A little history of St-Gervais and St-Protais cathedral in Soissons

Pépin the Short, Charles Martel's son, was crowned in the cathedral of Soissons, in 752!

The former church, dedicated to saint Gervais and saint Protais, dates back to the 4th century. Bishop Rothade I rebuilt a new one, consecrated in 851. But the current one was put up in the 12th century, finished in the middle of the 13th century.

At the end of the 13th century, towers were not finished. The last storey of the southern tower was raised just before the beginning of the Hundred Years War...

But the northern tower wasn't finished! The scaffoldings were sold after the 1414 siege in aid of the Crown! The cathedral was finally consecrated in April 1479.

Then, lots of misfortunes happened: wars of religion, a storm which destroyed the spire in 1710... Fortunately, restoration works began in 1617, based on drawings by architect Slodtz.

During the French Revolution, it was plundered, the furniture was stolen, it was transformed into a barn and then into a gunpowder store in 1815: when this store exploded, the stained-glass windows broke!

The cathedral was also damaged during World War I: one of the tower and the nave had to be rebuilt.