Cathédrale Saint Pierre de Beauvais

Saint-Pierre Cathedral dominates the city of Beauvais with its prodigious dimensions: its 13th-century Gothic choir, 48 m high under vaulted ceiling, is the highest in history and, above all, the most slender: a glass cage rising more than 20 m above the ambulatory - impressive! The famous medievalist architect Viollet-le-Duc called it the "Parthenon of French architecture". Had it been completed, Beauvais Cathedral would have been the largest Gothic building in the world. But the ups and downs of its 350-year construction, and the profound changes in society during this period, prevented its completion, and the nave was never built. As a unique consequence, two cathedrals still stand side by side in Beauvais, as if suspended between two eras. The former cathedral, known as "la Basse ?uvre", offers a precious testimony to the architecture of the year 1000. An audio-guided tour in five European languages is available to help you discover it. In addition to its valuable furnishings, the cathedral boasts two astronomical clocks: the oldest carillon clock still in operation, and the most complex mechanical clock ever built. An audio-visual presentation in five European languages is available. In particular, you can watch the "Last Judgement" scene performed by its 68 automatons.