Open all year round
St. Peter's Cathedral was probably preceded by two other cathedral churches.
Started around 1160 at the time of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II Plantagenet, it was completed at the end of the following century in Poitiers.
It is in the Angevin Gothic style, except for the façade: with its rose window and three sculpted portals, it follows the influence of the Gothic style of the Ile de France.
St. Peter's Cathedral is exceptional by :
- its dimensions,
- its hall church shape,
- his flat bedside table.
It houses many works belonging (originally) to various churches in the city of Poitiers that suffered from the Revolution.
Of particular note:
- 3 Romanesque stained-glass windows, including the large crucifixion stained-glass window dating from the 12th century (exceptional for its size and composition),
- The oldest Gothic stalls in Europe (mid-13th century),
- Great Clicquot organ which has consecrated its original mechanics.
Unusual detail:
The original murals of St. Peter's Cathedral were recently discovered in the south transept of the building, a treasure of Gothic art of a quality and size unique in France.
Scenes from the Bible, saints, angels, the coronation of the Virgin, floral decorations, animals... all made according to the codes of the time with very bright colours, reds, blues, greens obtained thanks to pigments often precious.
OPENING HOURS AND PERIOD
All year round and every day
from 9am to 5pm in winter and from 9am to 7.30pm or 8pm in summer