Wanderlust - 04.2020

As Amiens Cathedralcelebratesits800thanniversarythisyear,discoverwhy

this Gothic masterpieceislistedtwiceontheUNESCOWorldHeritageList...

wanderlust.co.uk April 2020 153

Get orientated
Eight hundred years is a long
time. But Amiens Cathedral

• France’s largest Gothic
  structure – has seen the best
  and worst of it all, withstanding
  the decades to reach this
  impressive octocentenary. That’s
  not to say that there hasn’t been
  a few close shaves along the way


• defective lying buttresses,
  ires and two world wars, to say
  the least – but the twice
  UNESCO-listed masterpiece
  (once as part of the Santiago de
  Compostela pilgrimage route
  and once in its own right) has
  overcome it all.
  Visit during the summer for
  a spectacle of sound and light
  (15 June-16 September), or you
  can observe the o˜ icial

anniversarycelebrationon 14

July(notredameamiens.fr/800).

Butifyouwanttoenjoy

Picardy’sriversidecapitalbefore

the crowdsarrive,takeaboat

ridethroughamazeofloating

gardens,admirecenturies-old

art atMuséedePicardieorenter

the wildworldofavant-garde

sci-iwriterJulesVerneathis

formerhouse-turned-museum.

Keepingwatchwillbethe

cathedral,asilentspectatortoall

thatgoesoninthecity.

Gettingthere

& around

BritishAirwaysliesdirectfrom

LondonHeathrow/CitytoParis

(around 75 minutes;from£40

return).Hour-longtrainsto

AmiensfromParisrunregularly.

Thevisit

Onenteringthecathedral

(€8/£6.60),you'llinstantlybe

struckbythescaleofit:

chapels,galleriesandsoaring

vaultscombinetocreatea

volumeof200,000m^3 – double

thatofParis’Notre-Dame.

Asyousetfootinthesacred

chambers,silenceyourechoing

footstepswithanhour-long

audioguidetour(€4/around

£3.40)detailingthecathedral’s

longhistory,includingthe

factthatit’sallegedtohave

beentherestingplaceofJohn

theBaptist’sskull.

Somethingissuretocatch

youreyeateverycorner:bronze

e˜igiesofitsfoundingbishops,

agoldensculptureoftheVirgin

Mary,movingwarmemorials

Pocket

Your cut-out and keep travel companion

Can I get an Amiens?

The 800-year-old

cathedral is located in

the Somme River

Valley north of Paris

and colourful statues that bring

the cathedral to life. Behind the

baroque altar, you’ll also spy

l’Ange Plereur – the weeping

angel – who represents the

ephemeral nature of life, made

famous from the postcards sent

home by First World War soldiers.

Outside the cathedral, explore

the artisan shops of the St-Leu

quarter, before making your way

to Les Hortillonages – loating

market gardens that have

graced the city’s canals since

the Middle Ages. Every third

Sunday, market gardeners

recreate this era by dressing up

and sailing the River Somme

in traditional boats. By night,

you can dine at a riverside

restaurant where you can

relect on your visit in peace.⊲

TRAVEL ICON

AMIENS CATHEDRAL,

FRANCE