The cathedral and its episcopal quarter

Under the Ancien Régime, the area surrounding the cathedral included the bishop's residence (the episcopal palace) and the buildings that witnessed the life of the canons. The canons originally lived in a community organized around the cloister (refectory, dormitory, etc.), before opening up to the neighborhood and moving into houses on the cathedral's outskirts from the ^11th-12th centuries. Other buildings were added to the district, including the collegiate church of Notre-Dame du Châtel and the César tower, which must have served as the cathedral's bell tower and the chapter's prison.

This episcopal and canonical district was dismantled from the end of the ^18th century onwards, with the progressive destruction of the ramparts, collegiate churches and canonical houses. It then underwent the drastic destruction of the Second World War in 1940.

Today, the former episcopal district remains the historic heart of Beauvais, a museum district with an artistic and cultural vocation, bringing together Beauvais's defining landmark, Saint-Pierre Cathedral, as well as the MUDO-Musée de l'Oise and the Quadrilatère-centre d'art, which will reopen their doors to the public in 2025, on March 22 and April 5 respectively.

For further information:

Mudo - Musée de l'Oise

The Quadrilateral