Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Meaux

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View of the cathedral along one of the narrow streets of Meaux

The Cathédrale Saint-Etienne de Meaux is a national monument of France. It is the principal cathedral in the town of Meaux, in the départment Seine-et-Marne, east of Paris.

Construction of the cathedral began in the 12th century, but was not completed until the 16th century. Defects in the original design and construction needed to be corrected in the 13th century; architect Gautier de Vainfroy took part in this effort. In the later 13th century work was often interrupted due to lack of funds, but this problem was ameliorated by the intervention of Charles IV in the early 14th century. Further progress was interrupted by the Hundred Years' War and concurrent occupation by the English.

Composer Pierre Moulu worked at the cathedral in the early 16th century.

Design of the cathedral, due to its long period of construction, encompasses several periods of Gothic art. The cathedral rises to a height of 48 meters; inside, the vaults at the choir rise 33 meters. The interior ornamentation iis noted for its smoothness, and the space for its overall luminosity. The cathedral contains a famous organ, built in the 17th century.

[edit] References

Dictionnaire des églises de France, Belgique, Luxembourg, Suisse (Tome IV-D), Robert Laffont, Paris (France) ; pp. 104-106.
Esquieu, Yves Quartier cathédral, Rempart / Desclée de Brouwer, Paris (France) , ISBN 2-904365-23-0, 1994.