The construction of the present cathedral of Soissons, the third in history, began in 1176 and continued for three centuries. The celebration of the dedication by Bishop Jean Milet took place on 25 April 1479.
The plan of the cathedral features an exceptionally long choir (35 m) and apse chapels wisely confined between the abutments. The nave has a simple three-storey structure: large arcades, a shallow triforium and high geminated windows.
Construction began in 1176. In 1212 the choir, part of the transept (later modified) and part of the last bay of the nave were completed. The nave and facade thus date mainly from the 13th century. Construction and modifications continued in the following years, interrupted by the Hundred Years' War. In 1479, Bishop Jean Milet dedicated the church. The chapels of Saint-Paul, Saint-Augustin and Sacré-Coeur were added in the 18th century.
It was one of the four churches of the abbey of Notre-Dame de Soissons before becoming an abbey of canons regular for the monks in charge of the spiritual and temporal administration of Notre-Dame. It became a collegiate church in the 9th century and is now a parish church.
The abbey was destroyed in 1567 at the beginning of the Wars of Religion, partially rebuilt in 1630 before being razed to the ground to the ground to the crypt in 1793. The crypt extended as far as under the eastern high altar and is 30 m wide. Dating is uncertain, but first mention of the crypt in 1079.
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