Amiens Cathedral

A 13th-c Gothic cathedral located in the historic town of Amiens, N France. The largest cathedral in France, it was commissioned by Bishop Evrard de Fouilloy and construction began under architect Robert de Luzarches in 1220. It measures 145 m/476 ft in length, and the elaborately decorated exterior has a double-towered west facade and an immense rose window. Later additions include the installation of the grand organ (1549) and a 112 m/367 ft spire. Extensive restoration work was undertaken in the 19th-c by French architect Eugène Viollet-de-Duc. It was designated a world heritage site in 1981.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens), or just Amiens Cathedral, is the tallest complete cathedral in France with the greatest interior volume, estimated at 200,000 m³. This monumental cathedral is located in Amiens, the chief city of Picardy, in the Somme River valley a little over 100 kilometers north of Paris.

The paucity of documentation concerning the construction of the Gothic cathedral may be in part the result of fires that destroyed the chapter archives in 1218 and again in 1258, a fire that damaged the cathedral itself. Bishop Evrard de Fouilly initiated work on the cathedral in 1220. Robert de Luzarches was the architect until 1228, and was followed by Thomas de Cormont until 1258. The chronicle of Corbie gives a completion date for the cathedral of 1266. Numerous excellent sculptures can be viewed at this cathedral. The cathedral contains the alleged head of John the Baptist.

Statues of saints in the portal of the cathedral have been identified as the locally venerated Saints Victoricus and Gentian, Saint Domitius, Saint Ulphia, and Saint Fermin.