Construction of the cathedral began about 1170, when a structure in Romanesque style was started,[1] on the site of a previous Church of Saint Stephen.

Defects in the original design and construction had to be corrected in the 13th century, in which the architect Gautier de Vainfroy was much involved.

[2] He had to remove the previous cathedral almost totally and start a new structure in Gothic style.

[4] Carvings throughout the church were mutilated by the Huguenots in 1562, and from that date no further work was done on the building.

[5] The archives of the diocese were destroyed in 1793 – 1794, thus deleting much knowledge about the early history of the church.