Sainte-Croix Cathedral

The Cathedral of Sainte-Croix, in Orléans

The Cathedral of Sainte-Croix is the Gothic jewel of Orléans, whose origins date back to the beginnings of Christianity. The Orléans audio-guided tour stops here, with respect, to evoke this vast sanctuary with a thousand-year-old history, linked to the memory of Joan of Arc and rebuilt over the centuries.

The thousand-year-old sanctuary of the town

Let us stop for a moment in front of the beautiful Cathedral of Sainte-Croix. Know first that there was there, in the fourth century, at the beginnings of Christianity in Orléans, a first religious building, that is said to have subsisted until the tenth century. On this site laden with history several churches succeeded one another, before the Gothic cathedral rose. This one knew an eventful destiny: gravely damaged during the wars of Religion in the sixteenth century, it was rebuilt from King Henri IV, who wanted to give back to Orléans its cathedral, in the original Gothic style, by fidelity to the past. Its construction and its completion thus spread over several centuries, until the nineteenth century, in a remarkable tribute to Gothic art. The cathedral is also inseparable from the memory of Joan of Arc, who prayed in the town during the deliverance of Orléans, and pays tribute to her by magnificent stained-glass windows retracing her epic. Immense and majestic, with its façade with two towers, its stained-glass windows and its vertiginous interior, it is the jewel and the pride of the town. A thousand-year-old sanctuary and a Gothic masterpiece, the Cathedral of Sainte-Croix is discovered with respect.

What to see

You admire, with respect, the Gothic jewel of Orléans, whose origins date back to a first building of the fourth century; gravely damaged during the wars of Religion, the cathedral was rebuilt from Henri IV in the original Gothic style, over several centuries, and pays tribute to Joan of Arc by magnificent stained-glass windows retracing her epic, under its façade with two towers. The Cathedral of Sainte-Croix is the jewel of Orléans. It is a stop to be discovered with respect.

Practical information

The Cathedral of Sainte-Croix lies in the heart of Orléans, at the end of the rue Jeanne d'Arc, reachable on foot and by tram. A place of worship, it can be visited with respect for services; the entry of the nave is generally free, and hours vary. It is best to check them before coming and to respect the sacred character of the place.

Why is the Cathedral of Sainte-Croix of Orléans remarkable?

Because it is the Gothic jewel of the town, with a thousand-year-old history: a first religious building rose there from the fourth century, and the cathedral, damaged during the wars of Religion, was rebuilt from Henri IV in the original Gothic style over several centuries; inseparable from the memory of Joan of Arc, it pays tribute to her by magnificent stained-glass windows.

Where is the Cathedral of Sainte-Croix in Orléans?

In the heart of Orléans, at the end of the rue Jeanne d'Arc, in France.