Cathédrale St-Pierre-St-Paul

Cathédrale St-Pierre-St-Paul Review

Noted monument of Flamboyant Gothic—a style regarded as the last gasp of the Middle Ages—this remarkable cathedral dominates the heart of Troyes; note the incomplete single-tower west front, the small Renaissance campaniles on top of the tower, and the artistry of Martin Chambiges, who worked on Troyes's facade (with its characteristic large rose window and flamboyant flames) around the same time as he did the transept of Sens. At night the floodlighted features burst into dramatic relief. The cathedral's vast five-aisle interior, refreshingly light thanks to large windows and the near-whiteness of the local stone, dates mainly from the 13th century. It has fine examples of 13th-century stained glass in the choir, such as the Tree of Jesse (a popular regional theme), and richly colored 16th-century glass in the nave and west front rose window.