I was surprised by how attractive we found Beauvais to be. For some reason my expectations were modest - maybe because it was sandwichedbetween a two night stay in Senlis and three in Amiens, both of which I was quite excited to see. But even though we were in Senlis two nights we hardly saw the town at all other than the small square near our castle/B&B. We were worn out when we arrived the first night and rained out the second night so we never walked over to see the core of the historical city at all.
But our stay in Beauvais was different. It helped that we had fine weather on both the evening we arrived and the morning after and that we really liked our hotel; but it really helped that our hotel was only two short blocks from the cathedral and the attractions beneath its towering, immense presence. It made it an easy decision to walk around in the evening after dinner and again the following morning after breakfast.
The big attraction in Beauvais (literally, because it is such a huge and imposing structure) is of course the Saint-Pierre Cathedral. A gothic construction begun in the 13th century, it has the highest gothic choir in the world and for a period of time in the mid-16th century it was the highest man made structure worldwide. Remarkably it was never completed, having been the victim of two collapses, the result perhaps of shortcomings in the design or the rush to make it the largest gothic structure in existence.
It as awe-inspiring to contemplate from the outside, your neck craned up at its flying buttresses and gargoyles soaring impossibly high above. It sounds like it is also exceptional inside as well, but it was not open at the hours we were in town. If we’re ever in the region again I’d like to return to Beauvais for a look inside.
Note the lateral steel rods high up on the cathedral. These are lateral supports for the flying buttresses. The cathedral is also heavily braced in the interior, and research is underway to see what if anything can be done to preserve the structure.
The lower structure on the left is the Basse Œuvre (the lower work). Now a parish church, it dates to the 10th century and predates the newer cathedral (the Nouvel-Œuvre). The Basse Œuvre occupies the space intended for the nave of the cathedral, which was never built.
At the northeast corner of the cathedral running along Rue Jean Racine are the remnants of Gallo-Roman walls dating from the third century. A portal through the wall leads to a courtyard beneath the cathedral, in which stands another remarkable structure - a well preserved peasant house dating from 1410. It is the oldest remaining domestic structure in Beauvais, and its timber frame and cob structure is representative of the typical houses in the neighborhoods surrounding the cathedral which were destroyed in 1940.
The northeast corner of the cathedral is lined by Gallo-Roman walls dating to the third century.
Keith AdamsMuch more attractive in the long run than the wrought-iron fences and giant concrete flower pots that adorn Federal buildings in Washington, DC. Reply to this comment 2 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Keith AdamsYes. They should take a tip. Melanie has probably seen places like this, you’d think she’d have had some input. Reply to this comment 2 years ago
A fountain on Rue Carnot, with the gate of the Episcopal Palace a few blocks behind. I see that Beauvais Fountain is a type, so I wonder if this is the prototype.
