Cambrai Attractions
Cambrai (pop. 34,993), on the right bank of the canalized Escaut (Scheldt), was the home of the fine fabric known as cambric, first made here in the 15th C.
The central feature of the town is the spacious Place Aristide- Briand, with the massive neo-classical Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall, 19th C.). A little to the west is the 18th C. church of St-Géry, with a 76 m/250ft high tower, which has a Baroque rood screen (1632) and an "Entombment" by Rubens. Opposite the church is the former Archbishop's Palace, with a fine Renaissance doorway (1620).
Southeast of this is the Beffroi (15th and 18th C.), the belfry of a church which has since been demolished. The Municipal Museum contains a variety of material, including archeological finds from the area and an interesting collection of pictures from the 16th to 20th C.
Farther south is the Cathedral of Notre-Dame (18th C.; rennovated in 1859), with a fine Baroque interior. It contains the tomb of the theologian and writer Fénelon (1651-1715), with a monument by David d'Angers (1826), and other tombs, and also a number of pictures. Opposite it, to the west, is the fine Baroque facade of the Chapelle du Grand Séminaire (1692), which belonged to a Jesuit college. Other features of interest are a number of handsome old half-timbered houses like the Maison Espagnole, remains of earlier fortifications (Porte de Paris, 1390), two town gates and the 16th C. Citadel.
The central feature of the town is the spacious Place Aristide- Briand, with the massive neo-classical Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall, 19th C.). A little to the west is the 18th C. church of St-Géry, with a 76 m/250ft high tower, which has a Baroque rood screen (1632) and an "Entombment" by Rubens. Opposite the church is the former Archbishop's Palace, with a fine Renaissance doorway (1620).
Southeast of this is the Beffroi (15th and 18th C.), the belfry of a church which has since been demolished. The Municipal Museum contains a variety of material, including archeological finds from the area and an interesting collection of pictures from the 16th to 20th C.
Farther south is the Cathedral of Notre-Dame (18th C.; rennovated in 1859), with a fine Baroque interior. It contains the tomb of the theologian and writer Fénelon (1651-1715), with a monument by David d'Angers (1826), and other tombs, and also a number of pictures. Opposite it, to the west, is the fine Baroque facade of the Chapelle du Grand Séminaire (1692), which belonged to a Jesuit college. Other features of interest are a number of handsome old half-timbered houses like the Maison Espagnole, remains of earlier fortifications (Porte de Paris, 1390), two town gates and the 16th C. Citadel.
