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The Cathedral Saint-Étienne

• The Cathedral Saint-Étienne of Bourges
• Crypt and Tower of the Cathedral
• Bourges at the dawn of the 13th century
• A UNESCO World Heritage Monument
• The South and North Towers
• Cathedral dimension
• Angelic hosts
• A rare treasury of stained glass
• Visit the Crypt

The Cathedral is a place of prayer and as such is free of charge to all visitors.

The Cathedral Saint-Étienne of Bourges

A leading landmark in the world of Gothic art, the Cathedral Saint-Étienne of Bourges is unique in its architectural conception.

Classified as a World Heritage Monument of UNESCO, the cathedral marks the birth of Gothic art in southern France .

Begun in 1195 along the ancient Gallo-Roman rampart, the building of the cathedral continued over forty years, finishing with the western facade at around 1240.

Crypt and Tower of the Cathedral

Open every day except Sunday morning - Tel : +33 (0)2 48 65 49 44

Guided tour of the Crypt
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Climb up the Tower (396 steps)
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Bourges at the dawn of the 13th century

After becoming royal domain in 1100, the city of Bourges steadily gained in size and in wealth. High over the old town and encased within the Gallo-Roman wall, the Great Tower (twin to the Louvre dungeon) stood as a symbol of royal authority, while the Gothic cathedral under construction exalted the power of the See of Bourges, primate of the ancient province of Aquitaine.

As the symbolic figurehead of Capetian France against rival Plantagenet occupations in the south, the cathedral of Bourges had to be a unique and grandiose monument.

The anonymous Master of Bourges thus chose a floor plan without a transept and plastic effects that were revolutionary for its time. An earlier Romanesque cathedral existed in Bourges in the 11th century, probably built by the archbishop Gauzlin (formerly of the Abbey of Saint Benoît-sur-Loire).

In 1195 the archbishop Henri de Sully decided to build a larger cathedral in the Gothic style on same site.

Construction began on the east end, with a lower church or “crypt” built on the ground level outside the old Gallo-Roman wall. The apse and choir were then added above. In 1199 the archbishop Guillaume de Danjon, a former Cistercian abbot, was called upon to continue the project.
A staunch anti-Cathar, his iconographical program was a rigorous statement of faith designed to counter the fledgling heretical doctrines sprouting up elsewhere.
The second construction campaign, which included the nave and five portals of the western façade, was completed in about 1203. The absence of transept gave the church spatial vastness. The pyramidal elevation and two-tiered flying buttresses were audacious in scope.

A UNESCO World Heritage Monument

The Bourges Cathedral is a Gothic masterpiece with a unique architectural conception. The Middle Ages come alive in the dazzling colors of the stained glass windows, while ancient gargoyles and statues keep watch over the city from their lofty heights.

The South and North Towers

The South Tower (called the “Deaf Tower” because it has no bells), was on the verge of collapse in the latter part of the 13th century, and had to be consolidated by an enormous buttressing pillar. It measures 58 meters in height.

Climb up the North Tower
A spiral staircase of 396 steps will take you up 66 meters to the top of the North Tower, nicknamed the « Butter Tower » because it collapsed in 1506 and was rebuilt thanks to the sale of indulgences. The panoramic view of the city from here is a photographer’s delight.

Cathedral dimension

Angelic hosts

Lateral chapels built during the 15th and 16th centuries by wealthy citizens of Bourges reflect the spirit of a whole new order of society, the most notable of which is the chapel of Jacques Coeur with its Annunciation window.

A rare treasury of stained glass

Visit the Crypt