Meaux Cathedral

About this place

Meaux Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in the town of Meaux, Seine-et-Marne, France, and a cathedral as the seat of the Bishop of Meaux. It is a historical monument of France. Construction began around 1175, just twelve years after Notre-Dame de Paris to replace an earlier Romanesque church dedicated to Saint Stephen. By 1200, the ambulatory, three radiating chapels, choir, and gallery completed, followed by the crossing, vaulted nave, transept, and triforium between 1220-1235 as depicted in a drawing by Villard de Honnecourt. As early as 1198, the widow of Henry I was buried inside the unfinished cathedral. As you explore, compare the building itself with its decoration and later additions. Differences in materials, forms and imagery can reveal successive periods of patronage, making the visit a way to understand how religious places evolved over time.