With Toul and Metz, Verdun was one of the three dioceses which remained in the Holy Roman Empire until 1552, and this fact is visible in the composite character of the cathedral's architecture. Construction began under Bishop Heimon (990-1024), who wanted to give his diocese a magnificent cathedral. The plan was inspired by large Saxon churches: a symmetrical basilica with two choirs facing one another, each with two towers and a transept. The west choir and transept were built between 1048 and 1083 under the dynamic bishop Thierry le Grand by the architect Garin. The east choir was constructed in the 13th century. Major changes were introduced during restoration after a fire in 1755. New towers with balustrades were built around the west choir, and the top storey of the east tower was removed. The east choir was made to look like a Roman church. Romanesque and Gothic decorative elements disappeared both inside and out as they were replaced by a Louis XV decor. Today, the cathedral, which was seriously damaged in 1916, is a combination of late Gothic and classical architecture that lacks coherence.