There are, to the abside, seven collateral chapels, some of which contain passable sculptured monuments, removed from the old abbey of St. Vaast, a foundation erected in the sixth century and reconstructed by Cardinal de Rohan in 1754. The remains of the old abbey buildings have been built around and incorporated in the present Episcopal Palace, the extensive Musee, and Bibliotheque; and are situated immediately to the right of the facade of the cathedral. The grisaille glass seen in the interior is unusual, but mediocre in the extreme. There are, however, some good statues in white marble in the Chapelle de St. Vaast, while in another chapel, given by Cardinal de la Tour d'Auvergne, is one equally good of Charles Borromee. There are four great statues at the extremities of the transepts, representing the four evangelists; and three others in the choir, of Faith, Hope, and Charity. In the north transept, also, are two triptychs of the Flemish school, by Bellegambe, a native of Douai (1528). The Abbe Bourasse, in his charming work on the cathedrals of France, says, plainly, and without fear or favour: "We have tried to speak impartially of all species of architecture--but why do we not admire the Cathedral of Arras? It is against all traditions of '_notre art catholique_.' We contend that this is not good. What, say you, can we praise? It is a great work--of the stone-mason; you should study it from some distance. It is without life, without movement, without dignity." Whatever may be the faults of its cathedral, Arras is, nevertheless, an interesting city,--modernized, to be sure, by boulevards laid out along the old fortifications. The Citadel of Vauban (1670), called ironically "_la belle inutile_," may be classed as a worthless, if not wholly unpicturesque, ruin, though ranking, when built, as among the most wonderful fortifications of the times. The wave of Renaissance which swept northward has left its ineradicable marks here. The Hotel de Ville is a remarkable specimen of that art of overloading ornament upon a square hulk, and making it look like a wedding-cake; though, truth to tell, coming upon it after the chilliness of the cathedral itself, it is a cheerful antidote. Dating from 1510, at which time was built the curious Gothic facade of seven arches, each different as to size and spring. The added wings in elaborate Renaissance are of the late sixteenth century and rank among the most effective examples of the style in France. A belfry surmounts all, 240 feet in height, the "_joyeuse_" of which weighs nearly nine tons.