Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul

The Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul took 457 years to build — construction began in 1434 and was not completed until 1893. The result is one of the great late-Gothic buildings of France, with a soaring nave that is actually taller than Notre-Dame in Paris. The interior is bright and airy, flooded with light from the large windows, and houses several exceptional works of art including the tomb of Francis II, Duke of Brittany and Anne of Brittany.

The tomb, carved between 1502 and 1507, is a masterpiece of Late Gothic sculpture. Francis II was the last independent Duke of Brittany before the region's union with France, and the tomb's recumbent figures are surrounded by allegorical figures representing the cardinal virtues — each figure a work of extraordinary refinement.

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A story
In January 1972, a fire caused by a tramp sheltering inside destroyed much of the interior of the cathedral, including many of the original stained-glass windows. The cathedral was closed for twenty years during restoration. In 2015, the main organ was badly damaged in another fire, set deliberately — it took six years and €3 million to restore. Despite this destructive history, the cathedral's interior remains magnificent.