Cathédrale Saint-Louis

Late Gothic cathedral on the upper town hill, with 1950s stained glass by Jan Dibbets

The Cathédrale Saint-Louis sits at the highest point of the upper town and gives Blois its dominant silhouette from across the Loire. The church is a late Gothic rebuild on much older foundations — Romanesque crypt below, 17th-century nave and tower above. From the outside the proportions are surprisingly tall for the relatively modest town it serves.

Inside, the standout feature is the contemporary stained glass. Jan Dibbets's windows replace the postwar plain glazing and bring sharp colour into the long nave; they're worth seeing on a sunny afternoon. The terrace gardens behind the cathedral give one of the best free views in Blois — down over the slate roofs, the bridge, and the Loire.

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A story
The cathedral was largely rebuilt after a hurricane in 1678 destroyed most of the medieval church. Its modern glory is a set of stained-glass windows by Dutch artist Jan Dibbets, installed between 2000 and 2014 — bright, abstract panels of red, yellow, and blue that work strangely well with the dark Gothic stone.