\b0 Situated between Paris and the rich plains of Flanders and watered by the river Somme, the capital
of Picardy was one of the most prosperous cities in the Kingdom of France during the Middle Ages. Its bourgeoisie, grown rich on the textile industry and trade, were responsible for the construction of the cathedral of Notre-Dame, a Gothic masterpiece bu
ilt from 1221 to 1270. The steeple that rises above the crossing of the transept, reaching a height of 113 meters (371 feet), was burned down in 1528 and later rebuilt. There is an exceptional set of sculptures on the faτade. A \i Christ in Majesty\i0 (
known as \i ôthe beautiful God of Amiensö\i0 ) surrounded by apostles and four prophets is represented in the central portal. The left-hand portal is devoted to St Firmin, patron of Picardy, and the one on the right to the Virgin. Above run the twenty-tw
o statues of the \i ôgallery of the kingsö\i0 representing the Kings of Judah (and, symbolically, the Kings of France).\par
