Sens is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, 120 km from Paris. Sens is a sub-prefecture and the second city of the department, the sixth in the region. It is crossed by the Yonne and the Vanne, which empties into the Yonne here.
Sights
A city with a prestigious past, Sens, city of history
Sens is home to a collection of remarkable buildings, both architecturally and historically. The cathedral of Sens, the first Gothic cathedral, its town hall, witness of the triumphant Republic of the beginning of the last century are marvelous witnesses of this. While strolling in the streets, along the walks, you will notice residences, buildings, sections of walls testifying to this rich past, some of which date from the Gallo-Roman era. Sens was then called Agedincum. Many of these remains are now on display in the underground part of our city’s museums.
Your visit to Sens will bring you to Saint-Etienne Cathedral, the first Gothic cathedral, its town hall, witness to the triumphant Republic at the start of the last century, its museum with rich collections (Cathedral Treasury, Synodal Palace).
While strolling in the streets, along the walks, you will notice residences, buildings, sections of walls testifying to this rich past, some of which date from the Gallo-Roman era. Sens was then called Agedincum. Many of these remains are now on display in the underground part of our city’s museums.
In addition, since 1996 the city of Sens has had its fourth flower of Cities and Villages in Bloom. This distinction, of which only the commune of Sens holds in the Yonne, requires that a certain number of criteria be validated for the maintenance of the 4-flower label, such as flowering, the practice of differentiated management, the festivities linked to the environment, street furniture, etc. The 4 flowers label is a high distinction, only 7 towns have it in Burgundy and 227 throughout France. It is a strong asset for the city, both in terms of tourism and economics.
Cathedral
The first Gothic cathedral in Christendom
The first Gothic cathedral in Christendom, this monument has benefited, since the 850th anniversary of the consecration of its altar in 2014, from a latest generation sound and light show during the summer period. Several thousand people come to pay homage to a construction which is a landmark in the history of our civilization.
In the 12th and 13th centuries, 80 large Gothic cathedrals were built in France. The cities, during these two centuries, will compete in audacity. Always higher always more beautiful… the naves become vertiginous: 24.50 m for Sens, 35 m for Notre Dame de Paris, 37 m for Chartres, 42 m for Amiens and 47 m for Beauvais. The development of cities and trade establishes and finances the construction of its stone vessels. But if the latter have been able to rise so high towards the heavens, it is above all thanks to architectural innovations, including the ribbed vault.
The history of the construction of Saint-Etienne de Sens cathedral, which began in 1130, is highlighted during the summer months and leads you in the footsteps of Henri Sanglier, archbishop of Sens who initiated the construction. of this first Gothic cathedral. It should be remembered that Sens was then the metropolis of an important archbishopric made up of the dioceses of Paris, Meaux, Orléans, Troyes, Chartres, Auxerre and Nevers.
Museums
Adjoining the Cathedral, the buildings of the former archbishopric (16th and 18th centuries) house the rich Senese collections belonging to the City of Sens, to the Archaeological Society of Sens, and to the State (Cathedral Treasury, Synodal Palace ).
On the ground floor, the pre- and protohistoric collections are regularly enriched by rescue excavations. The discoveries remain major, from the Danubian house of Charmoy to the monumental funeral structures of Passy. The Villethierry treasure, made up of 847 Bronze Age jewels, is noteworthy.
The Gallo-Roman sculptures evoke the monumentality of the public buildings that made up the city of Sens (Agedincum) between the 1st and the 3rd century, while the numerous and remarkable funerary steles represent the families and craftsmen who lived there. Mosaics, architectural blocks (cornices, capitals, columns), the reconstruction of the facade of a spa building and recent discoveries such as the exceptional representation of Epona, found in Saint-Valérien, complete these important collections.
The Lucien and Fernande Marrey donation in 2008 definitely enriched the Museums of Sens. This collection includes furniture designed by the artistic ironworker Raymond Subes (1891-1970), ceramics by Jean Mayodon (1893-1967), Flemish and Dutch paintings including Pieter Bruegel (c. 1564-1638), Abel Grimer (c. 1570-1618), medieval sculptures, two bronzes by Auguste Rodin. A large canvas by Louis Watteau known as La Visite à la ferme (1782) from Lille is surrounded by paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries: Eugène Boudin (1824-1898), Albert Lebourg (1849-1928), Albert Marquet (1875-1947) …
In the former ceremonial gallery of the archbishops, one can also discover two high-quality sets which illustrate the 18th century in Sens: the bas-reliefs of the Dauphine gate and the allegorical sculptures which adorned the rood screen of the Cathedral.
The room of paintings offers a series of paintings from the 15th to the 19th century (Guido Reni, Delorme, Rochegrosse…), as well as contemporary works by artists working in the Sénonais, or in connection with our region.
The Town Hall, emblematic witness of contemporary history
Among the many monuments in our city, the one that receives the most public is not the oldest, nor the most monumental, although its dimensions are imposing with its campanile culminating at 56m! For more than a century, it has housed the decision-making bodies of our city and symbolizes the republican values to which the Sénonais are attached. The town hall of Sens celebrated its 110 years in 2014!
Jean Cousin House
Jean-Cousin probably never lived in this beautiful 16th century residence which nevertheless bears his name. On the other hand, it seems that the house belonged to one of the owners of the famous painting exhibited at the Louvre – Eva Prima Pandora – painted by the artist from Senon. In addition to the sculpted facade overlooking rue Jean-Cousin, the eponymous house is embellished with a remarkable external spiral staircase – visible from rue Jossey. This house once housed the Caisse d’Epargne.
We can still distinguish, engraved in the wood of a beam, the mention “Caisse d’Epargne, founded in MDCCCXXXIV” (1834). Purchased by the city of Sens at the end of the last century, the building housed for many years municipal services (the communication department and then that of cultural affairs).
Other sights:
- Archbishops’ Palace
- Church of St. Maurice
- Church of St. Pierre le Rond
- House of Abraham
- Museum
- Serres municipales de Sens, municipal greenhouses
