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The Saint-Julien cathedral: its original shape reflects the many stages its construction went through.
In 1056 the new Le Mans bishop had the older Carolingian cathedral destroyed and started building a new cathedral, however the building collapsed before completion. Construction resumed under the next bishop (Arnaud) at the end of the 11th century. William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy, supported the construction. By 1080 when Arnaud died the apse and the crypt were completed, as well as the foundation of the transept and the towers. Only a part of an arch is left from this construction.