This article first appeared in
My Travelogue by Bhushavali
AMIENS - EASY DAY TRIP FROM PARIS BY TRAIN
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The primary reason why I wanted to visit Amiens was to see Amiens Cathedral -
Notre Dame Cathedral of Amiens, which is one of the UNESCO World Heritage
Sites in France. Located halfway between Lille & Paris, and well connected
by train from both cities, I honestly don't know why I took so long to visit
Amiens! Not only Notre Dame Cathedral of Amiens, but also Amiens Belfry is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. With 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and a bunch of
other things to do in Amiens, I planned my 3-day trip to Amiens from Brussels,
by train.
AMIENS CATHEDRAL - NOTRE DAME D'AMIENS CATHEDRALE
Amiens Cathedral was one of the largest Gothic churches in the 13th C CE and
an excellent example of high Gothic architecture. Amiens Cathedral is still
the largest Cathedral in France at 200,000 m3 which is more
than twice of Notre Dame Paris! It also has the highest nave at 42.3m!
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Façade of Amiens Cathedral - Now & in the daytime
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Façade of Amiens Cathedral - Lit up at night to depict how it would have
looked in the 13th C CE
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Façade of Amiens Cathedral - Now & in the daytime
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Façade of Amiens Cathedral - Lit up at night to depict how it would have
looked in the 13th C CE
History of Amiens Cathedral: Amiens Cathedral was built in 1220-1270
CE, which is a very concise period of time to achieve the feat. An early
church is said to have stood here in the 6th C CE. However the earlier
constructions were destroyed by fire and the current construction belongs to
the 13th C CE. Luckily the Cathedral survived WWI and WWII when bombs fell a
few hundred meters away from the Cathedral!
Sculptures on Amiens Cathedral exteriors: Even before you enter Amiens
Cathedral, the detailed sculptures on the facade are quiet a lot. Apart from
Jesus, Mary, Apostles, and, saints, there's also a series of sun signs, a
depiction of heaven & hell as well as good & bad deeds, all belonging
to the 13th C. One fascinating thing about it is that all these sculptures
were painted! A few decades ago, when they began to clean these sculptures, to
remove dust and soot, they discovered traces of paint! Here's the icing on the
cake - you don't have to imagine how the facade would have looked like when it
was covered with colors, you can see it! Every night during summer &
December, after the stunning Video Mapping show (more details below), there's
a light show that illuminates the Cathedral's west facade to show how it would
have been in the 13th C CE with the colors of the sculptures on the facade
intact! It was quite amazing to get a sneak peek into the past!
Amiens Cathedral Labyrinth (Maze): Just like Chartres Cathedral and
Notre Dame Reims, there's a maze in Amiens Cathedral too. The maze here is
234m long and belongs to the 13th C CE. The central plaque shows the 4 gospels
and the archangels of the 4 directions. However, thanks to wear & tear,
what we see today is a replica and the original central plaque is on display
in the city, at Picardy Museum!
Also read: Reims Cathedral, Aachen Cathedral, Cologne Cathedral, Milan Cathedral, Tournai Cathedral, Speyer Cathedral
Stained Glass Windows of Amiens Cathedral: Unfortunately, hardly any
original stained glass windows still exist. They were destroyed during
invasions, hurricanes, fires, etc. During WWI, the surviving windows were
removed and stored for safekeeping in a studio which unfortunately caught
fire, destroying the windows. Today very few of the windows belong to the 13th
C CE including the rosette window on the west facade, some windows of the
central apse chapel, and the chapel of Saint Francis of Assisi, etc. Most of
the windows we see today belong to the 19th C.
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Amiens Blue: Just like Chartres Blue, Amiens too had its own blue! Unlike Chartres Blue which was a mineral (cobalt) dye, Amiens blue is a plant dye, from the Woad plant (a cousin of mustard)! Woad grew well along the river Somme and the wealth of Amiens was primarily from the water! Amiens was then considered the fashion town because people here wore 'blue dyed clothes' since 12th C CE, when the rest of Europe was wearing undyed clothes! Much later, by 18th C CE, thanks to colonization and the introduction of Indigo from India, the usage of Woad eventually faded away.
