# Interior view [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [ARCHITECT, French]() - Date: 1251-1300 - Technique: Photo ## Commentary The choir of the Tournai Cathedral was constructed between 1243 and 1255 by an anonymous architect. Since he was not building a completely new cathedral but was merely extending the old Romanesque building with a new choir, the architect had little space at his disposal for the choir. Therefore he chose the ground plan of the cathedral of Soissons, which requires only a small area for the choir. Thus the straight chapels are situated flat between the buttresses while the radiating chapels, to save space, are drawn together with the ambulatory under one vault. However, the chapels are no longer independent spaces, but instead are parts of an area created by the undulating exterior wall of the ambulatory, an arrangement that creates an unusually spacious impression. In the 13th century, Tournai was no longer situated within the Kingdom of France but was now within the borders of the Holy Roman Empire. All the same, the influence on the town of French politics and culture was decisive, especially as German was never spoken in Tournai. Consequently, the cathedral of Tournai can certainly be regarded as belonging directly to French Gothic, which is equally true of other buildings in the frontier areas of France. ## Related artworks - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Bird's eye view]() - [Burial lantern]() - [Castle]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()