Yesterday I posed a little conundrum – what are there 170 of in Europe?

The answer is cathedrals with authentic gothic architecture – apologies if the question was a little too obtuse!

There are said to be seven characteristics of what makes a cathedral gothic style – great height/size, the flying buttress (to support the building weight), the pointed arch (to support the heavy ceiling), a vaulted ceiling, a light and airy interior, ornate decoration (especially around doors) and perhaps everybody’s favourite, the gargoyles.

By my reckoning I have seen 51 of them – the most recent examples being in Reims & Troyes in the Champagne & Ardennes regions in Northern France.

Both examples were stunning and as usual notoriously difficult to photograph in their majestic totality.

Describing fabulous architecture is not really my forte, so I will let the pictures do the talking. What I will say though is that I found the interior of Troyes Cathedral to be the most visually appealing that I have seen and in both cathedrals the stained-glass windows and vaulted ceilings were awesome.

REIMS

Joan of Arc 

TROYES