Cathédrale St-Maurice

Angers


Angers' austere, mainly 12th- to 13th-century cathedral has a striking Norman porch and nave (mid-1100s); the latter's three convex vaults, forming a perfect square, are outstanding examples of mid-12th-century Angevin (Plantagenet) vaulting. Much of the stained glass dates from the early 13th to the mid-15th centuries. In the 18th century a humongous organ was erected inside the western façade, facing a supremely baroque baldachin (1758) over the high altar.

Outside the main portal, rare polychrome statues, some from the 1100s, are protected from the elements by a wooden enclosure.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Angers attractions

1. Montée St-Maurice

0.04 MILES

The square in front of Cathédrale St-Maurice is linked to a new riverside esplanade (under construction in 2018) and a gourmet covered market (set to open…

2. Maison d'Adam

0.05 MILES

Right behind Cathédrale St-Maurice stands the Maison d’Adam, one of the city’s best-preserved medieval houses (c 1500), which is decorated with a riot of…

3. Quartier de la Cité

0.05 MILES

One of the earliest examples of Angevin (Plantagenet) architecture in France, Gothic Cathédrale St-Maurice is distinguished by its striking Norman portal…

4. Galerie David d’Angers

0.11 MILES

The Angers-born sculptor Pierre-Jean David (1788–1856), aka David d’Angers, is renowned for his lifelike sculptures, which adorn public monuments such as…

5. Musée des Beaux-Arts

0.12 MILES

Has a superior 14th- to 20th-century collection (mainly paintings) that ranges from French masters Ingres, Fragonard and Watteau to the Florentine Lorenzo…

6. Château d’Angers

0.19 MILES

Looming above the river, this forbidding medieval castle – seat of power of the once-mighty counts of Anjou – is ringed by moats, 2.5m-thick walls and 17…

8. Château de Brissac

9.53 MILES

Owned by the Brissac family for 18 generations (since 1502), this seven-storey castle, the tallest in France, has 204 rooms, many of them sumptuously…