Angers - St Maurice Cathedral

In the Place du Ralliement, in the old town of Angers, is the Gothic Cathedral of St-Maurice (12th-13th C), to which a handsome ramp and staircase lead up from the banks of the Maine. On the doorway are sculptured figures with remains of their original coloring; in the tympanum is Christ enthroned, surrounded by the symbols of the four Evangelists, and above this are eight statues of knights (16th C). The facade has three towers; the central tower was built in the High Renaissance period.

The interior is impressive, with fine stained glass (12th, 13th and 15th C) depicting scenes from the life of the Virgin and the martyrdoms of St Catherine of Alexandria and St Vincent, tapestries and a richly decorated 18th C organ gallery. In the cathedral treasury is an antique marble bath converted into a font.

Immediately behind the apse of the cathedral is the Maison d'Adam, a handsome and well preserved half- timbered house (15th-16th C).