Meaux

Meaux lies on the Marne east of Paris, a bishop's city whose Gothic cathedral rises above the river. Saint-Étienne was built over several centuries, its lofty choir and richly carved portals reflecting the ambitions of its patrons. A great rose window and stained glass enriched the building. War repeatedly interrupted the long work of construction.

Building stopped during the Jacquerie of 1358 and ceased again under English occupation from 1422 to 1439, after a prolonged siege. Work resumed later in the fifteenth century, when the nave was extended; the bell tower was completed between 1530 and 1540. From 1681 to 1704 the bishop was Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, a celebrated preacher, writer on history and religion, and former tutor to Louis XIV's heir. He was buried in the cathedral choir.