Exterior view of Saint-Étienne de Sens. Photograph by Philippe Vieux-Jeanton.
Saint-Étienne de Sens
Sens Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral in Sens in Burgundy, eastern France. The cathedral, dedicated to Saint Stephen, is the seat of the Archbishop of Sens.
Sens was the first Cathedral to be built in the Gothic architectural style (the Basilica of Saint Denis, the other pioneer Gothic building built at about the same time, was an Abbey, not a cathedral). [1] The choir was begun between 1135 and 1140. The sanctuary was consecrated in 1164, but work continued until 1176. [2]It is a national monument of France. The structure was finally completed in the 16th century. The architecture of its choir influenced, through the architect William of Sens, that of the choir of Canterbury Cathedral.
On the video below, it is mentioned that Saint-Étienne de Sens is considered to be the "mother of Notre-Dame de Paris", since it was the first Gothic cathedral. The video is in French, but it presents beautiful imagery of the Sens Cathedral:
On April 15, 2019, a fire struck the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. This timespace guides you through the history and possible future of this Parisian landmark.
