Collapse of the Gothic Cathedral in Beauvais, France

Around 1225 construction began in Beauvais on what was to be a cathedral with the highest vaults of any Gothic Cathedral. In 1284 these vaults collapsed and were rebuilt. Over the years there have been numerous failure analyses conducted to identify the cause of the collapse. This talk gives a brief introduction to Gothic Cathedrals and reviews the various theories as to the cause of the collapse of the Beauvais Cathedral.