Dating in Beauvais, in the shadow of the tallest cathedral

Saint-Pierre Cathedral

Planned in the Middle Ages as the greatest cathedral in Christendom, Saint-Pierre was never completed, yet its choir remains the tallest in the world. Inside, the nineteenth-century astronomical clock, a masterpiece in its own right, comes alive on the hour with sixty-eight automatons. Nearby, Saint-Étienne Church shelters one of the finest Tree of Jesse stained-glass windows in France. A cultural date that instantly lifts the eyes.

Place Jeanne Hachette and the centre

At the heart of the town, Place Jeanne Hachette is named after the young Beauvais girl who, in 1472, seized a Burgundian soldier’s axe to defend the ramparts against Charles the Bold. Her statue still watches over it. Around it, the town hall and the terraces animate the centre, especially on market days. A coffee shared after the cathedral is a natural next step, in a warm, unaffected Picard atmosphere.

MUDO, Maladrerie and Canada basin

Housed in the former bishop’s palace, the MUDO - Oise Museum brings together paintings, sculptures and local ceramics. The Maladrerie Saint-Lazare, a splendid medieval leper hospital turned cultural centre, surprises visitors with the beauty of its grounds. To the north, the Canada water basin invites an evening walk. On Lyad, Beauvais singles share their ideas; it is up to you to find someone to climb the next cathedral forecourt with.