Tournai Cathedral, or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Tournai, in the Belgian province of Hainaut, is one of the most important Romanesque cathedrals in Europe. Its nave and transepts are in the Romanesque style, with a transept ending in rounded apses, and its choir is in the early Gothic style, a mix that reflects the long time that it took to build. It is notable for its five towers, which rise over the crossing and the transepts. The cathedral was a prominent building in a city that was a centre of church power in the Middle Ages, and was damaged in a tornado in 1999 and restored. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000.
Before and after
- from c. 1100s to 1450sGreat Zimbabwe rises
- 12th centuryConstruction of Basilica of Saint-Denis
- 12th centuryConstruction of Urnes Stave Church
- from 12th century to 16th centuryConstruction of Reading Abbey
- 12th centuryConstruction of Tournai Cathedral
- 1101Crusade of 1101
- from 1102 to 1109Siege of Tripoli
- 1106Construction of Gelati Monastery
- from 1107 to 1110Norwegian Crusade
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 802 CEConstruction of Angkor Wat
- from 2 February 962 CE to 6 August 1806Holy Roman Empire
- 990 CEConstruction of Château de Montsoreau
- from c. 1113 to 1150Suryavarman II builds Angkor Wat
- 1193Origins of Chernobyl
- 1373Construction of Leaning Tower of Pisa
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes.