The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Amiens (Basilique Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens in French), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in the centre of the historic city of Amiens in the region of Picardie, Northern France. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens and is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Paris.
nThe cathedral was built almost between 1220 and c. 1270, a short period of time for a Gothic cathedral, giving it an unusual unity of style. It is an early example of the High Gothic period, and the Rayonnant style of Gothic architecture. The Rayonnant appeared in the triforium and clerestory, which were begun in 1236, and in the enlarged high windows of the choir, added in the mid-1250s.
Its builders were trying to maximize the internal dimensions in order to reach for the heavens and bring in more light. As a result, Amiens Cathedral is the largest in France, 200,000 cubic metres (260,000 cu yd), large enough to contain two cathedrals the size of Notre Dame of Paris.
The cathedral has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. Although it has lost much of its original stained glass, Amiens Cathedral is renowned for the quality and quantity of early 13th-century Gothic sculpture in the main west façade and the south transept portal, and a large quantity of polychrome sculpture from later periods inside the building.
