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Amiens Cathedral

13th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in FranceBasilica churches in FranceBuildings and structures completed in 1270Buildings and structures in AmiensBurial sites of the Herbertien dynasty
Churches in Somme (department)Gothic architecture in FranceLandmarks in FranceMonuments of the Centre des monuments nationauxRoman Catholic cathedrals in FranceWorld Heritage Sites in France
0 Amiens Cathédrale Notre Dame (1)
0 Amiens Cathédrale Notre Dame (1)

The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Amiens (French: Basilique Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic church. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administrative capital of the Picardy region of France, some 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Paris. The cathedral was built almost entirely between 1220 and c. 1270, a remarkably short period of time for a Gothic cathedral, giving it an unusual unity of style. Amiens is a classic example of the High Gothic style of Gothic architecture. It also has some features of the later Rayonnant style in the enlarged high windows of the choir, added in the mid-1250s.Its builders were trying to maximize the internal dimensions in order to reach for the heavens and bring in more light. As a result, Amiens Cathedral is the largest in France, 200,000 cubic metres (260,000 cu yd), large enough to contain two cathedrals the size of Notre Dame of Paris.The cathedral has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. Although it has lost much of its original stained glass, Amiens Cathedral is renowned for the quality and quantity of early 13th-century Gothic sculpture in the main west façade and the south transept portal, and a large quantity of polychrome sculpture from later periods inside the building.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Amiens Cathedral (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Amiens Cathedral
Place d'Aguesseau, Amiens

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N 49.895 ° E 2.3022222222222 °
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Cathédrale Notre-Dame (Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame)

Place d'Aguesseau
80000 Amiens
Hauts-de-France, France
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Amiens
Amiens

Amiens (English: or AM-ee-ənz; French: [amjɛ̃] ; Picard: Anmien, Anmiens or Anmyin) is a city and commune in northern France, located 120 km (75 mi) north of Paris and 100 km (62 mi) south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France and had a population of 135,429, as of 2021. A central landmark of the city is Amiens Cathedral, the largest Gothic cathedral in France. Amiens also has one of the largest university hospitals in France, with a capacity of 1,200 beds. The author Jules Verne lived in Amiens from 1871 until his death in 1905, and served on the city council for 15 years. Amiens is the birthplace of French president Emmanuel Macron. The town was fought over during both World Wars, suffering significant damage, and was repeatedly occupied by both sides. The 1918 Battle of Amiens was the opening phase of the Hundred Days Offensive which directly led to the Armistice with Germany. The Royal Air Force heavily bombed the town during the Second World War. In the aftermath, the city was rebuilt according to Pierre Dufau's plans with wider streets to ease traffic congestion. These newer structures were primarily built of brick, concrete and white stone with slate roofs. The architect Auguste Perret designed the Gare d'Amiens train station and nearby Tour Perret. Amiens has an important historical and cultural heritage, on which a significant amount of tourism is based. Apart from the cathedral, there is the hortillonnages, the Jules Verne House, the Tour Perret, the Musée de Picardie, the zoo, and the quarters of Saint-Leu and Saint-Maurice. A total of 60 monuments are listed in the inventory of monuments historiques, over 1600 places and monuments listed in the general inventory of cultural heritage, and 187 objects listed in the inventory of monuments historiques. During December, the town hosts the largest Christmas market in northern France. It is known for a few local foods, including "macarons d'Amiens", almond paste biscuits; "tuiles amienoises", chocolate and orange curved biscuits; "pâté de canard d'Amiens", duck pâté in pastry; "la ficelle Picarde", an oven-baked cheese-topped crêpe; and "flamiche aux poireaux", a puff pastry tart made with leeks and cream.

Tour Perret (Amiens)

Tour Perret (English: Perret Tower) is a 29-storey, 110 m (360 ft) residential skyscraper in Amiens, France. It has been described as France's first skyscraper, and was registered as a historic monument in 1975.Its building was part of a large scale reconstruction project helmed by architect Auguste Perret in the Place Alphone-Fiquet neighborhood, which also involved a rebuild of the nearby railway station. The design phase started as early as 1942, following extensive damages suffered by downtown Amiens during World War II. Perret intended it as an office building before authorities overruled him.Originally measuring 104 metre, Tour Perret was the highest, and the first 100-plus metre skyscraper built in France, although it was not the highest in Western Europe, as it has sometimes been written. The building actually fell slightly short of its intended height as its topmost part, a belfry adorned with a monumental clock, was never built due to delays and cost overruns.In 2005, the tower was finally completed with a so-called Sablier de lumière (English: Hourglass of Light) designed by architect Thierry Van de Wyngaert. It is a cube made of 192 active glass pannels whose transparency can be electrically adjusted, illuminated by twelve circular neon lamps which project different colors depending on the time of day. In 2017, the lighting system was redesigned and simplified for cost and practicality. The cube's addition brought the height of the building up to 110 metre.