If you're visiting Orléans, don't miss a visit to the cathedral! A true treasure of the city, it will delight architecture fans and history buffs alike. In addition to its flamboyant facade, Sainte-Croix boasts a rare collection of stained glass windows, as well as a collection dedicated to Joan of Arc. The cathedral boasts beautiful iconography of the famous heroine of French history, as well as other incredible secrets.
In this article, discover our useful tips for visiting Orléans Cathedral and having a wonderful time!
This guide is completely independent, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.
Why visit Orléans Cathedral?
Is Holy Cross Cathedral worth it? Our opinion:
Yes, we're convinced that the cathedral is well worth a visit! In fact, it's Orléans' most emblematic monument, as it's the largest cathedral in the Centre-Val de Loire region.
At first, you'll be fascinated by thebrilliance of its facade and colorful stained glass windows. You'll then be captivated by the lovely repertoire dedicated to Joan of Arc, the mythical 15th-century figure who saved France from the yoke of the English during the 100 Years' War. And last but not least, you'll be amazed by the cathedral's wealth of details, works of art and anecdotes!
What's the cathedral famous for?
While the Cathédrale Sainte-Croix is an essential stopover on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, as it houses relics of the cross of Christ, it is above all famous today for having welcomed Joan of Arc!
Secondly, it is one of France's royal cathedrals, having hosted the coronations of several kings (Charles II, Robert II and Louis VI), and above all we discovered that all the kings of France, from Henri IV to Charles X, took part in its construction. Indeed, Orléans Cathedral is also famous for having taken two centuries to rebuild. A true standard-bearer of "modern Gothic", it stands proudly today, waiting to be explored by you!
Our favorite moments
While the cathedral is impressive from the outside, it has a lot to offer inside, and we loved it:
- Immerse yourself in the story of Joan of Arc through the many elements (stained glass windows, statues, coats of arms) dedicated to her. We were truly captivated by all the objects that do it proud.
- Stroll through the various chapels in the ambulatory and discover the many curiosities they conceal.
- Admire the magnificent roses in the transept. You won't be able to resist the poetry of their color variations!
WHERE TO STAY IN Orléans
Downtown
Enjoy the city, its restaurants and beautiful architecture.
- Hotel Urban Jungle - prices, pictures and availability
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In the countryside around
Charming locations near or 45 minutes from Orléans
- Hotel Le Pigeonnier de la Farge - prices, pictures and availability
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See our reviews of the best hotels in Orléans (coming soon)
History in brief
- 7th century: A first church is built in the name of Sainte-Croix. It survived 700 years before a fire destroyed it in 989.
- 11th century: A vast Romanesque cathedral is rebuilt. After several collapses (1278, 1286), a new cathedral was launched.
- 13th-16th century: Although the foundation stone for the new Gothic-style church was laid in 1287, construction stalled during the 100 Years' War. In 1568, the Huguenots blew up the pillars of the transept crossing, bringing the building almost to ruin.
- 17th century: Henri IV launches reconstruction in 1601. Work continued under Louis XIII and the Sun King, to whom the roses in the transept are dedicated.
- 18th century: The old Romanesque façade was destroyed in 1724. This marked the start of the lengthy construction of the current Gothic façade, approved by Louis XV and completed in 1790.
- 19th century: The cathedral was officially inaugurated on May 8, 1829 by Charles X, 542 years after work had begun!
Since its completion in 1829, the cathedral has endured the ravages of time and war. It was damaged by German bombardment in 1940 and by the Allies in 1944. Since then, it has undergone a facelift and is constantly being renovated.
How to get there: Sainte-Croix Cathedral, Orléans
Where is the cathedral?
- In downtown Orléans
- Entrance is from Place Sainte-Croix
- The cathedral is a 4-minute walk from the Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans.
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How to get there?
From Orléans train station, it's just a 20-minute walk to the cathedral.
Concerning public transport:
- The nearest bus stop is: Dupanloup (line O)
- The nearest streetcar stops are: Cathedral (line B) or De Gaulle (line A).
To plan your itinerary, we recommend you visit the official website of the public transport network here.
Parking
If you're coming by car: 24-hour underground parking is available at the cathedral on rue Saint Pierre Lentin. Alternatively, parking spaces are available all around the cathedral's chevet, on rue Robert de Courtenay.
If you're coming by bike: there are spaces for attaching your bike next to the self-service bike stop, number 14, rue Paul Fourche.
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Useful tips: duration, schedules, eating...
Best time to visit
As with all religious buildings, we advise you to avoid service times if you want to make the most of your visit. To find out more, visit the cathedral's official websitehere.