Amiens Cathedral Frescoes: The Chapel St.Eloi inside Amiens Cathedral has 8 frescoes on its wall, painted in the early 16th C CE. Also, in the lower part of the Choir Screens, which have some tombstones, there are frescoes all around them. They are quite interesting and look like curtains (reminding me much of the Sistine chapel)!
Choir Screen of Amiens Cathedral: The 15th C choir screen (with
renovations of 19th C CE) is where the most detailed sculptures of Amiens
Cathedral are located. The sculptures about the life of Saint Fermin belong to
the early 15th C CE and the sculptures about John the Baptist belong to the
late 15th C CE. The detailing here is incredible and the depth of the scenery
as well as the facial features & expressions are impeccable. There are
some wooden sculptures of 16th C CE inside the Choir stalls which are
unfortunately accessible to the public only on very few, certain days.
The sculpture of the Weeping Angel: Quite unusually, the
photograph of the Weeping Angel has reached many nooks & corners of the
world! Why?! During WWI, this was where the Somme offensive (Battle of Somme) happened. Many soldiers who were here, sent a photo of this image as a
postcard back to their families. This was sculpted by Nicholas Blasset in 1628
CE.
Spire & Towers of Amiens Cathedral: Towering over the Western
facade are the imposing towers are Amiens Cathedral that lends to the
picturesque cityscape of Amiens. The spire is atop the cross-section between
the nave & transcripts. Today it is possible to go on a guided to visit
the terrace & towers of Amiens Cathedral from where not only you get to
see a fantastic view of the city but also a close-up of the spire as well. Not
just that, but also it is possible to look at the flying buttresses up &
close. They reminded me much of Chartres Cathedral!
Chroma Monumental Experience Light Show at Amiens Cathedral: As it got darker, we reached
Amiens Cathedral at 7:00PM and there was quite a crowd here already, waiting
for the incredible Chroma Videomapping show. The show was absolutely
phenomenal. With the mighty facade of the Cathedral, there was a lot of space
for the artists at Spectre Lab to work with and they delivered a masterpiece.
As I mentioned above, after the Video Mapping, there's a very unique light
show that showcases how the Cathedral's west facade with its colors of 13th C
CE!
The Chroma Monumental Experience Light Show happens only in summer (mid-July to end-Sept) and Christmas time, so plan your trip to Amiens accordingly. Chroma Light Show over the façade of Amiens cathedral starts at 7PM during December because it gets dark much earlier and only by around 10:00, or 10:30PM during the summer months. If you're planning an overnight in Amiens both summer and winter are good. However, if you're planning a day trip to Amiens choose December because the Chroma Monumental Experience light show is much earlier and you can return to Paris/Lille later the same night.
Where is Amiens Cathedral(on Google Maps)? Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens
How to reach Amiens Cathedral? 800m (10
mins walk) from Amiens Railway Station
Amiens Cathedral Timings: 8:30AM to 5:15PM
Amiens Cathedral Tickets: Free
When does Chroma Light show happen? (Update 2023) Every night from mid-July till end-Sept (10:30PM to 11:20PM in July; 10:00PM to 10:50PM in August and 9:45PM to 10:34PM in September) as well as the whole of December (starting at 7:00PM).
