miens Cathedral, also known as Notre-Dame d'Amiens, is one of the largest and most magnificent Gothic cathedrals in France. Located in the city of Amiens in northern France, it is renowned for its stunning architecture and historical significance. The cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage site and an excellent example of Gothic art and engineering. Construction began in 1220 under Bishop Evrard de Fouilloy and was largely completed by 1270, though additional modifications continued over the centuries. The cathedral was built to house the relic of St. John the Baptist's head, a prized Christian relic acquired during the Crusades, which attracted pilgrims and contributed to its rapid construction. Amiens Cathedral was designed to replace an earlier Romanesque church that was destroyed by fire in 1218. The new Gothic structure was built on an enormous scale, with a height of 42.3 meters (139 feet) in the nave and an overall length of 145 meters (476 feet), making it the largest cathedral in France by volume. Amiens exemplifies High Gothic architecture, marked by its verticality and use of light. It features intricate stone carvings, flying buttresses, and three magnificent portals on the western facade, richly decorated with biblical scenes and saints. The famous central portal includes a depiction of the Last Judgment, which remains one of the finest examples of medieval sculpture. The cathedral's interior is equally impressive, with ribbed vaults, elegant columns, and an array of stained glass windows, though many of the originals were lost during World War II.