Amiens Cathedral, or Notre-Dame d'Amiens, is a Gothic cathedral in the city of Amiens in northern France and the largest in France by interior volume. Work began in 1220 after the previous cathedral had been destroyed by fire, under Bishop Evrard de Fouilloy and the architect Robert de Luzarches, and the main structure was finished in about half a century, which explains its unusual unity of style. Its facade has many carved figures, and the church houses a relic said to be the head of John the Baptist, brought from Constantinople. The soaring nave rises to forty-two metres. The cathedral was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981, and it is considered one of the finest examples of the High Gothic style.
Before and after
- 23 September 1215Birth of Kublai Khan
- 1218Founding of University of Salamanca
- from 1219 to 1258Mongol invasion of Persia and Mesopotamia
- from December 1219 to February 1220Otrar Catastrophe
- 1220Construction of Notre-Dame d'Amiens
- 1220Construction of Notre-Dame de Chartres
- 1220Construction of York Minster
- 1220Construction of Salisbury Cathedral
- 1220Siege of Samarkand
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The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 13th century.