Amiens Cathedral: Steeple
On July 15, 1528 at 10.00pm a lightning strike set the central steeple ablaze--the old steeple must have been built in the early fourteenth century after the completion of the roof. Two carpenters, Simon Taneau from Beauvais and Louis Cardon, a local man, designed and constructed the new steeple under the direction of a clerical committee. It was completed within five years: in 1533 relics of the True Cross, the Holy Sepulcher, the table of the Last Supper as well as a number of saints relics (Honoré, Thomas of Canterbury, Acheul) were placed in the tip.
The octagonal structure constructed of oak covered in lead sheets is thought to weigh over 300 tons. It rises to a height of about 112m (367 feet).
This was the last such Gothic steeple in France and marks the end of the Life of the Gothic Cathedral.