Bourges Cathedral

Late afternoon sun in Bourges. The "Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Bourges" was erected as a replacement for a 11th-century structure. The construction started probably in the last quarter of the 12th century, around the same time, when the builders and bricklayers started in Chartres. The choir of the cathedral was in use by 1214, the nave was finished 1255. The cathedral was consecrated in 1324.

The western facade was finished by 1270. It is very wide, as the four side aisles and central nave each have their own portal. This is the central-portal, the largest and most ornate and sophisticated. The tympanum carries scenes related to the Last Judgement, a popular theme already on Romanesque churches (eg Conques, Autun, Moissac, Sangüesa). Here it is composed over three "levels" and carved in a delicate Gothic style.

Since 1992 the cathedral is a "UNESCO World Heritage Site". Pilgrims, following the Via Lemovicenis, have been here already in the early times.