserved for the clergy or monks, who performed services throughout the day) and the apse that is surrounded by the ambulatory. Around the ambulatory, there are 7 radial chapels.

Façade

The main façade of the cathedral is impressive. The construction is very high and reaches towards the sky. We can analyze 4 levels.

First level

On the first level, there are 3 portals. These portals are richly decorated with religious sculptures and statues about the stories of the Old and New Testament, especially in the archivolt. In the middle of the three doors, there is the trumeau, which is a carved pillar (it is a feature of Gothic architecture). One of these represents the coronation of the Virgin. Overall, the church has 9 portals: 3 for each side.

Second and third level

On the second level, there are two galleries. The higher gallery is called “The gallery of Kings” because there are the statues of the kings of Judea and Israel, fitted in the niches. On the third level, there is the typical rose window with a diameter greater than 11 meters.

Fourth level

On the fourth level, there are the final parts of the two lateral towers. To the left, there is the bell tower. Finial, niches, pinnacles, gable, crocket.