Amiens Cathedral Timings for Towers: Apr-Sept: Wed to Mon: 2PM, 2:45PM, 3:30PM, 4:15PM; Oct-Mar: 2PM, 3PM
Amiens Cathedral Tickets for Towers: €6
Amiens Cathedral Timings for Towers: Apr-Sept: Mon, Wed-Sat: 11AM & 2PM. Sun: only 2PM; Oct-Mar: 11AM
Amiens Cathedral Tickets for Towers: €4
Amiens Cathedral Combined Ticket for Treasury & Towers: €8
Amiens Cathedral Contact number to book Treasury & Towers
tickets: +33.3.22.92.03.32
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The original central plaque of the Amiens Cathedral Labyrinth (Maze) is now in Picardy Museum
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Traces of paint can still be seen on the facade
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Chroma Light Show at Notre Dame Cathedral, Amiens
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Chroma Light Show at Notre Dame Cathedral, Amiens
The weeping angel sculpture in Amiens Cathedral
AMIENS BELFRY - BEFFROI D'AMIENS
I had already mentioned in my articles on
Leuven,
Tournai,
Mons,
Ypres, etc., that 56 Belfries in France and Belgium have been listed
together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site - Belfries of France and Belgium. The
Amiens Belfry is one of the 56 Belfries listed under UNESCO. Amiens Belfry is
in fact the southernmost Belfry of them all!
Amiens Belfry History: The foundation of Amiens Belfry dates back to
the 12th C CE but became a functional belfry by the 15th C CE. The height of
Amiens Belfry is 52m. The belfry was destroyed by fire and renovated time
& again. The current architecture belongs to the 18th C CE and it was then
a huge bell of 11 tonnes was installed. Unfortunately, it fell down and broke!
To date, the broken pieces of the bell are in the belfry on display. It was
used for various purposes over time including prison. In fact, there were 3
types of rooms for the prisoners here - mild convicts or political prisoners
to serious convicts. The 'elite' room even had a window view of the Amiens
Cathedral. The historic glass of the windows is still in place, which gives a
blurry view. Obviously, being a prison means, the place is filled with
engravings done by the inmates. It was again restored in 1988.
Today it is open only on specific days for the general public only on certain
days, a few times every month. You may want to check the dates and then plan
your Amiens trip.
Where is Amiens Belfry (on Google Maps)? Beffroi d'Amiens
How to reach Amiens Belfry? 1.2km (14 mins
walk) from Amiens Railway Station.
Amiens Belfry Timings: Open on very specific dates. Check the
ticket links below where you'll also see the dates & timings.
Amiens Belfry Tickets: €2 for a self-guided tour and €4 for a
guided tour. You could book your
self-guided tour tickets to Amiens Belfry
or a guided tour of Amiens Belfry
via the official website of Amiens Tourisme.
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Broken pieces of the original bell now on display inside Amiens
Belfry
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Engraved graffiti made by prisoners inside Amiens Belfry
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The 'elite' section of the prison (in Amiens Belfry) with the view of the
Cathedral
OTHER THINGS TO DO IN AMIENS
Apart from these 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Amiens - Amiens Notre
Dame Cathedral and Amiens Belfry, this city is the heart of the Somme
region which was an important site during WWI and this is where the Somme
Battlefields are. Amiens is the home to the very unique Hortillonages
(floating vegetable gardens & markets)! Amiens is where Jules Verne
wrote 'Around the world in 80 days'. Of course, Amiens is an easy day trip
or weekend trip from Paris, Lille, and Brussels even if you don't have a
car!
All about Amiens: Read my article on the
Top 10 things to do in Amiens incl. Picardy Museum, les Hortillonages, Jules Verne walking tour,
AMIENS ITINERARY
Day 1 (Winter) - Jules Verne Walking Tour, Maison Jules Verne,
Christmas Market, Santa Village, Chroma Light Show
Day 1 (Summer) - Les Hortillonages Boat tour, Jules Verne
Walking Tour, Amiens Zoo (or) Maison Jules Verne
Day 2 (Summer/Winter) - Amiens Cathedral, Belfry, Picardy
Museum, walking tour of Le Quai
Day 3 (Summer/Winter) - Remembrance
Tourism through the Somme battlefields, cemeteries, and war museums.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT AMIENS?
Visit Amiens on 2 trips - once during Christmas time and once in Spring or Summer. During Christmas time, you can see the Chroma Light Show and also experience the rest of the city, esp., the Le Quai area lit with Christmas lights! However since Amiens Zoo and Les Hortillonages are closed in winter, take another trip to Amiens during Spring or Summer to experience everything that Amiens has to offer.
