I was somewhat in trepidation walking into the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Beauvais, France. One could see how a patchwork of bracing keeps what remains standing. The cathedral is both imposing and sad. The vision was to build the largest cathedral in France, possibly even the world, back in the 13th Century. Construction began quickly and effectively and soon a transept and the choir (altar and music area) arose. It was majestic–the highest interior height (still to this day) achieved in the gothic form. Then, one by one, calamities struck. Part of the 154 foot high vaulting over the choir collapsed and repair work took needed funds from other projects. The nave was never to be built because of a fateful decision to build the highest spire ever conceived over the altar before construction on the nave began. Sure enough, reaching 492 feet in height, the spire made the cathedral the tallest building in the world until it began to move and finally collapsed in 1537. If the nave had been built first, as originally planned, it is highly possible the spire would not have fallen. Wars, especially the 100 Years War, came and went, and funds dried up. Then, during the French Revolution, anti-clerical elements destroyed the statuary that was a hallmark of the exterior, and interior treasures in the cathedral were hauled away. Later, the Beauvais Cathedral became a patchwork as efforts were made to conserve what remained. 

What remains is still imposing! The one transept and the choir are immense and show how glorious the entire cathedral would have been. We took time to view the cathedral’s beautiful astronomical clock containing 90,000 components and 50 moving figurines including numerous functions it can fulfill. It played and chimed and figures danced as we watched. 

The rest of Beauvais is small city France, and we enjoyed walking the streets and finding patisseries. Tomorrow, we train to Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport (less than an hour away) for an EasyJet flight to Copenhagen and the next day a flight home. We have thoroughly enjoyed our trip and yet, we are happy to return home, God willing, to our family and friends!