In 1544 Philander was given charge of the structure of the cathedral and about 1562 added to it the remarkable gable of the west front. Here we see clearly Philander's strength and weakness; for he has simply planted a complete Roman church front on top of a tall plain Gothic façade. In its detail the design is remarkably pure and rather advanced for its date, even on Italian standards. But in its context it is preposterous.
