Auxerre - Cathédrale Saint-Étienne

The Cathédrale Saint-Étienne seen today is actually the 5th on the spot.

The erection started in 1215 around the same time, when the building of the cathedrals in Reims and Amiens started. The choir was completed in 1235. The stained glass of the choir windows was created until 1250. The same time, the construction of the facade began. Around 1300, construction began on the southern arm of the transept.

The sculptured portal is dated to around 1320. The nave was built from around 1320–1350, but the Hundred Years' War slowed the work down and delayed the completion of the south aisle until 1378. The north transept and the towers had not begun at the beginning of the 15th century. In 1478, the nave was vaulted and in 1500 work on the north tower began and was completed after 43 years. The south tower was never completed.

The cathedral is known for its fantastic stained windows from the 13th century. Despite the harm, they suffered from the Huguenot iconoclasts, most of them are still intact

The story of Joseph and his brothers.

Genesis 7 ....

"They saw him from a distance. Before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. They said to each other, "Look, here comes that master dreamer! Let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and say that a wild animal has eaten him. Then we’ll see what happens to his dreams."

When Reuben heard this, he tried to save Joseph from their plot. "Let’s not kill him," he said. "Let’s not have any bloodshed. Put him into that cistern that’s out in the desert, but don’t hurt him." Reuben wanted to rescue Joseph from them and bring him back to his father.

So when Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his special robe with long sleeves. Then they took him and put him into an empty cistern. It had no water in it.

As they sat down to eat, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying the materials for cosmetics, medicine, and embalming. They were on their way to take them to Egypt.

Judah asked his brothers, "What will we gain by killing our brother and covering up his death? Let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites. Let’s not hurt him, because he is our brother, our own flesh and blood." His brothers agreed.

As the Midianite merchants were passing by, the brothers pulled Joseph out of the cistern. They sold him to the Ishmaelites for eight ounces of silver. The Ishmaelites took him to Egypt."