Cathédrale St-Julien du Mans

The Loire Valley


Built from the 11th to the 15th century, this vast cathedral juxtaposes a Romanesque nave with later Gothic elements. The stained glass dates as far back as the early 1100s. In the Chapelle des Anges Musiciens, the celebrated ceiling is decorated with late-14th-century paintings of 47 angels playing musical instruments. Signs in English present the stages of the building's construction.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The Loire Valley attractions

1. Vieux Mans

0.06 MILES

Often used as a location for films set in the Middle Ages, Le Mans' old city and its picturesque, stone-paved lanes – and tiny vineyard – are surrounded…

2. Wilbur Wright Monument

0.71 MILES

At the base of a soaring allegorical sculpture (1920) by Paul Landowski – who later designed Rio de Janiero's Christ the Redeemer monument – a plaque…

3. Musée des 24 Heures

3.69 MILES

About 50 Le Mans Prototype (LMP) cars are the star attraction at this automobile museum, whose oldest vehicles include a De Dion-Bouton (1885) and a…