Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens
Catholic cathedral · Amiens ·
Largest Gothic cathedral in France, houses St. John the Baptist's skull.
Largest Gothic cathedral in France, houses St. John the Baptist's skull.
"France’s Amiens Cathedral contains a preserved skull (facial bone sans lower jaw) which is supposedly that of famed prophet John the Baptist. While the grim relic has said to have been lost and found a number of times throughout its centuries of history, the skull found its way to its current home after traveling from the defunct city of Constantinople. During the Fourth Crusade (1202–1204), Wallon de Sarton, a Crusader from French Picardy, discovered in the ruins of a palace in Constantinople, a relic consisting of a half-ball of transparent crystal that contained the facial section of a human head resting on a silver plate. Greek letters engraved in the plate affirmed that the pate was that of John the Baptist. Wallon de Sarton had to sell the silver plate to pay for his voyage back to France, but he kept the head and in 1206 he gave the relic to the bishop of the town of Amiens. Realizing the significance of the item, the church immediately began construction on the Amiens Cathedral. The relic was displayed in the Amiens Cathedral until the French Revolution when inventory was made of all Church property and treasure and relics were confiscated. In 1793 representatives of the Convention demanded that the relic be buried in a cemetery, instead the mayor of the town kept the relic in his house. Some years later, in 1816, the head of St. John the Baptist was returned to the cathedral and in 1876 a new silver plate was added to the relic, restoring it to its historical glory." - ATLAS_OBSCURA
"Labyrinths have been a potent symbol throughout human history, serving as allegories that consciously or subconsciously symbolize the twisting and meandering paths that comprise the journey of life. Labyrinths in early Christianity held a variety of meanings, but perhaps the most important use of this symbol was as a means by which the faithful could perform an allegorical penance for their sins. In place of embarking on the long and dangerous pilgrimage to the actual city of Jerusalem, the penitent would simply walk the labyrinth of a cathedral and seek a symbolic Holy Land and atonement at its center. The labyrinth of Amiens Cathedral (La cathédrale d’Amiens) is linked to the more famous labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral and has the same path arrangement and widths, but differs from its round counterpart in its octagonal shape. It was originally created in the late Middle Ages in the year 1288, roughly a decade after the cathedral itself was built. A medallion in the center of the maze commemorates the construction of the medieval cathedral. For 500 years, the labyrinth was a key feature of the Amiens Cathedral until its destruction through an act of vandalism in 1825 during the post-revolutionary period in France. Fortunately, the beautiful maze was later restored in accordance with the original design and color scheme by expert masons. In a further stroke of luck, the labyrinth managed to survive two German bombardments and occupations of the city of Amiens during the 20th century." - ATLAS_OBSCURA
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