Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Verdun

Romanesque-Gothic cathedral on the highest point of the old town

The Cathédrale Notre-Dame stands on the highest point of the old town, a Romanesque foundation later overlaid with Gothic and Baroque additions. The two western towers, the Romanesque crypt, and the Baroque baldachin over the high altar are the highlights.

It was badly damaged by shellfire in WWI and again by bombing in WWII; the restoration is sensitive and the building's complex layers are still legible. The adjoining Cloitre des Chanoines is one of the prettiest small cloisters in the region — usually open at the same hours as the cathedral.

things to do religious landmark
A story
The cathedral was consecrated in 1147, but its origins lie in a basilica founded in the 4th century — making it one of the oldest Christian sites in northeastern France. The mixed Romanesque crypt and Gothic upper church reflect a thousand years of expansion, with severe damage in 1916 and 1944 followed by careful restorations.