Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Senlis

Senlis

Senlis is a town of kings: it was in its castle that the assembly of the magnates, on the death of Louis V, chose in 987 Hugh Capet, duke of the Franks and lay abbot of several of the greatest monasteries of the kingdom, among them Saint-Denis; he would be crowned at Noyon on 3 July. A century and a half later, the new cathedral rose in the immediate wake of the chevet that Suger had just consecrated at Saint-Denis: the works opened around 1151, the choir and the façade were completed around 1167, the nave was joined to the choir in 1175, and the archbishop of Reims consecrated the building in 1191. The west portal, carved around 1160-1170, bears the first great Coronation of the Virgin of monumental sculpture: Chartres, Paris, Reims and Amiens would take it up. The spire of the south tower, raised around 1240, passes for one of the finest in France and can be seen from very far off across the plain. A fire destroyed the roof timbers in 1504; rebuilding took place from 1506 to 1515, and the south transept was added from 1520 to 1538 by Martin and Pierre Chambiges, in a flamboyant style that contrasts with the plainness of the 12th century.

Wikipédia — Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Senlis ↗

Getting there : 45 km north of Paris by the A1 motorway, Senlis exit; no railway station, coach from Chantilly. The cathedral opens every day, free entry; one can walk round the chevet through the chapter garden. The royal castle and its priory, next door, can be visited together with the Musée de la Vénerie.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound