main facade
It is a harmonious façade, that is, it has a tripartite layout, both horizontal and vertical. It consists of three portals with double doors that lead to three naves, three levels high and two towers. They have a deep flare with a large number of archivolts. We can say that the three western covers have a very homogeneous style; several masters with the same training, artists, perhaps from Chartres and Paris.
Above the portals is a clerestory, which consists of a series of double pointed arches. Above this clerestory is the gallery of the kings and above in the center the large rose window, which was restored in the century in classic Gothic style. Finally it was augmented with another gallery—that of the sonneurs—that joins the two towers, and which was made in the century by Viollet-le-Duc; This last gallery is crowned by a second gallery formed with delicate openwork arches. Behind these galleries is a terrace called “House of the Musicians”. There is a surprising difference between the interior façade and the exterior façade. Indeed, the interior façade shows us the first façade project, later modified and hidden by the organ "Organ (musical instrument)"). The façade takes into account the elevation of the nave, about four meters more, above the large upper decks.
Each of the three portals is crowned by a triangular pediment and in its center it has a stone decoration of a clover. The bases of these pediments are flanked on both sides by gargoyles "Gargoyle (architecture)") of fantastic beings. The large central pediment has a statue of an angel playing a trumpet at the top. This sculpture was placed in the century by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, replacing another of Saint Michael fighting the dragon.
Large buttresses vertically divide the façade of the building and separate the three portals. They are especially important at the ground floor level, where they fulfill the function of separation and solidly frame the portals. They are designed to guarantee the stability of the façade along with the two towers that support it. These buttresses are sharply reduced in the transition from the first to the second level - the one supporting the gallery of the triforium of the kings - which here forms a marked step in depth. The second level of the façade is therefore largely set back from the doors of the lower level. Along the entire route of these four buttresses you can see the ornamentation and its finishing with enormous pinnacles and impressive carving work. The same arrangement is repeated in the transition from the second to the third level of the façade—where the rose window is located—and presents a new series of four pinnacles that occupy the second step of depth of the buttresses.
The large central portal or the Last Judgment has two other smaller portals on its sides: that of the Virgin, to the viewer's right, and that of San Fermín, to the left.
The tympanum above the main door is decorated with a representation of the Last Judgment, when, according to Christian tradition, the dead will be resurrected and judged by Christ. This eardrum is divided into three registers. On the lower level, the resurrected rise from their tombs to the sound of trumpets. The archangel Saint Michael and his scales are in their midst to weigh the souls. At the bottom of the scene, a demon attempts to cause a deception by tipping the scales in its favor. In the middle register, the damned are separated from the chosen and naked, dragged away by demons and directed to the mouth of the monster, the Leviathan. In the upper register, Christ is found on his throne, with his hands raised and his bare torso showing his wounds. He is surrounded by the Virgin Mary and Saint John, who kneeling intercede for the salvation of souls; There are also angels who carry the symbols of the Passion.[19].
The representation of hell and heaven "Heaven (religion)") is in the voussoirs of the archivolts below the tympanum. In heaven, the souls are first seen gathered at Abraham's side. Then they head towards a city that represents the heavenly Jerusalem. The representation of hell, as shown, is very similar to that of Notre-Dame in Paris. Naked riders are seen on horses, evoking the Apocalypse.
• - Left lateral part.
• - Mullion with the sculpture of Christ, «Beau Dieu d'Amiens».
• - Right lateral part.
In the center of the central porch, on the mullion, is a sculpture of Christ the Savior, The Beautiful God of Amiens, a magnificent representation of Christ. The figure of Jesus appears blessing with his right hand and with his left he holds the Gospels, stepping on a snake. Under his figure, at the foot of the pillar, the image of King Solomon. On both sides of the double door are the large statues of the twelve apostles and the four major prophets. From left to right successively: the prophets Daniel and Ezekiel, followed by Simon or Judas, Philip, Matthew, Thomas, James the Less and Paul. In the following sequence: Peter, Andrew, James the Greater, John, Simon or Judas, Bartholomew, and the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. At its base, you can see a series of lobed medallions that represent vices and virtues. Laterally on the right side of the door, between the door of Judgment and that of the Mother of God, there is another series of medallions with other scenes, among them, Jonah emerging from the body of the whale.[20].