If you're planning an overnight in Amiens, both summer and winter are good. However, if you're planning a day trip to Amiens choose December because the Chroma Monumental Experience light show is much earlier, at 7:00PM in December (when compared to 10:00PM in summer).
HOW TO REACH AMIENS
Amiens has an excellent railway station and a bus station as well. Amiens
is well connected by SNCF as well as buses like Flixbus. There are direct
trains to Amiens from Lille and Paris.
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A huge poster of the Cathedral's facade for Atyudarini to color during
her stay at Moxy Amiens Hotel
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Hi Bhusha. I hope you are keeping well and safe. Your Daughter is really getting big and growing up fast. I think she will be as beautiful as her mum one day.
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoy reading about your travels. Take care.
I love Amiens, I visited as part of my French language exchange, we were paired with a sixth form college in Noyons not far from there so I was able to visit Amiens and explore it with my partner's family. I love reading all the extra detail of history you've shared such as the information about the stained glass and frescoes, and about the local blue dye! Really fascinating!
ReplyDeleteWe are not religious but we never miss a chance to visit a beautiful church like the Amiens Cathedral. The architecture and art can keep us enthralled for hours. Always amazed to see all the colour in old wall frescos. We would definitely want to take a guided tour of the terrace and towers and get a view from the top. Good to know that Amiens is a good spot to visit at different times of year.
ReplyDeleteI love visiting UNESCO sites and I am sure I could spend a few hours visiting the cathedral in Amiens. So interesting to read that the Amiens Blue is a plant dye, not a mineral dye. The 16th century frescoes at the St Elois chapel are in a very good condition, considering their age. Difficult to see, but I assume the are depictions of saints?
ReplyDeleteAmiens cathedral is a fantastic UNESCO world heritage sitewith sculpture dating back to 13th century CE and a stunning example of Gothic architecture with detailed descriptions of biblical mythology.And I would definitely love to see the light and sound show bringing back to life the colors of the painted sculptures like in 13 CE.Its good to see how they have still preserved the broken pieces of the Amiens belfry . It's unfortunate that currently very few of the original stained glass windows of Amiens cathedral exist.But it's very exciting to learn that Amiens is where Jules Verne write Around the world in 80 days.
ReplyDeleteThe facade of the Amiens Cathedral reminds me of the one of the Cathedral in Freiburg, in Germany. That one has similar statue decorations that look so impressive and that have been carved with so many details on them. I'd like to go to Amiens and compare them. They are pretty astonishing, right? I have seen a few Belfries around Europe, but never went inside one. It looks like Amiens is the place to go if you want to explore the interior of a Belfry and see the scribbles on the wall of the prisoners who were locked in there. I didn't know that it was a Unesco site either.
ReplyDeleteAmiens seems like a wonderful location to visit. Every aspect of Amiens Cathedral, including its interior decor, decorations, architectural motifs, and sculptures, always leaves me in awe. To see the Amiens Belfry entices me. I can't wait to get here, go through the itinerary, and participate in all the enjoyable things!
ReplyDeleteWow! This is fascinating. The structures are so detailed and I would love to see this personally. Happy to know that they have declared this as a UNESCO heritage site. Thank you for sharing a a bit of history of the Amiens Cathedral. This made me appreciate it more.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I had seen a photo of the Weeping Angel and I had no idea it was from here.
I am very impressed with the Amiens Cathedral after reading your very descriptive information about it. I love that there's a light show to allow you to see what the status looked like when they were painted. What a great idea! Sad that hardly any of the original stained glass has survived, but truly amazing that the cathedral dates back to medieval times!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be visiting France this year and I really want to visit Amiens as the history and culture there just looks amazing and wow that Cathedral, what an incredible place to see first hand. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteLaura x
UNESCO sites never really disappoint. Eye-popping images too. You did an excellent job capturing the essence of this epic cathedral. Good post!
ReplyDeleteRyan