ng to the authority of
Fergusson, a well-nigh perfect Gothic church in St. Urbain; likewise a
great cathedral,--rather ugly as to its general outline. All these are
possessed by Troyes, and to-day the reminders and remains of each and
all are exceedingly vivid and substantial.

Certain cathedrals of France show plainly the different phases and
developments of the art of building through which they have passed;
others indicate little, if any, deviation from a certain accepted style.
St. Pierre de Troyes is of the first category. Here is Gothic in all its
variations. Its environment, too, is characteristic of the many varying
moods through which its constituency has passed. A truly mediaeval city
in the picturesqueness of its older portions, Troyes is famed alike in
affairs of Church and State. The dimensions of the Cathedral at Troyes,
which approach those of the grand group, and the general majesty of its
interior only further this opinion.

The main body covers the none too frequent arrangement of five aisles,
which, following through the transept, continue, with the double pair on
each side, to likewise girdle the choir. The splendour of immensity is
further enhanced by its large windows, including two rose openings set
with old glass, and the general richness of its sculptured decorations.
The abside of the choir is ranked among the best Gothic works of the
time.

The choir, begun in 1206, is composed of thirteen arcades, symbolical of
Christ and the twelve apostles, from the chief of whom the cathedral
takes its name. The windows of the triforium are large and divided into
four compartments. The general disposition of the choir, with its
radiating chapels, is superb; and it is exactly this satisfying, though
perhaps undefinable, quality that is ofttimes lacking in an originally
well-planned work which fails to inspire one. The choir contains an iron
_grille_ of the thirteenth century, of very beautiful workmanship, and
is surrounded by five hexagonally sided chapels.

The principal portion of the nave, erected in the fourteenth, fifteenth,
and sixteenth centuries, interrupted now and again by war and civil
distractions, bears indelible impress of its continued centuries of
growth.

The principal facade of the fifteenth century--accredited to one Martin
Chambige and erected just after the nave took form--is of the richness
of Gothic only just previous to its decline. There are three portals,
which are bare of s