It is the third of Huysmans' books to feature the character Durtal, a thinly disguised portrait of the author.

He had already featured the character of Durtal in Là-bas and En route, which recounted his conversion to Catholicism.

After his retreat at a Trappist monastery, Durtal moves to the city of Chartres, renowned for its cathedral.

Huysmans first published fourteen extracts from La cathédrale as a serial in the newspaper L'Écho de Paris, beginning on October 27, 1897.

Some commentators questioned the sincerity of the author's religious beliefs, but the novel was the most commercially successful of Huysmans' works during his lifetime.