Otherwise, you can visit us at any time of day, as we are not overcrowded. However, for a quieter visit, we advise you to come as soon as it opens. A final tip: visit the cathedral when the sun is high, to enjoy the magnificent play of light through the stained glass windows. So you can have fun reproducing these kinds of photos!
Length of visit and main difficulties
We suggest you allow between 10min and 40min for a tour of the cathedral, taking in its façade, its Joan of Arc collection and its many secrets.
We didn't notice any special facilities for people with reduced mobility, but the site is accessible to baby carriages and wheelchairs (entrance at rue Paul Belmondo).
Advice on how to visit
There is no specific route through the building, but we recommend that you start by looking at the façade in detail, and then proceed through the building in that order:
- Enjoy the different stained glass windows dedicated to Joan of Arc, from left to right of the aisle to respect the chronology,
- Appreciate the grandeur of the nave and its coat of arms,
- Admire the choir, its stained glass windows and magnificent stalls (chairs reserved for clergy),
- Stroll through the ambulatory and discover the various chapels, ending in the sacristy,
- Then return to the transepts to see the hidden details.
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Visiting with children
A number of systems are available for children:
- A tour guide booklet
- A comic strip tracing the origins of the cathedral
- A 2D model of the cathedral to cut out and color
- A treasure-hunting script to discover the cathedral's interior in an immersive way (two versions available: 45min and 1h30).
The files are suitable for children aged 7 to 14 and are available at the cathedral entrance or can be downloaded from the cathedral's official website here. And don't miss the cathedral model at the entrance with your children! Dated 1740 (and restored in 2011), it was thanks to this that Louis XV approved the reconstruction of the façade.
Schedules and rates
Admission to the cathedral is free, and opening times are as follows:
- November to March: 9am to 6pm
- April to October: 9am to 7pm
Check the detailed timetable on the cathedral's official website here.
Guided tours
Every Wednesday at 12.20pm (except during school vacations), free 20-minute tours are offered. Topics can be cultural (music and stained glass, medieval sculpture) or refer to liturgical times. Find out more about the different themes on the official website here. The trail also features a number of explanatory panels to inform you about the various treasures it conceals.
Catering
Orléans is a gourmet city with a varied choice of restaurants from different horizons. Here's a small selection while we wait for our article on the city's best restaurants (coming soon!).
If you want to eat close to the Cathédrale Saint-Gatien, we recommend this:
- Restaurant Maga: located a 4-minute walk from the cathedral, this restaurant offers a small, seasonal menu with elaborate, surprising and delicious dishes!
- Glacier Moustache: if you simply want a sweet break before setting off again to take on the city, this ice cream parlour will refuel you with its waffles or its generous ice creams in original flavours.
Remarkable architecture
Before going into the details of the architecture, let's give you a few figures about one of France's five largest Gothic cathedrals! At 144m long and 114m high, including the spire, it covers almost 63,000m2 - enough to make you dizzy!
The western facade
Start your visit to the cathedral by detailing its absolutely remarkable façade. Four levels stand out horizontally: the portals, their spandrels, the roses and the openwork gallery that joins the two towers. Start by observing the three portals and the finely chiselled stone friezes that frame them. On the tympanum of the main portal, we noticed two cherubs perched on clouds, holding a royal crown. Just above them, three magnificent roses stand proudly, the special feature of which is that they have no glass! Richly decorated, the facade is adorned with some forty statues (by 18th-century sculptors such as Jean-Antoine Houdon and Augustin Pajou).
After taking time to observe the wealth of detail on the façade, we stopped to consider the four statues beneath the spandrels. We particularly liked that of Luke, author of the third gospel, who had a feathered friend on his head that day!
Finally, did you notice this striking detail? There are no crosses on the cathedral pillars! Normally, every religious building must proudly display its cross as a sign of consecration. In the case of Sainte-Croix, history records that in the 4th century, Saint Euverte, bishop of Orléans, in the middle of a consecration ceremony, had a vision of the hand of God blessing the cathedral. He stopped everything and declared: "This cathedral was blessed by the hand of God, it will not be blessed by the hand of man". Hence the fact that the cathedral is one of the few in the world not to be topped with a cross!
The majestic towers
Reaching a height of 86m, the two towers can be viewed on three levels:
- The second floor is all scrolls, spirals and flames! You can also see that it is fitted with sound shades: a kind of canopy with sloping blades to protect the bells from the rain and redirect the sound downwards.
- The second floor is very delicate. The slender colonnades seemed to hang in the air, and we almost feared they would blow away in the slightest gust of wind!
- Finally, the top floor is topped by an elegant stone crown that lifts the overall weight of the building. This aerial gallery is an invitation to turn towards the sky. In fact, at the top of the towers, you can make out a series of eight angels, each carrying instruments.
