Centre des monuments nationaux

Come and visit Amiens Cathedral, one of the finest examples of Gothic sacred art and a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are magnificent views over the town from the top of the towers.

Visiting the towers of Amiens Cathedral

• The two towers (14th and 15th centuries). Their symmetry adds to the harmony of the facade. The town and the 112.7-metre-high spire may be admired from the terraces.

• The statues (13th century). The statues are particularly elaborate. The central figure of the Christ, known as the ‘Beau Dieu', has recently had part of its original polychrome decoration restored. The Gallery of the Kings has 22 colossal statues dating from the first half of the 13th century.

• The interior. There is a major collection of funerary monuments dating from the 12th to the 18th century, a polychrome sculpted choir tower from the 14th and 15th centuries, and an outstanding set of 110 16th-century sculpted choir-stalls with over 4,000 figures and impressive 18th-century decorative work.

Understanding the towers of Amiens Cathedral

• Great stylistic unity. The cathedral was built in the 12th century but largely rebuilt between 1220 and 1270, after the cathedrals at Chartres and Reims. The form of its chevet was copied elsewhere up to the end of the Middle Ages. During restoration in the 19th century, Viollet-le-Duc principally worked on the corner towers which house the staircases, on the balustrades at the top of the towers, on the gargoyles and on the Galerie des Sonneurs.