Traveling in France #5: Amiens (Part 1 of 2)

Earlier this week, to escape the Paris heat, we ventured an hour north to the town of Amiens.  

Amiens is ancient.  It was a Gallo-Roman town two millennia ago.  Today, Amiens is a thriving town with many wonderful sights.

One of those sights is the Jules Verne house in Amiens.  Jules Verne lived there during the latter part of his life.  The house is large with four floors plus a tower.  The house features a fascinating collection of artifacts from Verne's life as an author, public servant, circus promoter and world explorer.  

Marie-Chantal in the courtyard of the Jules Verne house

The winter garden of the Jules Verne house with bust of Jules Verne and a poster featuring his books 

On the top floor of the Jules Verne house, a replica of ship's wheelhouse

An exhibit in the Jules Verne house

Another reason to visit Amiens is the food.  We enjoyed a regional food specialty, a ficelle picarde, a sort of crepe with ham, cheese and cream.  It was delicious.  

While strolling, we spotted the beautiful clock pictured below, the Horloge Dewailly.  

Horloge Dewailly and Marie-sans-Chemise by Emile Ricquier and Albert Roze (1898) 

From the plaza where the clock is located, we had a view of the principal sight in Amiens, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens.

The cathedral is both lovely and very large.  In fact, the cathedral is the largest in France, as measured by surface area (7,700 sq. meters; 83,000 sq. feet).  

To give you an idea how large the cathedral is, below is a photo of Marie-Chantal on the steps of the cathedral.  She is so petite.  Isn't she?

Construction of the cathedral started in 1220.  It will celebrate its 800th anniversary next year.  The cathedral has survived fires, as well as the shelling of Amiens during WWI and the bombing of Amiens in WWII.  

The interior of the cathedral is amazing, with your gaze being drawn upward.

The rose window of the south transept

The altar

The cathedral's organ and rose window over the front door

The cathedral has added many chapels over the centuries, including the two pictured below.

We spotted other artistic creations.  Here are a few. 

The pulpit in the nave

An ornate, colorful tomb

 

The "Weeping Angel"

The cathedral is a pilgrimage site on one of the paths leading to Santiago de Campostela in Spain.

While visiting Amiens, pilgrims would pray while navigating a labyrinth in the center of the cathedral.  When we visited, a priest led a group through a series of prayers while walking along the labyrinth.

A view of the labyrinth from floor level

A view of the labyrinth from above

Another thing for pilgrims to visit is a reliquary holding the head of John the Baptist, acquired in 1206 following the Fourth Crusade.

It was the donation of the relic that sparked the building of the cathedral, an important place befitting an important relic.

Next Up:  The cathedral at night.