The history of Orleans Cathedral is inseparable from that of the kingdom of France. Orleans has been a city of prime importance at the heart of the kingdom for centuries.
The origins of the cathedral are very ancient and the legends attached to it, mingling with the reality of French history, are numerous and fascinating.
Joan of Arc, a young shepherdess who heard "divine voices" is the best illustration of this: without power or knowledge, within just a few weeks she accomplished the impossible feat of liberating Orleans and seeing the prince crowned king of France!
The royal cathedral of Orleans reveals a past strewn with challenges: destroyed, criticised, despised, forgotten...
Taking more than 600 years to construct, with a history spanning 1600 years, Orleans Cathedral is an extraordinary, atypical and frequently overlooked monument.