Rodez - Cathédrale Notre-Dame

A cathedral and a bishopric existed in Rodez since the 6th century.

When in 1276 the bell tower of the old cathedral collapsed, it was decided to erect a completely new one, as meanwhile the Gothic style had reached Southern France.

The works on the cathedral were slowed down by the Hundred Years War and the outbreak of the bubonic plague (aka "Black Death"). So the cathedral was finally completed around 1530, after 250 years.

The cathedral got vandalized during the French Revolution, what can be seen at the flamboyant side portal, where the vandals chiseled all carvings off.