Sées Cathedral, Gothic Catholic cathedral in Sées, France.
Sées Cathedral is a Gothic cathedral in Sées, Normandy, whose west front carries two open-work spires about 230 feet high, each a tapering octagonal tower with vertical ribs and pinnacles at its base. Buttresses project beyond the flat facade, which has pointed-arch windows and a rose window on the right. The nave runs east beneath a steep dark roof, with flying buttresses and tall pointed windows along its flank, and a lower row of gables in front.
Building work began in 1210 on a site that had already held three earlier churches. Over the following centuries the structure was gradually completed in the Gothic style that it retains today.
The choir holds four bas-reliefs depicting scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary, and the altar carries another showing the removal of the relics of Saints Gervais and Protais. The cathedral keeps a double dedication to the Assumption of the Virgin and to these two martyr brothers, from the merging of two churches of the episcopal group.
On Sunday afternoons in summer, organ recitals are sometimes held inside, so it is worth checking in advance if you want to attend one. Daytime visits give the best light for seeing the stained glass windows from inside the nave.
In 2015, three new bells were added to the north tower, joining those already hanging there. This shows that the building is still actively used and maintained, not simply treated as a monument.
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