The original cathedral of Arras, constructed between 1030 and 1396, was one of the most beautiful Gothic structures in northern France, until it was destroyed in the French Revolution. The cathedral was the resting place of Louis de Bourbon, Légitimé de France, illegitimate son of Louis XIV and Louise de La Vallière.
In 1833 the church of the former St. Vaast's Abbey was rebuilt in classical style as a replacement cathedral. The design was chosen by the former abbot of St. Vaast's, the Cardinal de Rohan, and is of remarkable simplicity. Arras Cathedral was destroyed by shelling in April 1917, during the run-up to the Nivelle offensives of World War I. It was subsequently rebuilt in its previous form.
References:House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.