Lovely building with a splendid timpano. Autun is an attractive smallish town and, if you're there, then this is the highlight of the town.
Really impressive masonry and stone carvings. Go to the Tourist Office opposite and book a tour with bi-lingual Francophile Australian Rob - encyclopaedic knowledge, brought the place alive and an excellent and generous guide.
We stopped in Autun, looking for evidence of its original settlement, but found nearly nothing. Instead we discovered the cathedral. We were surprised at its size and the quality of the stone sculpture. The entire cathedral is worth a side trip if you are in the area,
Perched high in the winding medieval streets, you know that this is going to be something special before you enter. The cool and tranquillity hits you immediately; the soaring arches and pale stone were aided by quiet background organ music, which really set the atmosphere. Every column has a carved capitol showing a bible scene - great fun to work out what's what - and the tympanium is spectacular. Details of both are on helpful leaflets in several languages.Outside there are several excellent (and not too pricey) restaurants, with a cobbled square & fountain. There is also a tiny public car park right by the cathedral - difficult to find as not signed, but shady and free!Away from the cathedral, the Roman relics are Ok but not worth a long trek - I recommend the Petit Train ride for these.However, I would recommend a visit to the Plan D'eau just a few minutes outside the town (Plan D'eau du Vallon). A large grassy space around a lake, with lovely views of the hills behind, this has extensive free parking, a good open air pool, Ok mini-golf and lakeside walks - just the job to relax or amuse the kids after a hot day's sight-seeing. (with supermarkets a few streets away, for picnic food!) There are two small hotels right by this; a good place to be for a holiday base?
A beautiful building, the timpan is particularly interesting - there is more information on Gislebertus and the cathedral itself in the nearby musée Rolin. Information boards in English, german, French ... Is still a working place of worship so is not guaranteed to be open to the public at all hours.
Lovely old church in a charming village. The centerpiece in a town that has shops, cafes etc. The outside of the Cathedral was spectacular but not a do not miss.
Nice building and interesting architecturally-the porch is very impressive as it the stained glass, also nice and light and airy
The cathedral is very central in Autun. It is located "Place des Terreaux". It is a very beautiful building. If you like cathedrals, you will definitely like this one!
Set high up on the hill of Autun and in the centre of town is the Cathedral, closely surrounded by houses, businesses and restaurants. Our first experience was to witness a funeral of obviously a major figure in the town, everyone stood up outside. After the service was completed and the funeral party departed, others could go into the Cathedral, and it was amazing, we sat quietly and just took it all in. Well worth a stop and look inside.
Great cathedral and stonework, but La salle capitulaire (sculptures in a tower) was closed to the public due to vandalism. It's helpful to visit the Rolin Museum first.