Macaron and Macron - Amiens Cathedral 162; Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France 868; Belfries of Belgium and France 943
What and Why
The Amiens Cathedral (French: Basilique Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens) is a Roman Catholic church overlooking the River Somme in Amiens. The cathedral is peculiar in two aspects: one being the highest in France and the other is the asymmetry of the two towers which is very unusual.
This is the first UNESCO WHS in this series that carries the honour of holding more than 100% of WHS: Amiens Cathedral is itself a WHS with reference 162. It also forms part of the many sites that contribute to the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France of reference 868, and the city's belfry is part of the Belfries of Belgium and France of reference 943.
Toponymy
The toponym is derived from the name of the local Gallic people the Ambiani (Gaulish: Ambiāni), meaning 'those people around'.
See
Amiens Cathedral (Notre-Dame d'Amiens)
In many senses, the construction of this splendid cathedral is a distinguished masterpiece amongst its peers. The basic cathedral was built almost entirely during the mid-13th century CE, a remarkably short period of time for a Gothic cathedral, giving it an unusual consistent style, compared with other contemporaries, especially when one observes the delicate nature of the sculptures around the church.
Mediaeval cathedral builders were trying to maximise the internal dimensions in order to symbolise the reach for the heavens and bring in more light. In that regard, Amiens Cathedral shows a unparalleled majesty through its sheer size: It is the largest cathedral in France with a height of more than 42 m with the largest internal volume. The
front façade of the cathedral shows artistic peculiarity with its three-tier structure: the basic porch-vaults, the mid-levels of sculptures and the rose window, and then the asymmetric towers.
The mid-level of sculptures are 22 life-size kings, which stretches across the entire façade beneath the rose window. Above the rose window there is an open arcade, the sound gallery (galerie des sonneurs).
The two towers were built separately after the construction of the cathedral structure, and were built without close regard to each other: the south tower being finished in 1366 CE, the higher north one in early 15th century CE. The cathedral front facade shows a strong resemblance to the Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris (Notre-Dame de Paris), except for the two asymmetrical towers.
The highly remarkable front portals of the cathedral are famous for their elaborate sculptures, which is literally all the biblical stories carved in stone. The central portal is dedicated to the Last Judgement, the left portal to the martyr Saint Firmin (Spanish: Fermín); and the right portal to the Virgin Mary (Aramaic: מרים, Maryam). It was also discovered recently that the front façade of the cathedral was originally painted in multiple colours, and with modern lighting techniques, this is projected onto the façade at night. It is very likely that the colours were washed away as a result of age and acid rain attack.
The central spire of the cathedral, called the flèche, was sculptured with a good number of elaborate biblical statues. However most people will miss the spire as it is not that easily visible from the front portal.
The cathedral was originally built to house the relic of John the Baptist's (Hebrew: יוחנן המטביל, Yaḥyā) skull, found during the Fourth Crusade. The relic and its box is now lost. Observe the unusually high ceiling of the nave to symbolise heaven.
The highly impressive Baroque altar.
As in many other French cathedrals, the nave features a labyrinth, symbolising the long and complicated journey towards salvation. This labyrinth is a replica of the original, done in the 19th century CE.
Belfry (Beffroi)
The Belfry of Amiens (Beffroi d'Amiens) origin dates back to the establishment of the commune of Amiens by Louis VI (né Louis Capet), and roughly constructed during the mid-13th century CE. Symbolising the independence of the commune, it was formerly used for meetings of the notables of the city and then as archive rooms, weapons store and prison. As in other European constructions, this belfry has suffered and survived countless of fires.
Hortillonnages
The hortillonages are 'floating gardens or farms' that are iconic of Amiens. The hortillonages cover a massive 300 hectares lush, interlaced with 65 km of small canals, known as rieux in the local dialect. These market gardens have been cultivated since the Middle Ages and one can visit them via a pricey boat trip.
Amiens
The city is now made more famous by the current president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Trogneux. Incidentally Trogneux is the owners of the five-generation Chocolaterie Jean Trogneux, which claims to be one of the many inventors of macarons.
Eat and Drink
While macarons are recorded to come from various parts of France, macarons d'Amiens, are atypically small, uncolourful and non-crispy made from almond paste, fruit and honey, and were first recorded in mid-19th century CE.
Getting There and Around
While I drove, Amiens is easily accessible by train and is tiny enough to walk around. Amiens deserves one or two full-day visit.
UNESCO Inscriptions
Amiens Cathedral, in the heart of Picardy, is one of the largest 'classic' Gothic churches of the 13th century. It is notable for the coherence of its plan, the beauty of its three-tier interior elevation and the particularly fine display of sculptures on the principal facade and in the south transept.
Santiago de Compostela was the supreme goal for countless thousands of pious pilgrims who converged there from all over Europe throughout the Middle Ages. To reach Spain pilgrims had to pass through France, and the group of important historical monuments included in this inscription marks out the four routes by which they did so.
Twenty-three belfries in the north of France and the belfry of Gembloux in Belgium were inscribed in 2005, as an extension to the 32 Belgian belfries inscribed in 1999 as Belfries of Flanders and Wallonia. Built between the 11th and 17th centuries, they showcase the Roman, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles of architecture. They are highly significant tokens of the winning of civil liberties. While Italian, German and English towns mainly opted to build town halls, in part of north-western Europe, greater emphasis was placed on building belfries. Compared with the keep (symbol of the seigneurs) and the bell-tower (symbol of the Church), the belfry, the third tower in the urban landscape, symbolizes the power of the aldermen. Over the centuries, they came to represent the influence and wealth of the towns.
References
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