After Noyon we drove on to Amiens and spent one night at the Parc des Cygnes campground (which charges roughly 1 euro per hour for wifi; at so many others it is free). The next morning we drove into Amiens, looking for a camping
aire, never found it, but did find suitable free parking about a kilometer from the great church. Amiens Cathedral is one of the big three or four "classic" Gothic cathedrals in France, along with Chartres, Bourges, Reims, and maybe another few, all done in the late 12th-13th century. Amiens is the biggest and highest of them and also has notable sculpture. I'll divide our pix into three posts and then usual sacreligious out-takes.
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| West facade; we'll return to look at the portal sculptures later |
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Amiens has a maze, like Chartres; here Vicki has again found its
center |
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| Nave view; Amiens' immensity really is awe-inspiring... |
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Elevation...aisles, blind triforia, huge clerestory windows;
four-part vaulting |
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| Crossing, way, way up there |
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| From the crossing looking back west |
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| In one of the aisles, incredible height |
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| Apse-ward |
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Amiens has glass, but apparently not of the age nor quality
of Chartres; looks pretty good to me... |
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Even with the rose windows, it is the tracery you find
yourself impressed by, not so much the glass |
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The famous ribbon of leaves that runs the length of the cathedral between the aisle
and triforium |
1 comment:
I had always called the design on the floor of Chartres Cathedral a labyrinth, but noticed that you and Professor Cook call it a "maze." Interesting that there is one on the floor of Amiens. Every time we have been to Chartres, it has been covered up and sometimes even roped off. I read that Reims had one that was removed in the late 1700s.
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