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.

Though looted a couple of times, the cathedral has precious works of art in the treasury. Four biblical episodes carved from ivory within the 14th century.