This portal is dedicated to Saint Fermin, who was bishop of Amiens in the 19th century. It is represented on the mullion with the bishop's vestments and pastoral crosier and on the tympanum "Tympanum (architecture)"), divided into three spaces, as in the other portals. In the first register the first six bishops of Amiens are represented, in the second passages from their lives appear figuratively and finally in the upper space the story of the discovery of the saint's body is told.
On both sides of the door there are six large statues, most of them are saints whose relics are displayed each year on the cathedral altar. On the left wall, you can see Saint Ulphe, an angel, Saint Acheul (martyr), Saint Ache (martyr), an angel and Saint Honorate of Amiens (bishop of the city). On the right side are the statues of Saint Fermin the confessor (second bishop of the city), Saint Domice, Saint Fuscien (martyr), Saint Earlus and Saint Luxor.[21].
The lower sides of the San Fermín portal are richly worked. Included are a series of twenty-four medallions, carved in the shape of a four-leaf clover, which represent an agrarian calendar, establishing a correspondence between the twelve signs of the zodiac and the agricultural work of the twelve months of the year.[22] All of these reliefs are very well preserved, despite being almost eight centuries old, and are known as the "Picard or Amniens calendar zodiac." The characters represent field work and wear different seasonal clothing; We must not forget the significant predominance of the rural population in the city of Amiens.[23].
The south portal of the western façade is dedicated to the Mother of God. The tympanum represents passages from her life, in the lower register there is a series of six characters from the Old Testament that represent the Virgin's ancestors. The death and assumption of Mary are depicted in the middle register, and finally at the top is the scene of her coronation in heaven. On the contours of the archivolts are sculpted angels carrying censers and candelabra and twenty-six figures of elders carrying scepters and crowns.
In the central pier there is a large statue of the Virgin with a monstrous animal with a human head under her feet. It is represented very static, inspired by the model of the sculptures of Chartres Cathedral. On the pedestal there are bas-reliefs with a series of scenes from Genesis. The statues that adorn the side jambs of the door are particularly notable: on the right they are grouped in pairs, representing three important episodes in the life of the Virgin Mary: the Annunciation, the Visitation and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. On the left, from the outside to the inside, we find the Queen of Sheba, King Solomon, King Herod the Great and the three wise men. Fourteen clover medallions contain reliefs that include representations of episodes from the New Testament, most of them are scenes from the life of the wise men until the massacre of the Innocents.[24].
On the façade of Amiens Cathedral, immediately above the three portals, is a covered service gallery, decorated with arches and columns, and is, therefore, in the intermediate step between the pediments of the portals and the Kings' Gallery. It is dated around 1235, it is commonly called triforium and it can be opened like the Three Kings and the upper terrace.
All these galleries communicate with the interior floors of the towers.
The so-called gallery of the Kings is above it and also contains a fully paved terrace, the rainwater is expelled by several gargoyles "Gargoyle (architecture)") that are located at the level of the bases of the arches around the heads of the kings. There are twenty-two sculptures of the kings and it is not known with certainty who they represent. They date from the first half of the century. The central part of the façade has eight 3.75 meter statues, located thirty meters high. There are also five on each western side of each tower, and one more placed in the front of the four buttresses of the façade, the buttresses that divide it into three vertical zones. These statues appear to be relatively poorly proportioned, with overly large heads and short legs. We find this type of characters in the gallery of the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims and Notre-Dame de Paris (in Paris; the statues date from the century).[25].
The large rose window is of late Gothic style and was placed in the century by order of the mayor of that time. It is located just above the central part of the Kings Gallery and is preceded by the terrace. Therefore it is located in a further back part of the façade.
