Saint-Etienne Cathedral

Saint-Etienne Cathedral is immediately recognizable by its striking, lopsided exterior, where the massive brick walls and buttresses appear to clash at an awkward angle. This visual irregularity stems from the fact that the building is essentially two incomplete churches from different centuries that were joined together but never perfectly aligned. The older nave dates from the early thirteenth century, while the choir was begun in twelve seventy-two on a completely different axis.