Cathédrale Saint-Etienne

(11th - 16th centuries)
A masterpiece of 13th-century Gothic art of relatively modest dimensions but great elegance, this is the fifth church to be built on this exceptional urban site overlooking the River Yonne. The first three were destroyed by fire. The crypt and apsidal chapel remain from the Romanesque stone church built in the 11th century, which was demolished to make way for the Gothic edifice. The chapel is decorated with frescoes, including a rare depiction of Christ on horseback dating from the end of the 11th century. Construction of the present-day cathedral began in 1215 and took almost three centuries: the choir and lower sections of the façade in the 13th century, the crosspieces and portals of the north transept in the 14th century, the nave and south transept in the 15th century, and completion of the façade and north tower in the 16th century. Group of very interesting stained glass windows (13th-16th centuries).

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