Cathédrale Saint-Pierre

A fine 12th-century Gothic cathedral that survived the 1944 bombing of Lisieux

The Cathédrale Saint-Pierre is the older and architecturally more interesting of Lisieux's two major religious buildings. Construction began in the 12th century and continued through the 13th, with a Romanesque apse and Gothic nave — a combination that reflects the transition between the two styles that was happening in Normandy at exactly that period.

The interior is spacious and well-proportioned, with good stained glass in the chancel. Bishop Pierre Cauchon, who presided over the trial of Joan of Arc in 1431, is buried here — one of several historical connections that make the cathedral more than just a secondary attraction to the modern basilica. The exterior is best seen from the square to the south, where the relative simplicity of the Norman Gothic facade is clear.

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When Allied bombers attacked Lisieux in June 1944 to cut German supply lines, over 80 percent of the town was destroyed. The cathedral survived largely intact, partly because its location in the old town centre placed it slightly away from the railway and industrial targets. It was one of the few medieval buildings left standing in the ruins.

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