The side facade
Once you've admired the cathedral's heights, take the tangeante to the west and observe the side façade. In addition to the perfectly cut structure, we noticed a sparkling sun in the center of the rose. This is a tribute to the reign of Louis XIV, nicknamed the Sun King (1643-1715), who rebuilt Sainte-Croix. He even intervened directly in the choice of layouts, requesting, for example, the erection of a spire. And if you look at the gold letters on the dial, you can read the king's motto: Nec pluribus impar (like no other). He gave it to himself to talk about his power! When you're inside the church, be sure to go to the west transept to see this rose on the front side. You'll see flame-red and flame-yellow rays pouring in like an incandescent sunset.
Finally, when you retrace your steps to the cathedral entrance, you'll see this large block of stone on the forecourt with the inscription:
Side A: "She was a good, simple, sweet girl. Sometimes I saw her tending her father's flocks". Side B: "The voice tells me that I am hastening to come and that I will lift the siege laid before Orleans".
This monument to Joan of Arc, created by Raymond Martin in 1980 (recounting the famous episode of the voices she is said to have heard) is a foretaste of what you're about to see inside the cathedral about the famous Maid of Orleans!
A cathedral dedicated to Joan of Arc
There are many ways to celebrate the visit of Joan of Arc, nicknamed the liberator of Orléans, to Sainte-Croix Cathedral on two occasions in 1429: May 2: She attended vespers mass during the siege of Orléans. May 8: She returns to thank God for liberating the city.
The coat of arms
As soon as you enter the nave, you'll be overwhelmed by the immensity of the room! Its pillars rise seamlessly to the vaults, reaching a height of 32m. We couldn't have wished for a better setting to welcome the flamboyance of Joan of Arc, who is mentioned from the outset by the presence of a multicolored coat of arms! Each refers to his comrades-in-arms during the war.
The stained glass windows
After this first colorful bath, we moved on to the west wing to admire the first 5 stained glass windows dedicated to the life of La Pucelle d'Orléans. They were commissioned by Monseigneur Dupanloup, Bishop of Orléans, who played a major role in the recognition of Joan of Arc's sanctity (he wrote a letter to Pope Pius IX and created the canonization dossier). Created by the Lobin workshops and completed in 1897, the Art Nouveau-style figures depict Joan of Arc with a variety of faces. At times pious (when she hears angelic voices inviting her to defend France), at times combative and finally martyred with the famous scene of the stake (window 10). We then moved to the aisle to admire the rest of the series, and loved stained glass window no.8 (below).
Entitled "Comment il advint que Jeanne fut mise à mal par trahison aux mains des Anglais", this stained glass window recounts the episode of May 23, 1430, when Jeanne was trapped at Compiègne. Look at the contrast between the red-clad assailants and Joan of Arc, looking impassive in her yellow breastplate, riding her majestic blue horse. They seem to dominate the soldiers bustling and pulsating around them. The reality was less glorious: she was thrown to the ground and locked up in the fortress built by Philippe Auguste, at the Tour de Bouvreuil in Rouen. If you'd like to find out more about the life of France's most iconic heroine, you can visit the historial, the museum dedicated to her in Rouen, which we describe in this article.
The chapel dedicated
Now take the path to the ambulatory and look at the first chapel. Dedicated to Joan of Arc, we enjoyed seeing her represented in many different ways. You'll be able to see:
- A statue by André Vermare of the conquering Pucelle after the siege of Orléans was lifted in 1429.
- A bas-relief on the altar depicting Joan after her victory at Fort des Tourelles.
- A stained glass window created by Pierre Carron in 2000, with the blue part representing Joan's horse and the red part the pyre and its flames.
Finally, you'll notice a white marble statue kneeling before it. Monseigneur Touchet, Bishop of Orléans, consecrated the chapel in 1926. There is also a plaque commemorating the dead of the First World War.
The sacristy
Finally, once you've finished exploring the various chapels in the chevet, you can take a look at the sacristy (a room where various religious objects are kept), which also honors the figure of Joan of Arc. Here, although she retains her warrior attributes, we were surprised to discover a feminized representation of Joan of Arc, with long hair, a peaceful face and a confident gaze.
Did you know? The cult of Joan of Arc doesn't stop there, and goes all the way to the heights, as she also has a bell named after her! Installed in 1898, its drone (a large 6-ton bell) was cracked by bombing in 1944, before being lowered in 1972 and rebuilt in 2012 to ring again. Finally, we recommend extending your visit to the town, by going to the Hôtel particulier Groslot to see the statue of Joan of Arc, which bears the scars of one of the bombs that hit the cathedral.
