This is a curious detail of Pontoise's beautiful Saint-Maclou Cathedral. Set in the heart of this Val d'Oise town, its Gothic architecture can be admired from high vantage points and from the maze of narrow streets of Pontoise. And as we contemplate it, an intriguing ornament jumps out at us: a medallion adorned with a skull and crossbones on the monument's façade.
What's that skull doing on the façade of Saint-Maclou Cathedral? Our curiosity piqued by this detail, we put the question to our guide for the day, Pauline Prévot from Carré Patrimoine. The question came as no surprise to her: she'd been expecting it. The skull is a reference to the butchers' cemetery, which once adjoined the church but has now disappeared.
Although they were not looked upon favorably, due to their profession being marked by blood and the handling of knives, they were nonetheless a fairly influential guild, and were therefore entitled to a dedicated cemetery close to the church (which was not yet a cathedral) between the 14th and 18th centuries.
