Basilique Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens, June 24th
Medieval cathedral builders were trying to maximize the internal dimensions in order to reach for the heavens and bring in more light. In that regard, the Amiens cathedral is the tallest complete cathedral in France, its stone-vaulted nave reaching an internal height of 42.30 metres (138.8 ft). It also has the greatest interior volume of any French cathedral, estimated at 200,000 cubic metres (260,000 cu yd). We heard that it is large enough to fit 2 of the Paris Notre Dame Cathedrals inside. The cathedral was built between 1220 and c. 1270 and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.
Amiens Cathedral
Amiens Cathedral
Amiens Cathedral
Amiens Cathedral
Interior Decoration
Amiens Cathedral
Ghastly Interior Decorations!
Amiens Cathedral
Pulpit
Amiens Cathedral
Having a really bad day - probably sainted later though
Amiens Cathedral
The famous Weeping Angel, a 17th-century sculpture on a tomb in the ambulatory, directly behind the high altar.
Amiens Cathedral
The Weeping Angel
Amiens Cathedral
Amiens Cathedral
Amiens Cathedral
Amiens Cathedral
The Choir is a massive carved wood edifice.
Amiens Cathedral
Close up of the carved wood of the Choir
Amiens Cathedral
Even closer close up of the carved wood of the Choir
John The Baptist's Head (?)
The initial impetus for the building of the cathedral came from the installation of the reputed head of John the Baptist on 17 December 1206. The head was part of the loot of the Fourth Crusade, which had been diverted from campaigning against the Turks to sacking of Constantinople, the great capital of the Byzantine Empire.
WWI Memorial - New Zealand
The Battle of Amiens, also known as the Third Battle of Picardy, was the opening phase of the Allied offensive which began on 8 August 1918, later known as the Hundred Days Offensive, that ultimately led to the end of the First World War. Allied forces advanced over 11 kilometres (7 mi) on the first day, one of the greatest advances of the war, with Gen Henry Rawlinson's British Fourth Army (with 9 of its 19 divisions supplied by the fast moving Australian Corps of Lt Gen John Monash and Canadian Corps of Lt Gen Arthur Currie) playing the decisive role. The battle is also notable for its effects on both sides' morale and the large number of surrendering German forces. This led Erich Ludendorff to describe the first day of the battle as "the black day of the German Army". Amiens was one of the first major battles involving armoured warfare.
There are several memorials in the Amiens Cathedral honoring the fallen soldiers from several different countries...
WWI Memorial - US
WWI Memorial - Newfoundland, Canada
WWI Memorial - Australia
WWI Memorial - Canada
WWI Memorial - Great Britain & Ireland
Amiens Cathedral
The Central Nave and Apse
Amiens Cathedral
Central nave
Amiens Cathedral
The central nave, looking back at the main entrance with rose window