The towers are actually unfinished, the upper part failing to provide slenderness to the entire construction. This role is achieved by the transept arrow, which is visible from many parts of the city of Amiens. They were the last parts of the building to be built and have a square floor plan instead of the rectangular one, which was common in all cathedrals of the time. These towers show half of what their total height should have been, and the two buttresses, which were to be located in the middle region of the towers, became corner buttresses. The reason for this situation was the lack of financial resources.
When the nave was finished - between 1220 and 1228 - the main façade had only been started and the space for the rose window had been opened. It was not until 1238, when the works received a new boost thanks to Bishop Arnoult, completing the western façade, but when faced with a lack of resources, the projects were restricted. In 1240, Bishop Arnoult had managed to get work on the cathedral going at a great pace that caused the funds to run out, so he had to suspend construction and try to obtain new donations. Furthermore, in 1258, a fire destroyed the structures of the apse chapels. This disaster contributed to delaying the construction of the façade towers. In Amiens, the people showed little enthusiasm to see the monument completed and a long period began to collect the donations necessary to continue the work, which failed to be abundant enough to allow everything that was initially expected to be built.[26].
The two pillars "Pillar (architecture)") of the central door and the surroundings of the large rose window remain from the original façade. From 1240, new parts of the façade were raised according to a new, less ambitious plan: the three porticos, as well as the pediments and pinnacles, the first gallery and the kings' gallery and the lower floor of the towers. As for the upper parts of the towers and the gallery between them, the structures were built in the early 19th century. The crowning of the two towers and the restoration of their central parts were carried out under the direction of Viollet-le-Duc between 1849 and 1857.[9].
Side facades
The facades or side walls of the northern and southern parts are more or less symmetrical. The basic architectural arrangements found on the south side can be seen on the north side as well. The greatest differences of these facades are between the parts of the nave "Nave (architecture)") and those of the presbytery "Presbytery (architecture)"). The nave and the presbytery were built during two different periods with a separation of about thirty years, so the architectural style of the nave wall is of the classic Gothic type, while that of the presbytery belongs to a later Gothic style. The stained glass windows of the nave are made up of four streets crowned by a multi-lobed rose window, while those of the presbytery have six streets, also crowned by a rose window. These tall stained glass windows of the chancel are crowned by a triangular pediment, characteristic of the Gothic, and rise to the gallery that runs along the base of the chancel roof.
Above each of the side naves—north and south—there is a large space for common use covered by a roof sloping outwards. This space corresponds inside the building to the clerestory, filled with light thanks to it. At the level of the presbytery, the interior part of the double ambulatory has a garden terrace. Overlooking the terrace, there are a series of openings leading to the choir clerestory. On the central level, the exterior ambulatory and the radial chapels of the apse are covered by a pyramidal roof, with multiple sections sloped in both directions both outside the street and towards the interior of the building's terrace. On the other hand, in the side chapels of the nave, built in strict alignment with the ambulatory, they are covered with a flat roof integrated into a large common terrace, surrounded by a balustrade.
As for the transept "Cruise (architecture)"), which has one arm to the west and another to the east, it has a mixed presbytery-nave architectural organization. On the eastern side of the transept, the arm is covered with a terrace that extends along the roof that covers the internal ambulatory, with the exception of the end section, which is covered with an octagonal pyramidal roof. On the western side of the transept it is covered in the same way as that of the nave, that is, with a roof inclined towards the outside. So there is no terrace at this level, so inside, the corresponding clerestory is blind.
The portal of the south arm of the transept, or portal of Saint-Honoré, is also known as the portal of the Golden Virgin, because of the image that adorns its mullion. The tympanum "Tympanum (architecture)") recounts several episodes in the life of Saint Honoratus, eighth bishop of Amiens, who lived in the 19th century. In the lower register, carved on the lintel, you can see the farewell of the apostles to Jesus on the day of the Ascension. Next, the four registers of the tympanum represent, from bottom to top, the coronation of Saint Honorato, the miraculous cures attributed to him, a procession of the saint's relics, and at the top the death of Christ on the cross at Golgotha.