La Fabrique de la Flèche

Restoring what the 19th century dismantled

The spire of the north tower was dismantled stone by stone between 1846 and 1847, after storms had weakened it. The current project involves rebuilding it using methods and tools suited to stone construction. La Fabrique de la Flèche is not an exhibition about a construction site: it is the construction site itself, open to the public while work is underway. The history of the dismantling can be found on why only one tower.

What you can see on site

Stonecutters at work, blocks being shaped, the movements and lifting machines. For an audience used to finished monuments, seeing a monument in the making is a different experience: you finally understand why a cathedral took generations to build. Children behave better here than in the ambulatory, and that’s a selling point: see visiting with children.

The Monday trap

This is the mistake I see most often. La Fabrique de la Flèche is closed on Mondays, while the royal necropolis remains open. Visitors sometimes come specifically on a Monday for the construction site and find it closed, then discover they can at least visit the tombs. Seasonal opening hours are available on the opening hours page.

How much time to allow

The necropolis alone takes about an hour for a self-guided visit, or an hour and a half with the included guided tour in French. Add La Fabrique de la Flèche and you’ll spend around two hours, including the walk from one site to the other across the parvis. The necropolis entry ticket grants access to the construction site from Tuesday to Sunday. See what the ticket covers and how much time to allow.

Frequently asked questions