Orléans - Cathédrale Sainte-Croix

A bishopric existed in Orléans since about 350, when the city was called Aurelianum.

In the 12th century a large cathedral was erected in Romanesque style, but in 1227 the facade of this structure collapsed. It was decided to replace the building with a Gothic cathedral. The construction started in 1288 and was not completed in 1428, when Orléans was under siege. Joan of Arc's lifted the Siege of Orléans. She attended a Mass here in May 1429.

During the Wars of Religion Huguenot troops took Orléans. Louis, Prince of Condé, who led the army, tried to save the cathedral. But bricking up the portals was not enough, some soldiers sneaked in and blew the crossing up. This caused the collapse of the structure in 1568.

Henry IV (aka "Henri-Quatre") and his spouse Marie de' Medici laid out the foundation stone in 1601. The building work took very long. During the French Revolution the building of facade and towers stopped. When Charles X inaugurated the cathedral in May 1829, the building was not completed.

So the cathedral was an often unattended construction site for more than 300 years. It is no surprise, that all reachable surfaces are covered with graffiti. Thousands of people left names, initials, dates..