Church Interiors and Exteriors Provide Interesting Art and Architecture

France's Churches and Abbayes

I found the Cathedrals and Abbayes of France to be beautiful, artistic structures. Whenever possible I will try to visit the main Cathedral in a city, and I have been in many of the Churches of Paris.

Cathedrale Notre Dame, Reims, Champagne

Cathedrale Notre Dame is of Gothic style. All the kings of France, since the 11th century, were crowned here.

Cathedrale Notre Dame, St Omer, Nord and Picardy

The cathedrale has a beautiful organ and also contains an astronomical clock dating from 1588. The chancel dates from 1200, but construction occurred into the 16 century.

Cathedrale Notre Dame, Rouen, Normandy

A beautiful example of French Gothic architecture, construction began in the 12th century, but fire destroyed the structure. In the 13th century construction began anew, and additional construction has occurred as late as the 19th century. The cathederale was badly damaged in World War II, and restoration work has been going on for over 50 years.

Cathedrale Notre Dame, Amiens, Picardy

The cathedrale is the largest gothic building in France. It miraculously avoided destruction in World War II. There is a labyrinth on the main floor.

Cathedrale de Notre-Dame, Laon, Le Nord and Picardy

Completed in 1235 it was built in the early Gothic style. The large rose window represents the Glorification of the Church.

Cathedrale St-Pierre, Beauvais, Le Nord and Picardy

Visited specifically to see the 90,000 part astronomical clock built in the 1860's.

Abbeye de Jumieges, Normandy

Founded in 654, the main church dates from the 11th century.

Abbeye Suilly

Cathedrale, Arras, Le Nord and Picardy

Paris Churches

Sainte Chapelle

Fifteen large stained glass windows depicting more then 1,000 religious scenes and separated by narrow columns, are exceptional from the interior on a sunny day. The chapel was built in 1248. It is siad that King Louis IX built the chapel to house Christ's crown of thorns and a fragment of the cross. (I did not see these.) Wooden statues of the 12 apostles adorn the pillars of the upper chapel.

Notre Dame

Probably the most famous cathedrale in France and Paris, Notre Dame. The first stone was laid in 1163 and it is built on the site of a Roman temple. It is constructed in the Gothic style and has the beautiful flying buttresses with a span of 50 feet.

Pantheon

Constructed in a Neoclassical style, work began in 1764, but was secularized and desecularized and finally became a civic building in 1885.

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