Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Beauvais

Among absolute musts to see in Beauvais is the Cathedral of Saint-Pierre, a unique, 67-metre tall building whose Gothic choir is the tallest in the world (49m). Marvel at its astronomical clock, a unique masterpiece of precision made by Lucien Vérité. A complete compendium of 19th century clock-making techniques, it has no less than 90,000 parts, perfectly synchronised and assembled in a Romano-Byzantine cabinet 12 metres high and 6 metres wide, and 52 dials ! An amazing place where you can see what the time is in 18 cities of the world !

The Cathedral is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture in a class of its own ! When you first enter the building, you will be astonished at its vertiginous heights, an amazing achievement by its builders. The 13th century Gothic choir will take your breath away. Stand at the centre of the choir and admire the light which floods into this glass cage and the way the colours from the stained-glass windows dance around the white stone arches.

The Cathedral was never completed and has no nave, which gives it a strange outline. Another peculiarity and a rather good one at that is that Beauvais has two cathedrals side by side ! The original one dating from around the year 1000 known as the ‘Basse-Œuvre’ occupies the site intended for the nave. 

Son-et-lumière shows featuring the astronomical clock take place every day at 10.30, 11.30, 14.30, 15.30 and 16.30. From April to October, 2 additional shows take place at 12.30 and 13.30.