The average tourist looks forwards with keen interest to his first visit
to Beauvais. He has, of course, heard of the ancient glories of its
tapestry, which industry is still kept up by the French Government. He
has also read that the perfect French cathedral would be composed of the
choir of Beauvais, the nave of Amiens, the west front of Rheims and the
towers of Chartres: so of the choir of Beauvais he expects great things.
Nor will he be disappointed, especially if he first views it from the
Amiens road. This approach reveals the town to him in the most
picturesque way imaginable. On reaching the brow of a short hill he
becomes suddenly aware of Beauvais, lying below him in the valley beside
a lazy river. One could more properly say that he first saw not the
town, but the amazing uplift of the cathedral, and next the town about
it. The great height of this edifice is accentuated by the fact that
only the choir and the transepts are now standing. Long ago the nave
succumbed to the great strain which its unnatural height put upon the
materials of which it was constructed, and collapsed. The architect's
vaulting ambition o'erleapt itself. In fact it is only by means of
constant shoring and repairing that this choir, the loftiest in France,
is preserved in a safe and solid condition. When the pilgrim descends
into the town he comes upon many interesting timber-framed houses, some
of them with second stories projecting over the arcaded footway below
and exhibiting quaintly attractive carvings on their heavy beams. We
find an intelligent attempt to preserve the best traditions of the older
Beauvais tapestry in the modern factory. Just as formerly, it bears
floral designs and very rarely personages, being of the sort called
"basse lice," and woven on a horizontal frame, thereby differing from
the "haute lice" of the Gobelins factory, where the frames are
perpendicular. Not only in the Cathedral, but also in the church of St.
Etienne, do we find excellent glass of the sixteenth century. The
latter's fine Gothic choir, adorned with graceful flying buttresses,
provides a strong contrast to its sturdier Romanesque nave. The glass is
only to be found around the choir, and is well deserving of its high
repute. One should notice the tone of the blues, especially in the
background of the church's finest window, a Tree of Jesse, the first on
the left from the Lady Chapel. It is the work of Engrand le Prince, and
is one of the best known examples of the irrelevant use of portraits of
high dignitaries. Their half-length figures appear as blossoms on the
vine. Among the fourteen, almost all contemporary likenesses, the most
recognisable are Francis I and Henry II. At the back of the choir
clerestory there is a fine window, blue with golden rays of the sun
spreading out over it. The legend of St. Hubert is very agreeably set
out just to the east of the small south portal, the green used therein
being seldom surpassed.
[Illustration: "TREE OF JESSE" ST. ETIENNE, BEAUVAIS (16TH CENTURY).
_Popular subject in stained glass; the vine springing from the
loins of Jesse generally bears his descendants as blossoms, and
culminates above in a great lily from which emerge the Virgin
and Child. Here occurs an interesting 16th century
variation--among the descendants of Jesse appear contemporary
portraits, Francis I, Henry II, etc._]
It is difficult to express in words the effect of extreme loftiness
which strikes one as he enters the south door of the Cathedral. It seems
almost impossible to shake off this impression; in fact, one is
constantly being surprised that he does not grow accustomed to the great
sweep of the upward lines. In the two great rose windows which decorate
the transept ends, and in the double row of lancets below each, there is
excellent glass of this period. The northern rose shows the golden rays
of the sun spreading out over a blue background, reminding us of its
prototype at St. Etienne. Below, the ten figures of women are attributed
to Le Pot. The southern rose contains the history of the Creation with
such interesting detail as to well repay the trouble to decipher it
caused by its great height above us. Below are two handsome rows of
lancets dated 1551, the upper containing prophets, and the lower,
saints. The western wall, rising abruptly at the point where the nave
should commence, has in its north and south corners two chapels. Each of
these chapels has large sixteenth century windows, the northerly one in
the west wall, the Descent from the Cross, being very fine; in fact, it
is by some considered the best in the cathedral. The choir also has fine
Renaissance glass, although in several of the choir chapels (especially
in the Lady Chapel) and around the clerestory at the east end, there are
some very interesting thirteenth century windows, one, in particular, a
Tree of Jesse, rendered attractive by the halo of flying birds about the
head of the Saviour. So tall are the clerestory embrasures that
generally only the middle portion of them contains personages, the upper
and lower parts being filled with grisaille. Most of these upper
embrasures were glazed in the fourteenth century, and show to a marked
degree the revulsion from the sombre mosaic, and the demand for greater
illumination. All this glass would be much more effective if nearer the
eye of the observer, the great height at which it is placed not only
spoiling the perspective, but resulting in a jumble of colours. The City
Hall contains the flag which the gallant townswoman, Jeanne Hachette,
captured with her own hands upon the occasion of the attack on the city
made by Charles the Bold and his army. Although this gallant deed was
performed in 1472, it has never been forgotten by the people of
Beauvais, and its anniversary is reverently commemorated upon the 29th
of every June.