Meaux Cathedral

Meaux Cathedral (French:Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Meaux) is a Roman Catholic church in the town of Meaux, France. It is located in the department of Seine-et-Marne, east of Paris. The cathedral is a national monument, and is the seat of the Bishop of Meaux.

Construction of the cathedral began between 1175 - 1180, when a structure in Romanesque style was started. Defects in the original design and construction had to be corrected in the 13th century, in which the architect Gautier de Vainfroy was much involved. He had to remove the previous cathedral almost totally and start a new structure in Gothic style. In the later 13th century work was often interrupted due to lack of funds, a problem removed by the generosity of Charles IV in the early 14th century. Further progress was interrupted by the Hundred Years' War and occupation by the English.

The archives of the diocese were destroyed in 1793 – 1794, thus deleting much knowledge about the early history of the church.

The composer Pierre Moulu worked at the cathedral in the early 16th century.

Because of ist construction period, the design of the cathedral encompasses several periods of Gothic architecture. The cathedral rises to a height of 48 meters; inside, the vaults at the choir rise to 33 meters. The interior ornamentation is noted for ist smoothness, and the space for ist overall luminosity. The cathedral contains a famous organ, built in the 17th century.

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