Lisieux Cathedral: Interior, nave looking towards altar and apse

This view seems to be a film negative.\u000a\u000aThe present church was built between 1160 and 1230 at the initiative of Bishop Arnulf. From the outset, the architect conceived quadripartite rib vaults and flying buttresses. It is one of the earliest Gothic buildings in Normandy. The nave, quite austere, was inspired by the Gothic of the Ile-de-France, while the last parts built in the thirteenth century (the chevet, the lantern tower and the west facade) is the Norman style. In 1553, the south tower collapsed and was not fully rebuilt.