Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
centralnave,flankedoneachsidebynotonebuttwoaisles.Thefrightening
LastJudgment
over the central doorway shows a seated Christ presiding over Judgment Day. The unfor-
tunate condemned are on the right, while the lucky ones are saved on the left.
Thechurch'smismatched
towers
wereproblematicfromthestart.Inanageofbuild-
'em-high-and-fast,BourgescompetedwithChartrestoerecttheultimateGothiccathedral.
Bourges arguably won, but at a cost. The hastily built south tower started cracking right
away,andhadtobeshoredup—hencethesquattowerthatsitsalongsideit.Sincethesouth
tower was never strong enough to house any bells, locals call it “The Deaf Tower.” Mean-
while, the north tower collapsed altogether on New Year's Eve 1506 and had to be rebuilt,
financed by donors who were granted an indulgence to eat butter during Lent—hence its
nickname, the “Tour de Beurre.”
The elegant
flying buttresses
(best seen from the garden behind the church) form
tworows,supportingboththelowerandupperwalls.Thebuttressesslopeupward,enfold-
ing the church in a distinctive pyramid shape as it rises to the peaked roofline.
Interior:
Step inside. The view down the
nave
is overwhelming—at 300 feet, this is
one of the longest naves in France. It seems even longer because the church has no tran-
septtointerruptthetunneleffect.Noticeelementsofthe“High”Gothicstyleofthe1200s:
The church is tall, filled with light from many windows, and built with slender columns
andthinwalls(thankstoefficient flyingbuttresses).Thechurchrisesuplikeathree-tiered
step-pyramid—the outermost aisles are 30 feet high, the inner aisles are 70 feet, and the
central nave is a soaring 120 feet from floor to rib-arched ceiling.
The best
stained glass
(c. 1215) is at the far end of the church, in the apse. Also, the
Jacques Cœur Chapel (on the north side near the ambulatory) has a colorful
Annunciation
in stained glass. Cœur was a traveling merchant who built a series of way-stations all over
15th-century France, and whose Bourges palace you can tour (described later).
The towering
astronomical clock,
which stands behind the western portals on the
south side of the nave, celebrates the most famous wedding the cathedral witnessed: that
of hometown boy (and future king) Charles VII and Marie d'Anjou. The old clock, from
1424, still works.
The tower and crypt, described next, are covered by a single €7.50 ticket.
Climbing the Tower:
Don't leave the cathedral without climbing the 396 steps up
the north tower for terrific views.
Crypt:
Tosee the crypt, youneed tojoin atourinFrench...but youdon'thave topay
attention. Once inside, find the tomb statue of Duke Jean de Berry (1340-1416), the great
collector of illuminated manuscripts and patron of this church. He lies on his back atop a
black marble slab, dressed in ermine. At his feet sleeps a muzzled bear, representing the
duke'squietferocity.Nearby,thecolorfullypaintedHolySepulchrestatues(c.1530)enact
