Amiens Cathedral (Passages) dado

South choir aisles, dado of westernmost bay

This stretch of wall provides precious testimony of the appearance of the entire lower wall of the aisles as originally built by Master Robert de Luzarches soon after 1220. The temptation to affix memorials or to insert tombs has been devastating for this elegant architectural feature. Here the two bays on the left ((with the heads inserted under the arches) have been pierced to create a door opening on to the masons' yard directly outside.
Below you can see a fragment of the old dado of the nave which was demolished and reset in one of the chapels added in the 14th century. The close similarity of choir and nave dados provides the main evidence that the entire lower cathedral (down to the base of the hemicycle) was laid out quickly.

Nave Dado

Nave Dado