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154 wanderlust.co.uk April 2020POCKET GUIDES TRAVEL ICON
Language:FrenchTime:GMT+1
Visas:UKnationalsdonotrequire
avisatoenterFrance.
Money:Euro(EUR),currently
around€1.20totheUK£Needtoknow This feature is adapted from
the DK Eyewitness France
travel guide, which contains
illustrations, insider tips,
tour suggestions and a large
pull-out map. See dk.comAMIENSCATHEDRAL
Alookinside
WorkonFrance’slargestcathedralstartedaround1220.
ItwasbuilttohousetheheadofStJohntheBaptist,brought
backfromtheCrusadesin1206.Within 50 years,thecathedral,
amasterpieceofGothicarchitecture,wascomplete.Restored
inthe1850sbyViollet-le-Duc,andhavingmiraculously
survivedtwoworldwars,Amiens’scathedralisfamousfor
itsstatuesandreliefs,whichincludescenesfromthelifeof
StFirminandtheLastJudgement,theinspirationforJohn
Ruskin’sTheBibleofAmiensin1884.Previous page:ShutterstockThis page:Shutterstock,AlamyDidyouknow?
TheheadofJohnthe
Baptist,housedherein
thecathedral,waslost
andreplacedinthe
19thcentury.Light-dappled
The interior of
Amiens’ lofty
cathedral.The west front
towersareof
unequalheight.
TheFlamboyant
Gothictraceryof
therosewindow
wascreatedin
the16thcentury.The Calendar
shows signs from the
zodiac and their
corres ponding
monthly labours.The King’s Gallery
A row of 22
colossal statues
representing the
kings of France.St Firmin Portal
is decorated with
scenes from the life
of St Firmin.The fabulously lamboyant
façade of Amiens Cathedral.The cathedral has been
UNESCO-listed since 1981.Soaring 42m
high, the brightly
illuminated
interior is a hymn
to the vertical.Thelooring
was laid down in 1288
and reassembled in
the late 19th century.The 110 oak choir
stalls (150819) are
carved with over
4,000 igures.Vivid scenes
from the lives of
St Firmin and St
John adorn the
ambulatory.Scenes from the
Last Judgment
are featured
on the tympanum.A double row
comprising
22 elegant
lying buttresses
supports.
the construction.