After Amiens, the development of French gothic reached its ambitious summit at Beauvais.

The vault of Beauvais Cathedral is the highest in the world at 48m, almost twice the height of naves in England and sufficient to encase the towers of many cathedrals. The choir vault collapsed its during initial construction, forcing the builders to double the number of columns. Martin Chambiges later added the transepts - his masterpiece - after working at Sens and Senlis.
Not satisfied with the failure of the choir vault, the architect Jean Vast added an even more audacious crossing tower (153m) that collapsed in 1573. Other tall contemporary spires, like at Lincoln and Old St. Paul's, suffered the same fate. The cathedral was patched up and has since lain unfinished.