The Collegiate Church of Mantes-la-Jolie

The Collegiate Church of Mantes-la-Jolie, a gem of 12th and 13th-century Gothic architecture, stands on the banks of the Seine in Yvelines. With its imposing profile dominating the surrounding landscapes, it is often compared to the Cathedrals of Senlis and Laon, and considered as the "little sister" of Notre-Dame-de-Paris.

Its construction began between 1140 and 1150, on the former site of a church. In 1223, the secular abbots, who included many of the kings of France, gave way to a college of canons. During the French Revolution, the collegiate church suffered considerable damage, before being restored in the 19th century and listed as a Historic Monument in 1840.

Built on three levels, it stands out the height of its vaulted ceiling, which exceeds that of the Basilica of St. Denis, its two 61-metre-high towers and its superb sculpted portals. The building contains a number of gems, including the monolithic pillars on which the ambulatory rests, the portal depicting the Coronation of the Virgin and its Tree of Jesse, the apse surrounded by radiating chapels, the medieval roof framework and roof with 44,000 glazed tiles, and the Merklin organ, built in 1897 by one of the most famous organ builders of the time. The Navarre Chapel, built in a Radiant Gothic style, is the most beautiful chapel in the building, while the Last Judgement rose window, measuring 9 metres in diameter, is one of the oldest in France.

Guided tours, as well as discovery trails and tours on request, are organised throughout the year.

Near the Collegiate Church of Our Lady, the Hôtel-Dieu Museum bears witness to Mantes-la-Jolie's medieval past, and exhibits works by the Post-Impressionist painter Maximilien Luce.