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Beauvais was the first stop on the church tour with Jonathan. Despite a late start and some slow traffic, we arrived in Beauvais just before lunch on the 22nd of May. Beauvais, had it been completed, would have been the tallest Gothic church in the world. The choir, the only part completed, does hold the tallest Gothic choir record. The cathedral dominates the town. Like most of the Gothic churches we saw in France, the cathedral can been seen from the distance as you approach the town. Literally, you don't need directions to figure out how to get to it. You simply point and drive.
I was first enchanted by the Beauvais cathedral during a Medieval Architecture class at Tufts. Seeing it in person was a thrilling experience. It dwarfs, surrounds, and threatens the viewer, but it also thrills, inspires, and confounds you at the same time. It is massive and beautiful.
Structurally, Beauvais' choir collapsed during Easter services just after completion. Subsequent rebuilding and changes are obvious and mark the building inside. Wooden braces in the transepts show the current fragility of the building and the continuing fight to maintain its heavenly aspirations in height. Beauvais shows both the ambition of the Gothic period and its limitations.
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