Meaux, a historical past

The St Étienne cathedral

This cathedral, begun around 1175 - 1180, has been enlarged throughout the centuries by chapels being added on, like between 1317 and 1322. The kings Philippe V and Charles IV gave to the Chapitre [Chapter] the necessary ground to build the two radiant chapels.

During the English occupation f 1422 - 1438, work on the cathedral was stopped, and only begun again in the second half of the fifteenth century.

In the middle ages, the cohabitation of the Chanoines du Chapitre and the Bishops was the cause of several clashes.

The bishop’s palace was greatly renovated by Guillaume Briçonnet, Bishop of Meaux from 1516 to 1538, who united in Meaux, between 1523-1525 a cenacle of humanist reformers.
He had a gallery built at the back, and a ramp on the courtyard side.
Then, by buying a few houses, he managed to separate the bishop’s domain and the Chanoines.
On the Chanoine’s side, only the old Chapitre has been conserved.

The Bossuet garden

This garden which stretches out in front of the bishop’s palace, was created in 1642, and attributed to André Le Notre.
At the end of it, a pavilion was built, and it kept the name of its most illustrious occupant, who liked to go there to be alone with his thoughts: Jacques Bénigne Bossuet. Bishop of Meaux, great orator and writer, he occupied the palace from 1682 to 1704 and was nicknamed “The Eagle of Meaux”.
He is buried in the heart of the cathedral.

This garden has only been open to the public since 1911.

The Remparts

The town was surrounded by walls, and today one can still admire the magnificent ramparts along boulevard Jean Rose.

The Old Chapter

This building, situated on the east side of the courtyard of the bishops palace, was built in the thirteenth century.
The Old Chapter was the headquarters of the Chanoines of the Meaux Cathedral.

Around 1930, the building was linked to the Cathedral by an open passage.