The 7 Cathedrals of Picardy
From Noyon to Beauvais, via Senlis, Laon, Saint-Quentin, Soissons and Amiens, seven monuments tell the story of several centuries of Gothic architecture in the heart of historic Picardy.
Seven monuments telling the story of the age of cathedrals
Picardy has an exceptional concentration of major Gothic buildings. Within a relatively short distance of one another stand Noyon, Senlis, Laon, Saint-Quentin, Soissons, Amiens and Beauvais .
Their proximity offers a particularly rewarding experience: not simply visiting them individually, but comparing them. Plans, façades, elevations, transepts, choirs, towers, sculpture and structural solutions all reveal both a common architectural culture and very different choices.
This comparative approach is precisely what the Federation of Picardy Cathedrals seeks to promote, bringing these seven monuments together through its activities and through the booklet The 7 Cathedrals of Picardy – A Comparison Through Images .
The seven buildings
Each has its own character. Together they offer a remarkable overview of the development of Gothic architecture in Picardy.
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Noyon
Begun in the 12th century, Notre-Dame de Noyon belongs to the first generation of major Gothic cathedrals. Its architecture still bears witness to the transition between Romanesque and Gothic art.
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Senlis
Smaller in scale, Notre-Dame de Senlis is nevertheless remarkable. Its development over the centuries offers a fascinating insight into the transition from early Gothic architecture to later forms.
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Laon
Standing above the upper town, Notre-Dame de Laon is one of the great achievements of Early Gothic architecture. Its striking silhouette and famous towers dominate the landscape of the Laon area.
Basilica of Saint-Quentin
Monumental in both scale and architecture, Saint-Quentin is a natural part of this route. However, its inclusion among the “seven cathedrals” requires one clarification: today it is a basilica, originating from a former collegiate church.
Cathedral of Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais, Soissons
Soissons Cathedral reflects the architectural experiments that accompanied the development of Gothic architecture. Its south transept, in particular, is one of the most distinctive parts of the building.
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Amiens
With its vast scale and the remarkable coherence of its elevation, Notre-Dame d’Amiens is one of the high points of 13th-century Gothic architecture.
Saint-Pierre Cathedral, Beauvais
In Beauvais, medieval builders pushed Gothic ambition to its limits. The 13th-century choir, extended in the 16th century by the Flamboyant Gothic transept, is one of the boldest achievements of medieval architecture.
Where are the 7 Cathedrals of Picardy?
From Senlis to Saint-Quentin, the seven buildings form a route through the Oise, Somme and Aisne departments. Their proximity makes it possible to discover, in just a few stages, several centuries in the development of Gothic architecture.
Seven “cathedrals”… but only six cathedrals in the strict sense
The expression “the 7 Cathedrals of Picardy” has become the name of a heritage group. It does, however, contain one particularity: the Basilica of Saint-Quentin is not currently a cathedral .
The present building is a former collegiate church that later became a basilica . In the strict sense, a cathedral is the church containing the bishop’s cathedra, or episcopal seat.
Saint-Quentin is nevertheless fully part of this shared heritage project because of its architectural and historic importance and because it belongs to the Federation of Picardy Cathedrals .
The expression “the seven cathedrals of Picardy” should therefore be understood as a cultural and heritage group bringing together seven major historic buildings .
The 7 Cathedrals of Picardy
A Comparison Through Images
How can you compare the height of a nave, the shape of a transept or the composition of a façade when the buildings are several dozen kilometres apart?
The booklet published by the Federation of Picardy Cathedrals addresses this question by presenting the seven buildings side by side.
Photographs, comparative views and presentations of the individual features of each monument make it easier to understand what they have in common — and what makes each one unique.
The booklet is available from the kiosk inside Saint-Pierre Cathedral in Beauvais.
Plan your visitThe Federation of Picardy Cathedrals
Behind these monuments are also women and men committed to improving knowledge of them, promoting them and passing their heritage on to future generations.
Associations connected with the major historic buildings of Picardy have joined forces to develop common projects and promote this heritage across the region.
Exhibitions, publications and joint initiatives make it possible to go beyond the boundaries of each individual city and invite visitors to discover a genuine network of monuments .
Association Beauvais Cathédrale takes part in this initiative and helps promote Saint-Pierre Cathedral within this exceptional group of buildings.
After Beauvais, why not discover the other six?
Visiting these buildings one after another offers a deeper understanding of the extraordinary architectural adventure of the Gothic Middle Ages in Picardy. Each visit sheds new light on the previous one: a façade, a vault, a tower or a transept takes on a new meaning when compared with the others.
Discover Saint-Pierre Cathedral