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Most visitors to France never look beyond Paris. That is a mistake.
Sens, a city of about 27,000 souls located some 80 miles from Charles de Gaulle Airport, was once a major center of power and religious authority. That past is evident in its cathedral, one of the earliest examples of Gothic architecture.
Sens Cathedral, formally known as St. Stephen’s Cathedral, dates to the early 12th century, when builders were beginning to move beyond the heavy mass and limited light of Romanesque architecture. The then-new Gothic pointed arch was not merely decorative; it was an engineering solution that transformed how large churches and cathedrals could be built.
What makes the cathedral especially compelling is not only its architectural importance but also its survival. The French Revolution proved catastrophic for many churches, whose interiors were stripped or repurposed. Sens escaped the worst of this destruction.
Among the survivals are four 12th-century stained-glass windows, an 18th-century choir screen, and the imposing marble mausoleum of Louis, the dauphin of France. Louis was the son of King Louis XV and the father of three future kings: Louis XVI, Louis XVIII and Charles X. The dauphin died before he could ascend the throne.
Continued below.
www.christianpost.com
Sens, a city of about 27,000 souls located some 80 miles from Charles de Gaulle Airport, was once a major center of power and religious authority. That past is evident in its cathedral, one of the earliest examples of Gothic architecture.
Sens Cathedral, formally known as St. Stephen’s Cathedral, dates to the early 12th century, when builders were beginning to move beyond the heavy mass and limited light of Romanesque architecture. The then-new Gothic pointed arch was not merely decorative; it was an engineering solution that transformed how large churches and cathedrals could be built.
What makes the cathedral especially compelling is not only its architectural importance but also its survival. The French Revolution proved catastrophic for many churches, whose interiors were stripped or repurposed. Sens escaped the worst of this destruction.
Among the survivals are four 12th-century stained-glass windows, an 18th-century choir screen, and the imposing marble mausoleum of Louis, the dauphin of France. Louis was the son of King Louis XV and the father of three future kings: Louis XVI, Louis XVIII and Charles X. The dauphin died before he could ascend the throne.
Continued below.
Travel: Discovering Gothic splendor, saints and relics in Sens
Most visitors to France never look beyond Paris That is a mistake
www.christianpost.com
