Have you decided to visit some of the loveliest cities beyond Paris? Are you in Picardy and want to discover what to see in Amiens?
I discovered this delightful city one October weekend and literally fell in love with it. Its cathedral is simply unique: so rich in decorations from the Old and New Testaments that it’s considered a genuine Bible in stone.
But even before its monuments, Amiens will surprise you with the beauty of its historic quarters, full of old half-timbered houses, and with its canals, which create truly romantic views. I assure you that at times you’ll feel you’re in Bruges.
Just think: the history of Amiens has very ancient origins: the first settlements date back to prehistory, the city grew significantly in Roman times and expanded in the Middle Ages. Its heyday, though, was between the 18th and 19th centuries, when it became famous for the textile trade.
Ah, if you’re interested in the north of France, also read the article on Rouen: the two cities are about 100 km apart and a good excuse to leave Paris and see something new.
Off we go!
1 – The Saint-Leu quarter
Saint-Leu is perhaps the most characteristic quarter of Amiens, and also the oldest. It’s full of delightful houses of wood and coloured plaster, surrounded by little bridges, canals and flowers. It was home to important industries in the 19th century and soon became one of the most important textile areas in France; thanks to the waterways, there were also numerous mills here.
Unfortunately, the very canals that make it so characteristic had made the Saint-Leu quarter increasingly unhealthy and marshy. That’s why it was redeveloped from the 1980s: the most dilapidated houses were rebuilt and the canals channelled within defined banks, to stop them flooding the city.
Perhaps the reclamation took some charm away from the quarter, which nonetheless remains one of the loveliest things to see in Amiens, together with its splendid cathedral.
Now let me tell you about it.
2 – Amiens Cathedral, a Bible in stone
The one in Amiens is an incredible cathedral, first of all for its size.
While the basilica of Saint-Denis was the first French church in the Gothic style, the one in Amiens is the largest in France by interior volume: about 7,700 m² of surface, vaults 42.30 metres high and a volume of nearly 200,000 cubic metres. It was built in record time, between 1220 and 1288.
But what most distinguishes it is the immense sculptural cycle covering it, with most of the episodes of the New and Old Testaments: hence the nickname “Bible in stone”, made famous also by the writer John Ruskin.
The credit for this masterpiece goes to bishop Évrard de Fouilloy, still buried in the cathedral today in a fine bronze tomb recalling the year the works began: 1220. The cathedral has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.
But if you think the surprises end here, you’re badly mistaken.
Here’s why!
The labyrinth in the cathedral
Yes indeed, in Amiens Cathedral too there’s a labyrinth, even bigger than those of Lucca and Chartres, though it’s not the original but a faithful 19th-century reconstruction.
The original paving was in fact dismantled and remade respecting the original, except for the central inscription, which gave the names of the architects who had built the cathedral.
But why a labyrinth?
The meaning of the Amiens labyrinth is much debated. For me it retains its value as an initiatory path, all the more so since it starts on the left, considered the side of “evil”, and ends on the right, the “righteous” side; it begins in the west, where the sun sets (the “dark” side) and ends in the east, the luminous side, the way of the Lord.
I read it as the life of each of us: sometimes we’re very close to our goal, then we move away from it, and only at the end of a long journey do we hit the mark.
But that’s not all!
This cathedral also holds the relic of the head of Saint John the Baptist, brought from Constantinople in 1206, at the time of the Fourth Crusade. Among the sculptural marvels stands out the Golden Virgin (Vierge dorée), on the south portal, and the original choir stalls, in carved 16th-century wood, are splendid.
The truly incredible thing about Amiens Cathedral is how it survived the vandalism of the French Revolution almost unscathed. While many French cathedrals, including Notre-Dame in Paris, were damaged and their statues beheaded, in Amiens both statues and wooden decorations remained intact.
A shame only about the stained glass, largely not original: with the ancient panes the atmosphere would have been even more steeped in colour, as it was in the Middle Ages.
3 – The Museum of Picardy
The Musée de Picardie isn’t huge and doesn’t hold pieces of great fame.
So why visit it?
I found it interesting because it offers, in a chronological route, the history of the region from antiquity to the last century. It begins with prehistoric finds, Egyptian statues and mummies, then there’s a very fine Greco-Roman section, with a collection of ancient glass. The early-medieval part helps you understand this transitional era, and the display on daily life and food is lovely.
On the main floor there’s a small picture gallery with a few large canvases, among them a very evocative Lady Godiva. It’s not unmissable, but if you’re in Amiens it’s worth a look.
4 – The Saint-Pierre park and the hortillonnages
The Saint-Pierre park is just one of the gardens of Amiens. I visited it in autumn, amid a carpet of yellow leaves that looked like gold. Unforgettable.
There are other green spaces worth seeing too, such as les Hortillonnages: floating gardens on a network of canals, explorable only by boat. A real peculiarity of the city.
5 – On the trail of Jules Verne
You may not have known it, but Amiens was the adopted city of a great author who made grown-ups and children alike dream: Jules Verne. The writer was actually born in Nantes in 1828, but he lived in Amiens for 34 years, from 1871 until his death in 1905. His house, the Maison à la Tour, is today a museum devoted to his life: a leap into the magical world of this incredible artist.
Towards the station there’s also the Cirque Jules Verne, a building of very particular shape, inaugurated in 1889 with a speech by the writer himself.
Amiens, practical information
Amiens is easily visited on foot or by bike: the centre is small and the station is close to all the points of interest. The city is about an hour and a quarter by train from Paris (Gare du Nord). The tourist office is next to the cathedral, entry to which, as in all French cathedrals, is free (only the climb to the towers is paid).
If you want to tie together the “Bible in stone”, Saint-Leu and Jules Verne’s house without missing anything, a guided tour of the city is the best way to catch every detail.
I also remember a little restaurant five minutes’ walk from the cathedral, serving wraps, salads, desserts and pasta prepared daily with organic ingredients and plenty of vegetarian options (like me): it’s called “Elisa”, and I admit it made me smile.
And you - would you like to look up at the largest Gothic cathedral in France and try to “read” its Bible in stone?
