Sens - Cathedral

Sens was an important place in medieval times. Upto the 11th century the Archbishop of Sens hold the title "Primate of the Gauls and Germania". Thomas Becket lived in Sens for some time, when he was forced to leave England. Here Thomas met Pope Pope Alexander III. In 1141 Bishop Henri Sanglier here caused the condemnation of Peter Abelard.

Bishop Henri Sanglier was well connected to the leading political figures. He and Abbot Suger de Saint-Denis were close friends - and had similar architectural ideas. Abbot Suger decided around 1137 to rebuild the Church of Saint-Denis. Bishop Henri started the construction of this cathedral around 1140.

It is still discussed, which church is older, as this would be the oldest early Gothic church in France. While in Saint Denis (130kms northwest) the building process came to an halt for some time, the choir of the cathedral in Sens was completed already in 1168.

It is sure, as Suger´s church in Saint Denis was an abbey church, the "Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Sens" is the oldest Gothic cathedral in France.

Of course, there were many alterations done later. After the southern tower of the western facade collapsed in 1267 it got rebuilt within the next decades. By then the early Gothic style had developed, so parts of the facade got remodeled end of the 13th century.

The main portal of the facade, maybe a little younger than the western one but in the main parts created before the southern tower collapsed.

I found the two sides most interesting, though they are pretty weathered.

The upper tier has "arts" - dialectic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry etc. The lower tier has "nature" including some strange, exotic animals.

Here is an elephant.

In case, these carvings are dated to the 12th century, the artist never saw an elephant.

Two elephants have been in Europe within the 13th century. Frederick II owned the "Cremona Elephant" around 1240, Louis IX ("Saint Louis") returned with an elephant from the Seventh Crusade and gave the animal to Henry III as a present in 1255.