The cathedral's treasures
After an initial tour immersing ourselves in the world of Joan of Arc, we returned to the site to discover the many jewels of Sainte-Croix Cathedral.
The 13 chapels of the chevet
After the sacristy, return to the ambulatory in the opposite direction and admire in greater detail the 13 chapels that make up the chevet. They echo a saint through an exhibition of paintings, stained glass and statues. Each chapel features a vault lined with stars and the saint's monogram. For our part, we chose the chapel dedicated to Saint Yves (1253-1303), priest, jurist and patron saint of magistrates. In this chapel, we loved Pierre Carron's stained-glass window depicting a monstrance, the piece of silverware containing the host. Even though it's an object, it's treated with precision and sublimated by the vibrant colors. The eye is immediately drawn to this luminous yellow, which soothes the electric blue of the background. You can also appreciate the play of textures, from the reflections of the jewelry to the feathers of the angels wearing Christ's crown of thorns. Finally, two paintings by Jacques de Létin (1597-1661) frame the stained glass window, with the carrying of the cross on the left and the cruxifiction scene on the right.
The unique choir
You can now return to the choir, where you'll be delighted by the exceptional stained glass windows. Raise your eyes first and look at the windows in the upper part of the choir. Laid by Guillaume Loyseau between 1620 and 1622, you'll notice that they're white, as was the fashion at the time. We loved the contrast between the clean-lined stained glass windows and the colorful ones in the center of the choir. These were designed by Julien-Léopold Lobin, whose work began in 1855 and was completed by his son in 1870. The medallions illustrate scenes from the Passion of Christ and memorable events relating to the history of the Cross.
Before craning your neck to admire the cathedral's skyline, change position to look at the magnificent stalls (chairs reserved for the clergy), lined up behind the altar. Above them, we particularly enjoyed detailing the 21 beautifully carved oak medallions. They represent the main scenes in the life of Jesus, ideal for meditation and prayer. Commissioned by Louis XIV, they were created by Jules Degoullons (one of the decorators of Versailles and the stalls at Notre Dame de Paris) between 1702 and 1706.
Other remarkable sights
Sainte-Croix Cathedral is full of other secrets, which we invite you to discover:
The organs: the most imposing is in the nave, above the entrance portal, known as the Grang-Orgue. Installed in the cathedral in 1822, it has been rebuilt several times, notably by the famous organ builder Cavaillé-Coll, and has been listed as a Monument Historique since 1973. Another, smaller organ from 1846 can be found in the cathedral choir.
Oak altarpieces: located in the south transept, the Sacred Choir altarpiece depicts scenes from the Passion story. Opposite in the north transept is the altarpiece of the Virgin, featuring scenes such as the marriage of Mary and Joseph, the Annunciation of the birth of Jesus and the Nativity scene.
The Way of the Cross: located in the aisles bordering the nave, this is a series of high-reliefs retracing the life of Christ. It was designed by Clovis Monceau (1827-1892).
We hope you enjoy this cathedral as much as we do, and if you're looking for even more beauty, we invite you to read our article on the most beautiful cathedrals in the Loire Valley (coming soon).
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Frequently asked questions
How to follow in the footsteps of Joan of Arc?
If you'd like to extend your Joan of Arc discoveries, we recommend a themed tour of the city of Orléans, itself steeped in references to the saint. See prices and availability.
Last but not least, Orléans does not have a monopoly on Joan of Arc! You can find her in the city of Rouen in her eponymous museum, which we recommend you visit here, and you can also find our article dedicated to Tours and Joan of Arc here.
What treasure does Orléans Cathedral hold?
The cathedral contains relics of the Cross on which Jesus was crucified, hence the name Sainte-Croix. History has it that it was discovered in Jerusalem around the year 327, by Saint Helena, mother of the Roman emperor Constantine I. These relics can be seen in a display case in the sacristy, which also showcases other pieces of silverware, such as bishop's crosses and rings, found in medieval tombs. In this room, you'll also find some paintings of the Passion of Christ.
How to see the cathedral in a different light?
Every year, during the Fêtes Johanniques d'Orléans (late April-early May), the figure of Joan of Arc is celebrated throughout the city, including at Orléans Cathedral. It offers concerts, themed guided tours and not forgetting the illuminations with the sound and light show. For full details, visit the official tourist office website here.
Finally, if you want to enjoy a new view of the cathedral. You can choose to:
- Get some height: visit the cathedral's terraces, with their 360° view over the city of Orléans. Find out more here.
- Instead, take a look underground: visit the crypt and remains of the first Romanesque cathedral, rediscovered thanks to excavations in 1937. This tour is offered as part of the Heritage Days (September).
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