The east end

This is one of the finest achievements of 13th-century Gothic. The builder is at the height of his art. Here we find the elegance and purity of the choir. The proportions are just as remarkable. The five radiating chapels unfold harmoniously around the apse, punctuated by the cluster of double-span flying buttresses.

East end of Saint-Gatien Cathedral seen from outside, with its radiating chapels and flying buttresses

Many statues enliven the walkway along the roof space, among them the patron saints of the cathedral, while charming faces carved in the round adorn the windows of the chapels.

Statue of a mitred bishop on the walkway along the roof of the east end
Statue of another bishop with his hand raised, on the walkway along the roof
Statue of a figure in armour on the walkway along the roof
Statue of a bishop holding a book, near a flying buttress of the east end

A highly refined decorative scheme recalls that of the Sainte-Chapelle, a true goldsmith’s shrine.

Alongside the restoration of the choir, the whole of the east end has regained the brightness of its original stone.