Noyon Cathedral

The origins of the cathedral date as early as 531 AD, when Bishop Medardus moved his diocese seat from Vermand to Noyon and constructed a small church in the center of the Roman castrum.^[4] Destroyed in a fire that ravaged the city in 676, the cathedral was rebuilt relatively quickly in a Romanesque architectural style and would host the crowning of Charlemagne as king of the Franks in 768. Following destruction from a Norman raid in 859, the cathedral was rebuilt in a Carolingian architectural style and would host the crowning of Hugh Capet in 987 as the first Capetian monarch.^[5][6]

The third church was destroyed by fire in 1131, and construction of the current Gothic cathedral likely began shortly afterwards in 1151, as concluded from studies done by Ludovic Vitet and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.^[7][8] Chronologically it is the second Gothic cathedral built in France, after Sens Cathedral and Laon.^[9] The moving of relics of Saint Godeberta and Saint Eligius into the cathedral and the finishing of the radiating chapels in 1157 and 1167 helped raise funds for further construction.^[10][11] By 1183, parts of the transept and the bishop’s chapel had been finished, and by 1185 the chevet, transept and the eastern bays of the nave were completed. The plan of the choir was reproduced almost exactly to Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Saint-Denis, and with the church nearing completion in 1185, it included the new ideas of height in the Second Stage Gothic with four stories.^[12][13] The main arcade, triforium, and other features of the reconstructed Choir became influential for the development of higher buildings.^[14][15] In 1230, the cloister was completed, followed with the chapel house shortly afterwards and the consecration of the cathedral in 1235.^[16][17] In 1293 a major fire broke out in the city of Noyon, spreading to the cathedral and severely damaging it. Reconstruction included extensive modifications such as the addition of chapels on the north side, construction of a west front porch, and the insertion of flying buttresses to support the choir.^[18][19] In addition, the original sexpartite rib vault was rebuilt in the prevailing quadripartite vault style.^[20][21] Unlike many other cathedrals in France, Noyon Cathedral was spared from destruction during the Hundred Years' War, but neglect during the conflict necessitated major repairs until the late 15th century.^[22]

In 1509, Protestant reformer John Calvin was baptized inside the cathedral, and in the second half of the 15th century, a reconstruction campaign aimed at updating the cathedral with Flamboyant Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles took place. Work first commenced on restoring the north tower of the apse, followed by the pillars of the choir bays, and the vaults of two bays of the south transept.^[23] In addition to these repairs, several vaults of the nave, the north tower of the facade and some flying buttresses were also repaired, and a new half-timbered library holding 3,000 books was built nearby.^[24] In the 17th century, a final restoration campaign between 1747 and 1753 modified the apse and the chancel.

The cathedral suffered heavy damage during the French Revolution, with most of the original statuary and carved decoration vandalized or lost and the destruction of the bishops' tombs within the cathedral.^[25][26] Following the Revolution, the bishopric was suppressed in 1790, and the cathedral was closed and turned into a Temple of Reason, a change associated with the Concordat of 1801.^[27] In 1840, the cathedral received official protection as a Monument historique and underwent several restoration campaigns.^[28] Restoration work initially began in 1843, followed by a second phase between 1860 and 1872, which involved the rebuilding of the entire exterior of the apse and modification of the clerestory windows. The third series, beginning in 1884, completely rebuilt the south transept and additional protective listings covered the cloister, chapter house and library.

The cathedral suffered considerable damage from repeated German bombardment during World War I, intensifying in 1917 during the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line. On April 1, 1918, a German bomb hit the cathedral, causing a fire that completely destroyed the wooden roof and apse vault.^[29] Most of the interior furniture and original remaining stained glass windows were also lost in the fire. Extensive reconstruction work lasted for 20 years, until 1938.^[30][31] Despite the town being captured and reoccupied by German forces during World War II, the cathedral suffered little damage during this period.

The cathedral footprint is designed in the traditional form of a Latin cross, with a total length from east to west of about 105 m; the height of the nave vaulting is 23 m. The west front has a porch, added in the 14th century, and two unfinished towers, their upper portions dating from the 13th century; their decorations have been left mutilated since the French Revolution. The nave consists of eleven bays, including those of the west front, which, in the interior, forms a kind of transept, similar to some narthexes of English churches. The windows of the aisles, the arches of the triforium gallery, and the windows of the clerestory use round-headed arches, but double pointed arches appear in the lower gallery and in the vaults of the nave and aisles. The vaulting was originally sexpartite, but was rebuilt after a fire in 1293 in the prevailing quadripartite style. The transepts have apsidal, semicircular terminations. Side chapels were added in the north aisle in the 14th century and in the south aisle in the 15th and the 16th centuries. One of the latter (15th) is especially rich in decorations. The flying buttresses of the building were restored in the 19th century in the style of the 12th century. From the northwest corner of the nave runs the western gallery of a cloister erected in 1230; and next to the cloister is the chapter house of the same date, with its entrance adorned with statues of the bishops and other sculpture.

The main interior elevation is typical for a transitional Gothic church, with four stories: aisle arcade, gallery arcade, blind triforium and clerestory. The overall elevation closely resembles that at Tournai Cathedral, with arches springing from columns. This is altered in the transepts, where there is an aisle arcade, blind triforium, and lower and upper clerestories, and the line of the respond extends all the way to the floor.^[13] Noyon Cathedral is an example of a Cathedral in the Second Stage Gothic style, which developed between 1130 and 1150. The Cathedrals construction took place before and after the change in Gothic style resulting in a transitional building.