Beauvais - Cathedral

In Beauvais, northwest of Place Jeanne-Hachette is the magnificent Gothic Cathedral of St-Pierre, the building of which began in 1227 and continued, with interruptions, until 1578, though only the choir and transept were completed. Faulty design led to the collapse of the vaulting in 1247 and again in 1284, but after rebuilding it is still the highest vaulted roof in the world. The crossing-tower, which was 153 m/502ft high, collapsed in 1573 and was never rebuilt. The facades of the transepts (16th C.), in Flamboyant style, were the work of Jean le Pot. The 19th C. astronomical clock, which has over 90,000 individual parts, is a copy of the one in Strasbourg Cathedral. Other notable features are the stained glass (14th-16th C.), the rich treasury and the National Tapestry Museum behind the apse. The Gothic Bishop's Palace now houses an interesting museum (archeology, painting and sculpture).