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Bayeux Cathedral: Overall view, exterior of the apse
The large cupola on the central tower was added in the 18th century.
A Norman-Romanesque cathedral (with later Gothic additions), located in the town of Bayeux. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bayeux. It was the original home of the Bayeux Tapestry and is a national monument of France. The site is an ancient one and was once occupied by Roman sanctuaries. The present cathedral was consecrated on 14 July 1077 in the presence of William, Duke of Normandy and King of England. It was here that William forced Harold Godwinson to take the oath, the breaking of which led to the Norman conquest of England. The building is now mainly 13th century Gothic; the crypt dates from the 11th century. The chapter house was added in the 12th century, the chapels were built in the 14th century, an octagonal story, ornamented with open-work, was built on the lantern tower in the 15th, and finally a stone cupola was built in the 18th.