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Saint Peter's Cathedral
800 years of splendor

800 years of splendor

A SETTING OF STONE AND GLASS

By the middle of the 12th century, technical innovations were renewing architectural concepts. The cross vault, combined with the flying buttress, made it possible to build brighter, much taller churches, while lightening their structure. Builders also use iron tie-rods to hold vaults and buttresses together. Iron is also used to reinforce ogives or windows, and even to encircle certain parts of a building. Following in the footsteps of the famous Abbey of Saint-Denis, the cradle of Gothic art, Picardy underwent a tremendous architectural revival, stimulated by a favorable economic context.

A symbol of the city's identity, the 13th-century cathedral is emblematic of the urban renaissance. People flocked here to pray, to negotiate and even to chat. Today, it's hard to imagine the hustle and bustle that once reigned here! In 1225, when the Basse-Œuvre was damaged by fire, Milon de Nanteuil, Count-Bishop of Beauvais, seized the opportunity to build a new cathedral that would surpass all others.

THE WORLD'S HIGHEST GOTHIC CHOIR

The upper part of the choir was probably built according to the plans of a Parisian master mason. The lower part of the choir was built between 1225 and 1232. The lower level, comprising the large arcades of the central nave, the ambulatory and the radiating chapels, was built between 1240 and 1250. Incessant quarrels between the king, the bishop and the Commune, as well as a recurring lack of funds, slowed down or even interrupted the construction work, which lasted almost 50 years. Hence the changes made to the initial plan during
during the course of the project. For example, the upper sections, dated between 1250 and 1260, are higher than originally planned. A harmonious combination of glass
dedicated to Saint Peter, was consecrated in 1272. Visible from miles around, it reached an unprecedented vaulted height of
48,5 m. In November 1284, the upper sections of the choir collapsed. The extent of the damage is put into perspective, as evidenced by the minimal
damage to the roof structure. In fact, a large part of this immense wooden vessel, which recent analyses date to
1257, is original. As the prodigious height of the choir was considered a factor of instability, restorers in the Middle Ages set out to consolidate it, adding pillars and rebuilding most of its upper sections. The repairs,
completed around 1340, radically transformed the original appearance of the monument, reducing the wide openings that had given it its spectacular spatial scale. The Hundred Years' War, followed by a series of troubles, paralyzed economic activity, bringing construction of the cathedral to a halt.

THE TRANSEPT BY MARTIN CHAMBIGES

In 1500, the chapter of canons relaunched the work begun in the late 13th century, entrusting it to the renowned Parisian master builder Martin Chambiges. In addition to building a transept and providing the cathedral with a monumental entrance, he also stabilized the choir. He therefore set about restoring the choir, while at the same time building a transept designed to effectively counterbalance it. The portals and lower sections of the transept were completed around 1520, while the walls of the upper sections, built between 1520 and 1540, became progressively thinner. To avoid weakening the edifice, the end bays of each arm have no openings. The internal architectural structure of the transept is well thought-out, particularly the vaults of the Sacré-Coeur chapel, built around 1512, and the Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul chapel, completed around 1520. In addition to ogives, tiercerons and liernes are used to create a refined decoration on the surface of each of these vaults, characteristic of flamboyant art.

Martin Chambiges died in 1532, and Jean Vast fils, François Mareschal and Michel de Lalict, the master masons who had worked on his project, took over. The north arm was covered in 1538 and the south arm vaulted in 1550. In 1534, however, they took the initiative of erecting a lantern tower, which upset the fragile balance achieved by Chambiges. It was impossible for the choir and transept, which should have been supported by a nave, to bear such a heavy load.

This tower, completed in 1569, was 80 m high above the transept, which was itself 60 m high. It collapsed in 1573, destroying two 13th-century pillars in the process. The damaged parts were immediately repaired, as indicated by the dates inscribed on the vaults on either side of the transept crossing: 1577 and 1578.

In 1600, master mason Martin Candelot was commissioned to build the nave, the 1st bay of which was completed in 1604. However, due to a lack of funds, the project was abandoned and Saint-Pierre Cathedral was never completed. This unfinished state is the cause of the cathedral's instability, and its structures must be regularly maintained and consolidated.
be regularly maintained and consolidated.

As an architectural expression of the bishop's power, it had to surpass other cathedrals in the vicinity: Amiens, Rouen, Senlis and Paris. Today, it remains the tallest Gothic building in the world.