the 1150s. Between ca. 1170 and ca. 1190, a new transept was built, of which only the
four-story, rounded-plan south arm now survives. The 12th-century north arm was
replaced in the mid-13th century and has an elegant Court Style terminal.
The cathedral of Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais at Soissons is one of five French High
Gothic cathedrals begun
Soissons (Aisne), Saint-Gervais-et-
Saint-Protais, nave. Photograph
courtesy of Whitney S.Stoddard.
during the period ca. 1190–ca. 1220. The choir and nave of Soissons feature an interior
elevation of three stories consisting of main arcade, triforium, and clerestory that matches
the height of the main arcade. The four-part vaults (100 feet tall) are sustained by an early
example of the two-tiered flying-buttress system. The nave of Soissons was completed by
ca. 1220/25, and the west façade was built in several stages and completed ca. 1300. The
traditional view is that the High Gothic choir of Soissons was begun slightly later than
and was influenced by the cathedral of Chartres, begun in 1194. However, the Soissons
chapter began to use the new choir on May 13, 1212, so Soissons may in fact have been
begun slightly earlier than Chartres.
Soissons cathedral suffered extensive damage to its stained glass during the religious
wars of the 16th century, and the west façade portals were stripped of their sculpture in
the 18th century. The nave was extensively damaged by German artillery fire during
World War I and was conscientiously rebuilt in the 1920s and 1930s.
The former abbey of Saint-Jean-des-Vignes in Soissons, founded in 1076, was one of
the largest and most prestigious in medieval France. The magnificent abbey church of the
13th through 15th centuries was destroyed in the early 19th century, except for its façade,
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